What’s Poppin: Read this before you attend any upcoming concerts

Hey, what’s poppin’? Life can get busy at times, and as time-starved individuals, it can be hard to get caught up on all the latest cultural trends and news. Welcome to What’s Poppin’, where we identify and dissect the latest happenings in pop culture and entertainment – through our signature voice and distinct lens, of course. 

There’s a reason why people fork out hundreds of dollars and wait hours – or days – in line just to purchase tickets to see their favourite musicians (Exhibit A: the recent ticket rat race for Taylor Swift’s 2024 Eras Tour in Singapore): there's nothing quite like the atmosphere of live music at a concert.

The raw energy of a live music experience and the excitement from the crowd is something that you can’t quite replicate at home whilst listening to your Spotify playlist, which is why the return of world tours by some of the most popular singers – from Harry Styles and Blackpink to Coldplay and Westlife – have been very much welcomed with open arms. 

But the rise in concerts seems to have seemingly led to the fall of something else – concert etiquette and manners. In recent videos circulating on social media, a disturbing trend has emerged, where people are hurling projectiles at performers during their live performances.

Where has everyone’s manners gone?

In June, for example, pop star Bebe Rexha was interrupted mid-performance at her New York City concert when someone threw their phone at her, hitting the singer in the face and leaving her with stitches above her eye due to the injuries sustained. 

When arrested, the alleged assailant revealed that he did so because he thought “it would be funny”, according to the criminal complaint.

Less than 24 hours after Bebe Rexha was hit in the face, fellow pop star Ava Max was slapped by a man attending her Los Angeles concert. The singer revealed on social media after her concert that the slap was so hard that “he scratched the inside of [her] eye”. 

A couple of days later, country singer Kelsea Ballerini was struck in the face by a bracelet, and was forced to temporarily stop her gig.

In London, pop star P!nk was halfway through a performance when a fan tossed a sandwich bag full of ambiguous powder onstage. A video shared on Twitter shows the singer stopping during her performance to retrieve the bag. “This…is your mum?” the American singer can be heard asking in footage of the incident. The person responsible, who was off-camera, seemingly confirmed her suspicion. “I don’t know how I feel about this,” she replied. 

The epidemic of concertgoers throwing objects on stage

Throwing objects onto the stage during a concert for your favourite artist is a tale as old as time. What started with roses as a symbol of adoration eventually evolved into more risqué items like bras and underwear. 

These days, however, the boundaries have been pushed; people are resorting to pelting anything they can think of just to capture the attention of their beloved singer.

Notably, a significant number of the artists who have experienced these incidents are female singers. However, it seems that no artist is exempt from such occurrences. Even renowned performers like Drake, Lil Nas X, and Harry Styles have found themselves targeted by thrown objects during their recent shows.

Singers like Adele have spoken out against the recent spate of people throwing objects at musicians on stage. “Have you noticed how people are like, forgetting show etiquette at the moment?” she asked the crowd during her Las Vegas residency recently. “People just throwing shit onstage, have you seen that? I f***ing dare you, I dare you throw something at me, I'll f***ing kill you," she joked.

Singer-songwriter Charlie Puth also weighed in, asking fans to practise proper concert etiquette in a tweet (this was pre-Threads, obviously). “This trend of throwing things at performers while they are on stage must come to an end. (Bebe, Ava, AND NOW Kelsea Ballerini…) It’s so disrespectful and very dangerous. Please just enjoy the music, I beg of you,” he tweeted.

Other concert incidents

Closer to home, while no one has thrown anything wild on stage yet (thankfully), there is a noticeable absence of concert etiquette in various other aspects.

On the first night of the K-pop sensation Blackpink’s concert at the National Stadium, Jennie pointed out how fans have been enjoying the close to two-hour concert through their phone screens. “I’m seeing more cell phones than faces today, I don’t know if I like that.”  Those who were in the standing pen directly in front of the stage had their views blocked by the sea of phones that went up the minute the girl group hit the stage and only went down when they left.

At the same concert, a concertgoer went as far as holding up a folded paper fan, presumably to display a slogan on it; however, the inconsiderate act obstructed the view of those seated or standing behind.

Concert etiquette 101: Rules for concert-going 

So, since this is the season of concerts and it seems that everyone needs a reminder of proper concert etiquette, here’s a list of dos and don’ts at your next concert:

Don’t: 

• We’ll say it again: do not throw phones, or any other projectiles, at the performer. How is this even a thing baffles us.
  
  
• Do not kiss the performers. During one of her 2022 shows, Alicia Keys encountered an unsettling incident when a fan boldly grabbed her face and planted an unwelcome kiss on her cheek. How would you feel if someone planted an unwelcome kiss on any body part of yours? That’s bordering on sexual harassment.
  
  
• Do not push, shove, or rip anyone’s hair out, especially if you’re in the standing pan or mosh pit area.
  
  
• Do not take out your phone and record the entire concert. What are you, Netflix?
  
  We get it; the recordings are great keepsakes for reliving the memory of the concert. But try to keep the recording to a minute of the song – there's a line between capturing a moment and attending a show as a tripod. Live in the moment!
  
  
• Try not to block the view of everyone behind you with a large sign. Keep your sign to yourself and show consideration for everyone around and behind you. Ideally, hold the sign at chest level.
  

• Do not screech, scream, or yell over the band or artist while they’re talking to the crowd. Unless the performer is asking for audience interaction (i.e. Performer: “Singapore, how are you feeling?” You: Scream.), it is impolite to scream or shout over what they are saying, and it’s also irritating to those around you who are just trying to listen.
  
  
• Don’t litter. Just…don’t. 

Do: 

• If you insist on giving your favourite artist a gift, hand it over at a meet-and-greet, or to a staff member at a concert if there’s a specific booth for gift-giving that’s open. Or, you can choose to politely hand it over IF the artist requests you to: for example, when a concert-goer offered a wrapped wheel of Brie cheese to P!nk at the very same London concert where someone threw their mother’s ashes on stage.
  
  The fan then politely passed (!) the wheel of cheese up after P!nk agrees to accept it (!!) and thanks the fan.
  
  
• Read the guidelines before you head to the venue. Most places in general have restrictions on bag sizes. Avoid bringing a large tote or bag that exceeds the allowed dimensions, as you may need to find a place to store it outside the venue.
  
  
• Do try to tie your hair up if you have long hair and you’re standing in the mosh pit. Otherwise, it’s rather irritating when your luscious locks are continuously whacking the person behind you throughout the performance. 
  
  
• Do sing along – it’s a concert, after all – but don’t be the person to ruin everyone’s concert by singing (a) loudly, (b) off-key (you only get a pass if you're really tone deaf), and (c) without knowing any of the lyrics. When in doubt, just mouth the words.