Going to Toronto isn’t a “Canadian Tour”

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Concerts have their downsides. Pixabay

And other concert-related complaints

I am a music lover, and anyone who knows me (or follows my Twitter account) definitely knows this. Even greater than my love of music however, is my adoration of concerts. Taking music that has walked through your life with you and allowing it to unfold before you, live and raw, in a room filled with energized people who all feel the same way is unlike any other feeling.

As I gear up to plan more concerts in the future (they are my happy place after all), I’m reminded as to some of my concert pet peeves; some aspects of concerts  can make the experience somewhat less than favourable. Some blame is to be pinned on other concert-goers, some on security and staff, and some on the entertainers and musicians themselves.

So, that is what this piece is going to be: me venting about my concert pet peeves for the next several hundred words. Come join in on the fun.

First things first: living in the Canadian prairies makes concert-going a challenge. If you’re a fan of a bigger and more popular act, the chances of them coming anywhere near Regina are slim to none. More often than not, it requires a music fan to save up for travel, hotel accommodations, and food, let alone the tickets themselves as well as travel to the venue.

Despite this, it is even more insulting when an act claims they are going on a “world tour” which just so happens to include Canadian dates. Most Sask. folks know exactly what such a term means.

It means they’re going to either Toronto, Vancouver, or both. You know, two shows – one played on either side of the country. That totally makes it a Canadian tour right? Of course it does! Because going on a “Canadian tour” doesn’t mean you need to actively tour Canada, it just means you need to show up to two of their most populated cities. That’s all!

Now, for the next chunk of this article I’m going to complain about my fellow concert-goers; the people who have paid, give or take, as much money as you have to be here. Depending on the artist, this could mean they’ve paid a hefty amount of money to be present. So why, pray tell, are so many of them such heathens to be around?

First things first, let’s establish the classic types of concert-goers you’ll find at an average event. First off, you have the person who is always on their phone. Why they paid $300+ for floor set as only to spend the entire night not interested remotely in the act before them? Who knows. Even worse is how some people insist on attempting to take a phone call. Good luck with that.

Not only is having an audience member that isn’t interested discouraging – after all, someone who would’ve actually wanted to attend the show could be sitting in that seat – but it’s also a buzzkill for everyone around you. Part of the thrill of a concert is the energy that others give off – the energy that everyone else in the room can feel – and if the energy the person beside you is giving off is in the negatives, it’s draining for everyone around them as well.

Even worse can be parents who choose to bring their children to a show. Emphasis on the phrase “can be.” Not all parents and children are guaranteed to be a bad time, but the ones who insist on buying their short, young children floor seats to a show and then proceed to either A) encourage their children to stand in their seats, or B) place their children on their shoulders and obstruct the views of others are the ones I have problems with.

Look, I think bringing children to a concert is amazing. Some of the best memories I have from my childhood are connected to seeing live music shows, and I’m a strong believer in encouraging children to pour money into arts and music. However, does it not ruin the concert-experience for a child when they either can’t see the performer, or when their ability to see the performer causes other audience members to grow frustrated?

While I could also vent about stadium prices, (four dollars for a bottle of water in the middle of July? Really?) instead, I’m going to take this time to rant about the people who consume said pricey beverages. If you’re attending a show and you routinely stand up to fetch drinks, get food, go to the bathroom, and do it so routinely that it’s constantly disrupting the others in your area, why are you even there?

If you spend the entirety of the show waiting in line for drinks, walking to a stand for drinks, waiting in line for the bathroom, going to the bathroom, or debating whether to disrupt the rest of your row to get another drink, I would argue that you’re attending a concert for the wrong reasons. Not only is it disrupting for everyone around you, but you aren’t actually enjoying the show because you’re so distracted by constantly being up and moving – also creating a disruptive distraction from those around you trying to enjoy the show.

I’m a believer that everyone is entitled to spend their money on whatever they wish, and that includes the insanely overpriced drinks at stadium venues. However, I would argue that if you are choosing to take the spot of someone at a concert who might actually want to be there, and you are instead using your presence at a venue to actively disrupt or take away from the enjoyment of those around you, you’re spending your money improperly.

removing this to make it an independent clause that works w/ the semi-colon

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