When Fans Eclipse the Concert Experience

A year ago, I found myself surrounded by the bodies of Harry Styles fans. They exacerbated the Madrid heat, making the July night even more blistering than it would have been. I had never been to an outdoor concert that large; the people in the pit blended into the horizon, and the late afternoon sun silhouetted their frames. The air around me felt electric –maybe from the temperature, or the anticipation of knowing that we would soon be in the same space as Harry Styles– but I think a large part of it was the emotion of knowing that every sticky human around us was also a fan. In a world where we constantly feel isolated from one another, this knowledge felt priceless.

My excitement did not last long, as in the span of a few minutes, my sister and I got pushed, shoved and insulted by other fans trying to get closer to the stage and to Harry himself. When, after the commotion, we found our noses pressed to the back of a two-meter tall man and he refused to let us stand in front of him, it's safe to say that I no longer found the unifying potential of concerts very enticing. In the year since, this behavior has become prevalent at most shows, which leaves me with the inescapable notion that concert etiquette is at risk of extinction.

Pits at concerts are now a place of battle: who can scream the loudest, push the hardest, and get closest to the stage. Other fans are disregarded and treated embarrassingly, as concert-goers forget that everyone else is also there to see one of their favorite artists. Once the show starts, excitement heightens, which leads to sharpened selfish attitudes and disregard for those around them. When I saw Hozier live earlier this year, my sister and I got stuck in front of a group of girls whose shrill yells made our ears bleed and their jumps and pushes left us unstable more than once. Although we were excited too, this behavior, and others like it, crosses a line and jeopardizes the safety of others.

Not to mention, this behavior is also inconsiderate to artists who want their slower, more acoustic songs to be heard. Lorde is known for shushing her crowd when she’s trying to build tension or an atmosphere, and is unable to do so due to shrieking fans. This same behavior can have greater repercussions, with fans yelling objectifying and degrading things as artists change guitars or get ready for the next song. In 2022, indie artist Clairo rescheduled various tour dates claiming that she had a sinus infection and "also just [needed] to take a step back from performing in general," after explicit comments were yelled at her during her song Blouse, which retells her experience of being sexualized in the workplace.

Fans treating the artists they “love” like less than human is not a new phenomenon. In 2004, a fan threw a lollipop at Bowie’s eye, which prompted the artist to tell people to “keep their affections to themselves.” Today, incidents like this one are multiplying, with Harry Styles, Drake, Kid Cudi, and Bebe Rexha, among those affected. But unlike Bowie in 2004, some are not as keen to brush it off; Cardi B threw a microphone at a fan in response to a glass of water being thrown at her, and Kid Cudi walked off-stage after being attacked by a flock of water bottles.

This shift in behavior can be partly traced back to the COVID-19 pandemic, which after halting the live music industry for over a year, led to overexcited fans’ return to live shows, while also causing younger Generation Z concert-goers to miss out on concert etiquette socializing behaviors during their mid teen years. However, greater blame can be placed on the rise of fan entitlement.

As ticket prices and the cost of living rise, feelings of making the most out of every experience and dollar spent are magnified as well. The financial strain that a ticket might place on a buyer (sometimes even going into debt), pushes them to guarantee that they have the best night, even if it burdens other fans and the artist. This can be coupled with the attempt to get a viral moment recorded and posted on socials (like an angry performer, or one in pain), which causes artists on stage to become a commodity and the concert experience, a status symbol on a social media feed.

These behaviors not only alienate vulnerable fans but also the artists, making touring—which is already physically and mentally taxing—an even more grueling endeavor. If this trend continues, artists may become more reluctant to tour, or concerts may change forever, with stricter and less spontaneous performances designed to protect those on stage.

There is still time to change the narrative. At the Harry Styles concert a year ago, when the heat caused people to start fainting, the crowd’s attitude shifted. Fans quickly signaled for help using their flashlights, alerting both the venue staff and Harry Styles himself, who paused the concert multiple times to ensure everyone’s safety. This moment of collective care, though born out of dire circumstances, sparked the sense of connection I had felt when I first entered the venue. It’s within our power to behave better, so that it doesn’t take people fainting for fans to treat each other—and the performers—with respect.