Standing or Sitting?

[Dudester]

I went to my first rock concert in February of 1981. The 1980's was the era of "Arena Rock", where rock concerts were in arenas that held 10k to 20k people. In the 1990's, the entire paradigm changed. Rock concerts were now in much smaller venues or outdoors. In the smaller venues you could sit or stand, depending on a lot of variables. In the outdoor venues, one was forced to stand, but it was possible to sit (depending on variables).

In the city I live in, a number of concerts were redirected to one particular outdoor venue that I have grown to hate. One problem is that this venue actually has no dedicated parking lot, you really have to be creative to park your car. Second, the first time I went, I bought a cheap ticket (on the lawn) and immediately regretted it, fighting off mosquitos and dealing with heat and humidity. I learned to pay an extra 20 bucks (total 35. for a ticket under the awning where you don't get surprised by sudden pop up showers and there is nominal air conditioning from the stage.

So the question is, do you prefer sitting or standing for a concert?

[Raceway]

So the question is, do you prefer sitting or standing for a concert?

Taking rain-sodden grass out of the reckoning, I prefer a combination of sitting and standing.

Sitting while the band sets up its gear and the DJ plays cool music, standing for the band's performance, then strolling over to the food stalls and the toilets, stopping to chat with familiar faces.

If I had to chose between dry grass and concrete, I'd go for the former. Getting a bum-chill from cold concrete is no fun. 

[Coach Eric]

Damn Dudester, you from the northern Detroit area? I’d swear I know which venue you are talking about. Tho the one I’m thinking of has a small parking lot before it moved to the grass for parking.

We almost always get lawn seats when available

[Writers Bloque]

The first "good" concert me and the wife went to was some promotional first time festival the local rock station was hosting. The first tour of Disturbed was there. I was 19 going on 20, wife was a fresh 19 year old mother, our first child was getting spoiled by my parents since we were both working and going to college at the time, no real time for down time. But I won one of those radio contests and scored two vip passes, so I got to meet a few up and coming rock bands, along with the wife, while she enjoyed some of the bands, she was in that "baby needs me!" mode. but the best part was that she was short, at 5'6. So while I wanted to sit, since I had put in a rough 8 hour day, and classes, I had to put her on my shoulders so she could see. Me and her wanted to mosh up front when Down With the Sickness started, but I felt she might have actually killed someone with her enhanced momma strength. I was not going to sit on the ground/floor, despite the vip seats.

The Best Concert(s) was 3-doors down with Hinder and Black Cherry. On the ground floor, we were right at the security barrier Wife and our good friends decided to get into a flashing contest when Hinder was up. Get Stoned and Lips of an angel had the girls in our group a bit feisty. I sang along with 3 doors down's Kryptonite. Had to stand down there, cause everyone else was, and I did not pay good money to watch backs all night.

The second best concert was Journey and Def Leppard. Our friends and us had major teen hormone vibes when Pour Some Sugar On Me started, and Rocket. We had nosebleeds but did not care, cause hearing Come Sail Away got my heart pumping. Sitting was nice since everyone was down on the floor dancing when security gave up trying to keep everyone where they paid to be. Except us, as it was nice, dark and quiet (Quiet meaning devoid of people jostling us so we could be a bit naughty.)

The weirdest, was Voodoofest. I had to go. I worked, ate pb and J's sacrificed and sold some stuff to get me and my wife tickets. Our friends got theirs, and we all rented two hotel rooms side by side early. It was Halloween weekend, and Rob Zombie was headlining and I was a huge fan. All out door, and since we had family in New Orleans, Our first two daughters got to go trick or treating as a toddler version of a princess and the oldest was a cowgirl. There was no way in hell I was bringing them inside there. Great night, Rob Zombie was the best of the bands. I just wasn't feeling the others playing. The rest of the group got wasted, while I was the DD. I did not mind as I met Rob at the beer garden close to the stage. Did not get his autograph, but I did get some swag, A T-shirt and a poster. (#15 on my bucket list may never happen, but I want to hear Pussy Liquor and House of 1000 Corpses and Run Rabbit, Run live.)

The Dumbest Concert was a charity concert featuring local bands. Nothing was done right, I donated, but everything was rushed. We sat for an hour and bailed. Only paid ten bucks total for me and wife to get in.

I now prefer to sit, and the music be good than to stand all concert and it sucks.

[Raceway]

In Michelangelo Antonioni's "Blow-Up" there's a scene in which David Hemmings, chasing an elusive Vanessa Redgrave, stumbles into an R&B club. A few dozen people are standing in front of the small stage, a couple is dancing on the edge of the crowd, and a bunch of pretty girls are sitting it out.

I've no idea what Antonioni had in mind. The Yardbirds (with Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck!) are smokin' through "Stroll On" while the audience gazes at them like zombies. Jeff's Vox starts making crackling noises so he smashes it with his guitar, stomps the guitar to pieces, then throws the pieces into the audience, which goes wild. David Hemmings catches the neck of the guitar and flees the mob that chases him out of the club. Out in the street, and free of the mob, he throws the neck away. A by-stander picks up the neck, examines it, and throws it back.

If I'd been there, I'd have brazenly pushed my way to the front of the crowd and said, "How's it going, Jimmy?" and "What's up, Jeff?" There's no way I would have sat out a Yardbird's set.

[Dudester]

In Michelangelo Antonioni's "Blow-Up" there's a scene in which David Hemmings, chasing an elusive Vanessa Redgrave, stumbles into an R&B club. A few dozen people are standing in front of the small stage, a couple is dancing on the edge of the crowd, and a bunch of pretty girls are sitting it out.

I've no idea what Antonioni had in mind. The Yardbirds (with Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck!) are smokin' through "Stroll On" while the audience gazes at them like zombies. Jeff's Vox starts making crackling noises so he smashes it with his guitar, stomps the guitar to pieces, then throws the pieces into the audience, which goes wild. David Hemmings catches the neck of the guitar and flees the mob that chases him out of the club. Out in the street, and free of the mob, he throws the neck away. A by-stander picks up the neck, examines it, and throws it back.

If I'd been there, I'd have brazenly pushed my way to the front of the crowd and said, "How's it going, Jimmy?" and "What's up, Jeff?" There's no way I would have sat out a Yardbird's set.

That first concert I mentioned, was Pat Benatar in the San Diego Sports Arena. The band did an excellent set, the customary three encores, the band left the stage and the arena lights came up. The roadies started their tear down. The audience remained, refusing to leave and started chanting "We Want Pat!! We Want Pat!!"

After a couple of minutes, the roadies stopped their tear down. The chant became a roar. After ten minutes, Pat and her band retook the stage, but not to perform. Pat thanked the band for their adulation, said "Good Night" and left.

A year later, on one of her encores, Pat remembered the adulation the year before, so, she brought her warm up band (Red Ryder) and Jerry Lee Lewis, yes, THE Jerry Lee Lewis on stage. The band then performed Helter Skelter. The reverb in the building that night is hard to describe, except that every atom in my body was trembling.

Of that first concert, and of the 50+ concerts that followed, it was the only time I saw an audience refuse to leave.   

[Pornhubby]

Of that first concert, and of the 50+ concerts that followed, it was the only time I saw an audience refuse to leave.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, 1980, Frank Erwin Center, Austin.

I lost count of how many encores they performed. Bruce came   out again, covered in sweat, leaning against a mike stand for support.

“We’ve played almost six hours! We’ve sung every song we know! What more could you want?!?!?”

The audience roared back, “MMMMOOOOORRRREEEE!!!”

I’ll be damned if he didn’t play another set! Most physically exhausting concert I ever attended. I think we got home at four in the morning.