AF and LCD

What is it that makes a truly amazing concert truly amazing? There are a number of factors that combine to create the fullness of a concert experience. There is the venue, which in the case of Red Rocks is generally a positive, especially when the weather is good, as was the case last night for the Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem show. Then we have the sound quality, which has a lot to do with the venue sometimes, but RR usually has pretty decent sound, being a natural amphitheater and all. The band's performance is a huge piece of the pie. Some bands have a natural stage presence and energy and, of course, talent that make them good live performers. In my opinion both bands last night had this vibe going; high energy producing high quality music. They seemed to be having fun. And then we have the crowd. In my experience the crowd is probably the single most important factor in creating an amazing concert. Generally a good crowd is compelled to be good by an excellent performance. So the responsibility for creating a good audience does lie partially with the musicians. However each concert tends to take on its own personality, influenced primarily by the people in the audience. Last night that personality was absolutely disappointing, if not downright unpleasant.

My friends and I arrived inside the venue and found a place to stand along the left edge of row 13 right as LCD took the stage. We enjoyed the first few songs of their set and then decided to try to move closer. Our vantage from row 13 was fine, in fact I enjoyed the perspective, and I only moved in order to find that central dance vibe that one hopes to encounter at a show like LCD. As we made our way down toward the front and center of the amphitheater bleachers it became obvious that people were not into the performance as much as we'd hoped. Some folks were sitting down and others were standing, watching the band play with a sort of mild, head-nodding, passive interest. We had hoped to find at least say, 30 people dancing and actually enjoying themselves. What we found instead was an entire crowd of people who literally yelled at us for trying to move closer. As I stepped down a row into some open space next to one particular man he immediately turned to me and told me to move away. He did not ask me, he told me, and in a very unpleasant manner. At this point I was getting a little frustrated with the attitude in the crowd, and I was frankly surprised at the lack of energy that was taking place right in front of the stage. I didn't know what to say. I suggested that he remain calm, that I wasn't trying to ruin the show for him, but that I was looking for a friend, which was true. He suggested that I look somewhere else. "How long have you been here?" he asked. "I just got here," I replied - meaning right to that spot, as I'd been at the show for over a half hour. "Well I've waiting here all day, so you need to move," he snapped. Well, I thought, that's odd, since the doors opened at 6 PM, that you would have been here all day. But let's say this fellow had been there all day, does that mean he is somehow entitled to enjoy the concert any more than the rest of us? I understand his position, he wanted his space and he didn't want someone stealing it. But it was more than that. He felt somehow entitled to this experience that he felt he had earned and that I had not. He was offended that I would try to share in this experience that he was more deserving of than I, since perhaps he lives or works closer to the venue than I do and was able to get there before me. This attitude was shocking to me, primarily because the entire crowd displayed it. But the important distinction is probably not that people had this or that bad attitude, it is that they did not have the most important one, which is one of community and respect, and mutual enjoyment. This is the attitude that makes a concert experience fulfilling and fun, and it was completely absent during last night's performance.

I have never before had such an unpleasant interaction with the crowd in general at a rock concert. I was surprised, slightly offended, and completely turned off. My friends and I chose to move higher in the venue rather than succumb to the conflict at hand. Up high in the bleachers at Red Rocks we had an amazing time together dancing to the music and taking in the view of the city. Arcade Fire played a really nice set, if somewhat short, and intoxicated as we were I'd say it was one of the most fun shows of the summer. However the crowd down low left a pretty bad taste in my mouth. I will avoid the temptation to make some sort of cultural generalization about the members of the audience last night. I'm not even sure exactly what it would be. But I can tell you that the lack of love was a stark contrast to my expectations, and a sore disappointment.