OH and I love to go to live music performances. Musicals, operas, varied performers, professional and amateur. We sample them all. We manage to go to a performance several times a year depending on accessibility. We try also to see the bands of our youth who still manage to stagger out on stage and belt out those tunes.
However, two disturbing things seem to be creeping into the live performance experience.
One is that big venues allow food and drink into the auditorium nowadays. This is annoying when, comfortably seated I find I have to stand up as the person in the middle of the row decides to replenish the pints of beer. And later, dispose of those pints in the middle of the performance. Looking around the venue you can see disturbed rows standing to allow a shuffling figure out then in again clutching two pints of beer in plastic glasses. But hey, venues have to make a profit.
We went to the Genting Arena on one occasion and the two women in front brought in fish and chips. One of then didn't finish hers and put the half eaten meal under her chair where it exuded the smell of chips for the rest of the performance. Not good but I can live with it.
But the thing I find most disturbing is the recent practice of as soon as the act hits the stage, the audience claps and cheers and then, stands up. And they stay standing, swaying, arms waving in time to the music for the entire performance. So where ever I sit, having paid a considerable amount of cash, I am obliged to stand also. But, being a short person, I cant see a thing.
It happened again last night. In tiered seats, chosen to hopefully avoid the standing scenario, the first row stood when the main act came on. Then like a Mexican wave, each row in turn got to their feet. I saw nothing of the performance, apart form the giant of a man in front of me having a jolly good time bobbing his head, clapping and swaying to the music.
When did it become normal for people to stand throughout a performance. In the past few years I've not seen Blondie. I couldn't see Neil Diamond. I only heard ELO. I saw slivers of The Who. I have caught glimpses of many of the old names but rarely the whole body. I've not seen the whole band at the same time, on the same stage for years.
In a dark mood after the performance last night, I vowed never to attend a live performance again. But then looking at the programme for later in the year.......
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