Anne and I took Ryan to see Elvis Costello and The Police at the Hollywood Bowl last night.
We bought our tickets months ago, and got the best seats we could afford. We took the shuttle from the Zoo to the Bowl, and were in our seats about ten minutes before Elvis and The Impostors took to the stage for an hour-long set that was just fantastic. He didn’t play Lipstick Vogue, which is my all-time favorite Elvis tune, but he nailed all the other songs you’d expect him to play. Sting even joined him for Alison, which was pretty cool.
Did you know that Elvis Costello is 53? He was rocking it out like it was 1988 instead of 2008, and was clearly having a good time. Also, his keyboardist plays a Theremin. A Theremin! How cool!
He only played for an hour, and by the time he was finished, the Bowl was filled to its 18,000 person capacity as night fell.
The Police took the stage, and opened with a wonderful version of Bring On the Night that just sounded great. It started out softly, built to a powerful crescendo, and created a wonderful sense of anticipation for the rest of the show: The Police had clearly come to rock us.
I forget what they played next, but I recall thinking, "Man, they just sound awesome!"
This was around the same time that the woman behind me got on her cell phone and started calling everyone she knew to tell them how awesome Sting sounded.
I was annoyed, but thought I’d just wait it out. Once she went through a few calls to share her excitement with people who couldn’t be there, she’d quiet down, I figured.
I was wrong.
The calls quickly turned from "I’m at the concert and they sound awesome!" to "So, what are you doing this weekend? Oh my god did you see [some stupid gossip thing.]?!"
I paid $60 for my ticket, before the Ticketbastard fees. Surely this woman had spent a similar amount of money. She really wanted to spend the show shouting into her phone?
Two songs later, I couldn’t take it any more. I turned around and said, "Would you please try to talk a little more quietly?"
This is when I saw that she was near the bottom of one of these 32 ounce sangrias they sell at the Bowl. Perfect.
"Hold on," she said into her phone. "What?"
"I said, would you please talk a little more quietly? You’re really loud."
She rolled her eyes at me. "Whatever, dude."
Something in me snapped. Before I knew it, I said, "Hey! I don’t want to listen to your fucking phone calls. I want to listen to the Police."
Her eyes widened, like she wasn’t used to people standing up to her.
Did I mention that she was probably in her mid-40s? Yeah, that’s important. She was absolutely old enough to know better.
"WHAT?" She said.
"I paid sixty dollars to listen to The Police, not to listen to you."
"Well I paid seventy," she said, petulantly.
"So that makes it okay for you to be an inconsiderate asshole?" I said.
"Oh my GOD!" She said. I seriously felt like I was dealing with a child.
"Just be quiet, please," I said, and turned back around.
For the next twenty minutes, this woman loudly complained about me to her equally drunk, equally idiotic friends. She kicked my chair. She clapped her hands next to my head. She screamed like a teenage girl in a Beatles concert film.
In other words, this stupid asshole made about a third of her concert experience — seeing The Police! — all about trying as hard as she could to ruin it for me, because I’d asked — politely — for her to just be considerate of the people around her.
I ignored her the way you’d ignore a child who was having a temper tantrum and she eventually got bored and stopped. Just in time for the stoners to show up in front of me.
I want to break from my complaining about this crap for a second to point out that The Police put on a tremendous show. They’ve been playing the same songs for thirty years, but like Elvis Costello before them didn’t show any obvious signs of "we’ve been playing this song for thirty years" fatigue. They sounded great, it was clear that they were having a lot of fun and enjoying each other’s performances, and their energy was great. They were most certainly not phoning it in, and if we hadn’t been surrounded by assholes, it could have been one of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen.
So, the stoners. Yeah, that was awesome. I don’t go to a lot of concerts because the goddamn stoners drive me crazy, but these people — again, clearly in their 40s — were constantly sparking up like it was 1977 and we were at a Dead show. As they got more drunk and more high, they provided a nice balance to the asshole woman behind me. And by balance, I mean perfect equilibrium.
If I hadn’t been there with my wife and son, I would have left, because it was so irritating. It’s a shame, because it really was a fantastic show, even if they didn’t play Synchronicity II, which is my favorite Police song ever.
I’ve noticed something in the last few years: the older the audience, the greater the number of assholes. It seems like younger people are more passionate about the music and more interested in enjoying the performance, while the older audiences (around my age, I guess) are more interested in getting fucked up and acting like idiots who are, for some reason I have yet to comprehend, are entitled to be as obnoxious, self-centered and inconsiderate as they want.
At least the idiots weren’t there for Elvis Costello, so the entire night wasn’t miserable. I just wish people would be more considerate of others, especially when we’re all together in what is supposed to be a pretty awesome shared experience.
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Man, I hear ya! I went to an MC Chris show a couple of months ago and there were drunk chicks there that ruined not only my enjoying the show, but the MCs as well! They were so drunk, and thought they were so hot and jumped up on stage- he called to have them kicked out of the place, so that was pretty cool and hilarious (because these girls were “so hot” they asked to cut in the front of the line like by doing so they were doing us a favor!) but I was still seriously angry until the point where they got kicked out. And that was only a $20 show! I can’t imagine how angry I would have been having paid $60 per ticket for my family to go just to have my enjoyment ruined by inconsiderate assholes.
I’m at least glad that the Elvis Costello show was enjoyed uninterrupted.
Sounds like Ryan’s maturity level is a billion times higher than these people. I get so irritated by people like that. There is just no way to get through to them. I guess security wouldn’t have done anything either. I hope your next concert experience will be a better one.
Since everyone’s having so much fun posting about their horrid experiences, I’ll chime in with mine. But I’ll make it short and not-so-sweet.
Beck.
Drunk 20-something behind me.
Beer in my hair.
FABULOUS!
It’s not the age. It’s a combination of venue, the act and dumb luck. Inconsiderate people come in all ages, but they have one thing in common: a desire to gain perceived social advantage through prestige and intoxication.
Cheap, low-profile venues tend to have less pretentious crowds; cheap venues with expensive alcohol usually have some of the best. The low cover/ticket prices shun the status symbols and people like your “my $70 justifies my behavior” people, while the pricey drinks keep all but the most dedicated alcoholics tame. Bonus if it’s a non-smoking show with bouncers throwing out anyone who exhibits so much as a lighter.
Tweak any of these and you get douchebags of any age. You got 40-something douchebags because it’s Elvis Costello and the Police, but you’d get 30-something douchebags if it was Pearl Jam or Chris Cornell, and 20-something douchebags if it was just about any active indie band.
The more a show’s makeup makes a person’s attendance something to brag about to strangers, the more likely people who don’t care will attend.
Problem is, these venues don’t usually get mainstream acts, since cheap ticket shows with expensive drinks and no smoking mean nobody makes any money.
(The other antidote is a well-behaved mosh pit that exerts street justice on assholes, but you’ve got to be pretty fit to benefit, and you can forget bringing the kid.)
Must be the week for drunk assholes. We saw Eddie Izzard last weekend and the people directly behind us were being loud and obnoxious and talking to each other the *whole* time. Why? Why would you pay $50 per ticket and then NOT PAY ATTENTION to a mostly-ad-libbed comedy show? Someone close to an aisle went and got security, and they escorted them out. The whole section applauded (which seemed to confuse Eddie; nobody else was clapping right then). 🙂
I think the younger people in the audience are, as you say, passionate about the music, but younger people (especially us poor students) don’t get the opportunity (read as don’t have the money) to go to many awesome concerts, so when we do we want to be totally present for the experience, not off our heads. It’s great to hear that someone has recognised that young people aren’t always the arseholes at these events. And good on you for standing up to that crazy woman, what a child!
I’ve had similar experiences… Usually it’s in the movie theater, though. The last concert I went to was for They Might Be Giants. It was in a small venue for only $15, and it was awesome. So, good concert experiences do still happen!
Sorry you had a shitty concert night. For what it’s worth, I’ve been to two of the current Police tour, and had decent experiences. Venues and individual evenings vary a great deal. Doesn’t matter if the crowd is privileged or trailer trash. A certain percentage of them have been infantilized by thirty years of crappy public education and shit-for-leaders. You merely rolled a bad d12.
I’m tempted to suggest that you might not have benefited from attending with a Hollywood audience. My early-tour Philly show had a disappointing low-energy crowd, and the asshats limited themselves to frequent departure/returns with alcohol. My NYC Madison Square Garden Halloween was marred only by a smelly drunk ashtray who “stood” next to my wife.
And sorry to repeat a tweet, but if you happened to see Copeland point to anyone in the crowd, it would be someone carrying the Copeland fan flag — my wife’s project. She made me the fan I am today.
Your blog is exceptional and distracting.
Sharing the sympathy, both for the huttboles you had to deal with and for the fact that Synchronicity II wasn’t on the setlist – it’s my all-time favorite as well, and I would’ve paid just to hear them play that one song, because it was phenomenal, as was their inclusion of a supercool version of “Walking in Your Footsteps.” (On the other hand, you got Elvis Freaking Costello. Here in Cleveland we got “Fiction Plane.” Yeah, Sting’s kid’s band.)
This is EXACTLY why I stopped going to concerts. I started noticing that (a) the prices kept going up, and (b) I seemed to have to deal with total assholes every time. As far as I can tell, the assholes seem to think, “I paid a bunch of money, so I can’t act however I want to act.”
That’s why I usually don’t say anything because I expect assholes to react like assholes. I’m sorry they ruined your experience. I’m surprised that could even happen. At all the concerts I’ve been to, the music has been so loud, talking on a cell phone is simply impossible let alone hearing the person next to you speak. Maybe you just need to attend louder concerts. :o)
1) You can hear the obnoxious drunk on live in NYC screaming “I LOVE YOU” during the quiet part of EVERY song. This woman has vocal cords made of parachute cord. Ugh,
2) I used to attend a LOT of concerts, in LA, where the ‘event’ trumps the music. I found the Cheaper seats were the best. The people who spent their last $20 to see Police will respect the show a lot better. I have been front row – and the only person who showed up on time for a show. Back of the bus is the way to go.
Your experience is pretty much the same experience I had at the last 3 or 4 concerts I went to: and that’s why I almost never go to concerts anymore. I think the constant and obnoxious cell-phone use was the straw that broke this camel’s back!
In defense of older concert-goers, I hadn’t noticed it was only people in their 40s behaving badly. The two women sitting behind me and my husband who pulled on us *exactly* the same crap that woman pulled on you (plus pouring their cheap beer down behind our seats to soak our shoes) were drunk 20 year olds, and our version of your stoners were college kids. The woman who brought her 4 year old to the fairly intimate setting of Club Passim in Boston (he wailed that he wanted to go potty or go home pretty much all through the concert) was a young mother.
Here’s hoping your (and our) next concert is a better experience!
What an asshole! They really need to ban cell phones from concerts & movies, or put in cell phone jammers.
Sorry that the f*cks were so annoying. In regards to playing like they haven’t been doing it for the last 30 years, remember for the Police they really haven’t they have at most played together 10 of the last 30 years.
Ugh. That’s why I hate stadium shows, and concerts in large venues in general. The asshole quotient is just too damn high.
(I saw The Police last summer, and we lucked out and were surrounded by mostly cool people … but I’ve had my share of bad experiences, particularly of the “I’m a bigger fan of ___ than you are, which entitles me to be the biggest dickwad in the theater” variety.)
But the comments I’m seeing here starting with “this is why I don’t go to concerts any more” just sadden me. I work in indie music as a tour manager for an artist whose livelihood depends on how many people come to see her play.
So I just want to stick in a little PSA, if I may: big shows might suck more often than not, but I can guarantee everyone reading this that any night of the week, chances are there’s a great musical event happening in a small venue near you. It might just be the coffeehouse on the corner, but respectful listening is the norm in these places and if someone is being a dick, it’s perfectly acceptable to call them out in front of everyone. And if you go to the show, you’ll really be making a difference. Plus you can meet and talk to the artist after they’re done playing, and buy a CD to help them get to their next gig.
Yet another reason I’m glad and proud to be a country music fan. I’ve never had any problems at concerts.
Rock on.
How sweet it would have been to have something like this:
http://www.globalgadgetuk.com/Personal.htm
Ugh, what a bummer that those folks had to bring down the overall experience.
It’s because of those types (well, specifically, the stoners) that I can’t go to live concerts – at least outdoor ones. I’m (deathly) allergic to pot smoke, and have found that anaphylaxis totally ruins the concert-going experience… d:
Yeah, that sounds pretty familiar.
I experienced the same thing at NFL games. You’d think if you were a “fan”, you’d want to see the game, but no, instead, they get hammered before the game and then get stupidly drunk during the game.
I can never figure that out.
Similar experience for me this past Sunday when I attended the Stone Temple Pilots concert. I was shocked at the blatant disrespect shown by my fellow concert goers. I don’t know which was worse the pot smoke, the cigarette smoke or the couch cushions being heaved over the railing by the folks in the luxury boxes. At least there was something worse than Scott Weiland’s performance that night!
Elvis Costello is a musical genius! I saw him at the Fox in Atlanta YEARS ago, and it was GREAT! He is a composer, a poet, and a great musician. His wife rocks, too.
What a shame, sorry that happened to you and yours, Wil. We saw the Police last summer at Fenway Park and the crowd, at least where we sat, was well-behaved–from what I understand, that’s not necessarily expected in that venue. I’m at the age (50) where live concerts just seem like too much trouble so I was pleasantly surprised how good an experience it was. That’s mostly due to the Police, who were, as you said, as good as ever. I think I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed their music, and probably had low expectations in general. So it was great. Sorry yours was spoiled by an inconsiderate jerk.
I am so sorry! That really frickin’ blows. I hope it wasn’t Ryan’s first big show…
Great post, Wil. I had a similar experience at a Roger Waters concert in Vegas about eight years ago. In this case, the assholes made the mistake of also pissing off security, and got thrown out at the start of the second act. It was a Sweet thing to see.
Dude! What is wrong with people these days?! I read your twitters about this woman and she sounds like an ass! At least Elvis Costello and The Police were awesome in concert. It’s good to hear about performers who still love what they do.
Dude, sorry you had to deal with stupid people.
The last time I had someone kick my seat because I asked them to be quiet was at the ice capades in 1985. The last time a drunk yelled about what a bitch I am was opening day at Comiskey, 2004, because I’d asked him to not to blow smoke right ~at~ my newborn daughter. They’re everywhere.
Having grown up in Montana, come of age in Chicago, and recently moved to San Jose I can say that the assholiest assholes I’ve met have all been middle aged and older Californians. I see a blue-hair on the street and I race to get out of the way because they WILL attempt to run me over just for fun. And OMFSM don’t even get me started about what I see in parking lots.
To respectfully disagree with Todd, it’s not always the boomers, and it’s not all of the boomers. (My boomer dad, for example, would just raise an eyebrow at the antics of Joe’s Dylan “fans” and go on having fun-he can ignore ANYthing. I’ve even seen California boomers behave themselves at a Cake concert.) The real problem is the self-important and entitled. I think we all end up there at some point in our lives, but hopefully we don’t stay long and and/or make humongous assholes of ourselves while we’re at it. Hopefully.
Luckily, “you can’t get away from Sting” so with any luck you’ll get a chance to hear The Police without the attendant assholes someday.
people in their 40’s? ha… generation X strikes again.
It wasn’t $60 but I did have an inconsiderate 40 year old lady ruin part of Iron Man for me…..a movie I had been GREATLY looking forward to. Not only did she leave her ringer on super loud, it just so happened to ring during a very emotional and dramatic scene. That doesn’t stop this lady from answering it, and talking into it for the next 5-10 minutes, talking as loudly as possible of course, so that the person on the other end of the line can hear her. There was a moment after she picked up when she said ‘I’m at a movie…YEAH, I’M AT A MOVIE….IRON MAN….’ when I thought she’d hang up and shut up, but then she just switched to rapid fire spanish and kept going. She was just far enough away that I would have had to get up, disrupt everyone else with getting in front of the screen if I wanted to get over there and ask her to be quiet.
Man, that is a real drag. I saw The Police last summer on the first leg of their tour at Churchill Downs. Turns out that’s not a great concert venue for setup reasons IMO, but it was still a phenomenal show. Easily in my top 3 of all time. I was bummed when a friend of mine saw them recently in Chicago and told me they added “Bring on the Night” for the second leg of the tour, but I guess I can take some solace knowing that they did play “Sychronicity II” in Kentucky. (Aside to musicians and their booking agents: Why do so many big shows totally skip over Indianapolis? We have some good venues here!)
You think Elvis is The Man at 53? He’s younger than all three of The Police! I think Andy Summers will even be 61 in a month or two. But they still threw down like it was 1983.
On a final note, check YouTube (if you haven’t already) for clips from the Hollywood Bowl concert. You might be able to relive some of the show without the annoying distractions. Man I hope they release a concert DVD when the tour is over.
Oh- and I should add re:kids, I’m kind of in the middle of those two groups so I think I can avoid playing favorites- basically what I think the deal is, is that young people who don’t have a lot of extra money and have to pay for their own tickets of course value the event more and are more respectful. Young people for whom money is not a concern (or so I recall from my younger days) because their parents paid for stuff, tended to be douchier about event etiquette because they were just hanging out to be out of the house and socialize, they didn’t really care about what they were going to see.
Older people tend to have more disposable income, so I think it’s also less of a big deal for them on average. No I’m not saying everyone with money acts like a douche, but I think people who are going out to see things so that they can say they’ve seen them, and get out of their house, socialize and drink, and who aren’t pinched by doing this financially, are the group most likely to act like a jerk at an event.
Wil, I so feel for you and your family. This sort of experience really is happening far too often, and as much as I wish to say that they obviously don’t get anything from the experience, they do ruin it for everyone else.
This happened to us at a Robbie Williams concert about 18 months ago, and about 12 years ago at the Cure (although that was just some girl that screamed ROBERT I WANT YOUR BABIES on the top of her voice all night).
It used to be that there was a collective buzz or an atmosphere in a live gig, but as many say now, the dvd experience is probably the best for those who actually are there to listen to the music and to hear the artists.
The best live shows I’ve been to are the ones where the alcohol is not allowed in the venue – and those who want the drinks stay outside the arenas at the bars.
I know what you mean about the stoners and other annoying people at concerts. Recently my fiance and I went to see Duran Duran and we were right on the isle which is good for me because I am 5’2.5″ and can’t see over anyone. Well, directly across from us on the other side of the isle was a pothead who smoked through the whole concert (including opening act), I think he smoked pot for three full hours. We almost left because just the smell of pot is enough to make me feel extreemly sick, but I ended up just sitting through part of the concert and not being able to see because people thought that since I was sitting they could stand in front of me. Seriously, this one chick kept pushing into my spot that my fiance paid for and then looking at me like she wondered why I didn’t just move out of her way. What’s bad is we were in some of the better seats for the Duran Duran concert which we figured meant we wouldn’t have to deal with the potsmokers but we were very wrong on that. We had previously dealt with them at a Genesis concert when we were in the nose-bleed seats (that were still expensive for us) and it was like we were an island in a sea of pot smokers (nearly left early during that one as well).
I’m glad you were able to enjoy at least some of the concert; my only hope is that venues can get better at enforcing the “no smoking” rule since there is generally no way to escape the smell at a concert.
My first concert was:
The Police
Synchronicity
1982
Shea Stadium, New York
It was totally crazy being 12 or 13 years old and being at a Police concert.
I was able to see them again at Dodger Stadium on this tour and they were awesome.
Wil — I feel your pain man. My wife was with me at a concert where someone was “dancing” next to her by basically bodyslamming into my wife for most of the concert.
I go with what you say — Don’t be a dick…
What is it about the Hollywood Bowl that draws assholes like flies to shit these days? I was initially upset at having missed the Flaming Lips at the Bowl last year because it was during ComicCon; later a good friend of mine told me it was all but ruined for her by the obnoxious behavior of similar twunts who surrounded them on all sides.
Those 32-ounce sangrias are damn tasty, but way more trouble than they are worth.
Oops, brain fart… that Lips/Con convergence was two years ago.
hey dude, crowds suck in general. it is very hard to go to concerts and actually enjoy ’em anymore. People are always wasted and loud, & if you are in the mosh pit it’s even worse. People pushing and shouting and if you are real lucky some drunk guy trying to grind up on you, then you think to yourself I paid money for this? so at least your drunk girl wasn’t trying to get her some.
Will, you’ve hit a nerve here. I’d say for every bad experience, I had 10 good experiences. And sometimes the assholes lose: I can’t prove it, but many years ago my (ex-)wife and I decided to go to a Hall and Oats concert at the old Forest Hills Stadium (in Queens, NY) the day of the show after some extra tickets were released. The guy in front of us claimed there were Will Call tickets for him becuase he was the doctor of one of the band members and was really obnoxious when the guy in the booth couldn’t find his tickets. The guy finally left after making a big stick about how important he was. So I get up next and said “I’m nobody important, but I’d like to buy two tickets if there are any left.” The guy laughed and sold me the two ticket, which turned out to be second row.
But I have also had the obnoxious talkers who go to a concert and then seem oblivious to it. My example happened a couple of years ago at a Jack Johnson concert at the Berkeley Greek Theater. Two women kept talking and talking throughout the concert. Why waste the money on the tickets?
Man…reminds me of pretty much every Stevie Nicks or Fleetwood Mac show I’ve ever been to (six total, with another Stevie show in ten days.) People are inordinately rude. Fights have even broken out. Fights! At a Stevie Nicks concert!
Also, the “It’s Wil Wheaton’s Fault That I’m Addicted to This Show” episode of C.S.I was on SpikeTV this past Monday (“Best of C.S.I.” Memorial Day marathon.) Excellent work in that, my friend.
Arrghh! Assholes!
There outta be a law!!
My worst concert moment was at a Patton Oswalt concert where the drunken bridge and tunnel rat we were sitting next to decided to blurt out the punch lines to all the jokes she knew two seconds before Patton did! Everyone around her started telling her to cut it out but she responded with, “What! The comics like it when you do that! If you were a real Patton fan you would know the jokes so shut up!” Like it was fucking comedy karaoke night at concert hall!
On top of that every time a new joke came up (and thankfully there was plenty new material from Mr. Oswalt) she would turn to her zoned out boyfriend and ask if he thought that was funny or if he thought that was racist!
GRRRR!!
Wow, I can’t believe how mad reminicing about that night has made me.
As Thomas mentioned (how dare you steal my thunder many hours ago! ;P), the Police haven’t been playing together that long, hence why the songs sound so fresh. Amazing what a 20-year break will do; maybe we could persuade some other bands to try it and then not let them reform….
I saw The Police at Citizens Bank Park in Philly last summer b/c I missed out on the Synchronicity Tour 25 years ago thanks to my parents, and they were one of the few acts I’d said I’d be willing to pay that much money to see. I also had the misfortune to get Fiction Plane instead of Elvis Costello (which could have made it truly awesome), but did discover a pretty good band in The Fratellis. Sting and the guys were awesome, they did play SynchII, but we also got the drunks behind dumping drinks on us and the pot smokers later in front making my wife very ill. Other than that, a great show.
I rarely go to concerts anymore, in part because many of the bands I want to see play at the crappy South Philly venues with no seating, and my feet can’t take it (God, I’m old). I’ve come to trust the fan base of a very few acts that I’ll go see when I get the chance.
P.s. I hope you at least got the medlies of “Voices Inside My Head/When the World Is Running Down…” and “Can’t Stand Losing You/Regatta de Blanc”; they were highlights of the CPB show.
As Thomas mentioned (how dare you steal my thunder many hours ago! ;P), the Police haven’t been playing together that long, hence why the songs sound so fresh. Amazing what a 20-year break will do; maybe we could persuade some other bands to try it and then not let them reform….
I saw The Police at Citizens Bank Park in Philly last summer b/c I missed out on the Synchronicity Tour 25 years ago thanks to my parents, and they were one of the few acts I’d said I’d be willing to pay that much money to see. I also had the misfortune to get Fiction Plane instead of Elvis Costello (which could have made it truly awesome), but did discover a pretty good band in The Fratellis. Sting and the guys were awesome, they did play SynchII, but we also got the drunks behind dumping drinks on us and the pot smokers later in front making my wife very ill. Other than that, a great show.
I rarely go to concerts anymore, in part because many of the bands I want to see play at the crappy South Philly venues with no seating, and my feet can’t take it (God, I’m old). I’ve come to trust the fan base of a very few acts that I’ll go see when I get the chance.
P.s. I hope you at least got the medlies of “Voices Inside My Head/When the World Is Running Down…” and “Can’t Stand Losing You/Regatta de Blanc”; they were highlights of the CPB show.
The cell phone manners problem isn’t only in the U.S. Japan has serious issues with it as well. People are always shouting into their cell phones with no regard for the people around them. The do it in places where signs are posted saying they shouldn’t use their phones.
Cell phone jerks are the obnoxious smokers of our time. Before all the anti-smoking laws, smokers would blithely puff away with no regard for how they were ruining the health or experiences of others. Now, the cell phone users behave similarly and are just as petulant when asked to try and respect others.
It’s no wonder so many people just sit at home and play WoW.
You know…I have been to concerts…many concerts. Some bad some good. 99% were good. The Offspring sucked live and Ozzfest was too hot but all in all concerts are a good experience. Next time don’t sit in the stands Will, as this is where most of the pompus jerks are sitting. Get pit tickets and saddle up to the front row. Concerts are made to be up close and personal. Not sitting on your butt!
I hate cellphone people in inappropriate places.
My favorite beef is using them om trains. Two recent examples:
– a young girl talking to her friend about how “hung” her *new* boyfriend was. From the conversation, I got the distinct impression that her *ex*-boyfriend was somewhere on the same carriage…
– girl takes picture of elderly, somewhat overweight woman on the train, for no apparent reason. Shortly afterwards, she could be heard “whispering” to someone on her phone about how gross she is
This isn’t the midnight express to nowhere; both were on late peak hour trains going into the city, in carriages containing a lot of people. Staggering…
If these people want to have these sort of conversations in private, go ahead, but I’m amazed they have them in public. Who raises these people to have such brazen disrespect?
I’ve given this a bit of thought, and here’s my solution: I want a keychain-sized gadget that will instantly terminate every phone call around me. Just a quick BZZZT is what I want, nothing long term; I don’t want to e.g. prevent wife telling hubby about his newborn daughter (although those are the calls you want to overhear on the train…). If the annoying person gets back on the phone again and resumes where they left off, BZZZT and BZZZT again until they realise resistance is futile.
Man, this topic really got me stirred up – I’d better go lie down for a while…
I dunno, Wil. I’m with you pretty much all the way, except I gotta say: complaining about pot smoke at a rock concert makes about as much sense as complaining about the noise.
I don’t get baked much anymore myself, and even when I do I’m not overly fond of the smoke, but it’s the concert culture. And I love concerts.
This is a perfect example of why society should be more accepting of men punching some women in the face.
I was expressly forbidden to blog about that concert! I saw it in Chicago May 10 and the wife said, “Who do you think you are? Wil Wheaton?”
Really.
Great show and lots of stoners. The Police were awesome.
I am 45 and I don’t get drunk or stoned at concerts. I don’t get drunk or stoned at all. And I love music – alot – almost all kinds.
I recently went to see Martina McBride – and sat next to a group of ladies like the lady you described. It was terrible.
I don’t see how those people can feel they are really enjoying the show.
Sorry about the a$$holes. My worst concert experience was when someone puked on my shoes at a U2 concert in the 80s. Blech. (For the record, it was a GenX’r not a Boomer).
Lo, Elvis does rock. He gives this old geezer hope for the next few decades. Have you heard his new Momofuku album*? Jenny Lewis is on it. I’m a super-ultra-mega EC fan from waaay back, but I only know who JL is b/c of your LastFM stream. So, thanks Wil for making me more “in the know” than I actually am.
Rock on with your bad self,
Sally J.
*And by album, I mean v-i-n-y-l.