Summer is upon us, folks. And love or hate the hot weather (personally, I love it, but the humidity... my lungs and asthma hate it. But the warm? LOVE the warm), there is at least one thing that makes the season amazing. Know what that is? Yeah, you probably do: Festival Shows! (This is when I feel the need to point out Caity's How To article: "How To: Get Through Your First Festival Show" in regards to surviving them. Honestly... first or thousandth festival, every one and then everyone needs a reminder...)

And the fact that there will be many a show this summer, festival or no, leads me to want to write up a bit of the basics when it comes to concert etiquette. Mind you, I'm not going to sit here and preach and tell you how to act when it comes to shows, that's for your to decide. However you have fun is how you have fun, but I know that there are things that get on everyone's nerves and if you weren't the one committing said annoyance, it sure as hell would annoy you too. But I'm rambling, let's get to the point, shall we?

Etiquette to Keep Yourself From Looking Like an Asshole at Shows

• The most basic of your basic rules.

If someone falls? pick them up. It's as simple as that. Don't try to use this as an advantage to get closer to the front. That's horrible, and that ends with people getting hurt. Everyone's there to have fun, so whether it be just in the crowd, a pit (or circle pit) or .. anything! If someone falls, or looks like they need help, help them and get them outta there so everyone can continue having fun!


• Your hair, no one wants to eat it.

Personally, for the majority of my concert years, my hair has been short. No longer than my shoulders, and that's just a recent occurrence in and of itself. Now, if you have long hair, that's cool! No one's telling you that you have to cut it, but please PLEASE if you happen to be in the front, at the barricades, and you want it up? Don't put it up so that it's high on your head and will be in the face of the person behind you. This goes double for those of you who have curly, somewhat bushy hair. I recently had to deal with this (and on top of it, the person in front of me was just a rude f***er), and you can ask Natty and Jen if you don't believe me, but my exact reaction to it as soon as I could breathe again, and coughed up the hairballs was: "I want to set it on FIRE."



So, really, if you don't want to chance the person behing you having a lighter, just try to keep the ponytails down against the back of your neck as opposed to higher up. Or hell, leave the hair down... if it goes flying around as you rock out and hits the people around you a bit? That's still a little annoying, sure, but everyone's done it, and it doesn't last an entire set...

• Heels are not for the pit.

Again, I feel as I'm being preachy, but this is for common sense's sake here, girls. (Or, hell, boys... whatever tickles your fancy). Heels do not belong in a place where hardcore shoving and dancing and jumping will be going on. And trust me, if you decide to crowd surf, or need to be pulled from the crowd... no one will appreciate getting kicked in the head by your stiletto. In fact, you'll be known as "that stupid kid who wore heels and kicked people in the head with them." ... I know every know needs to have one, but try not to let it be you.
• If your purse is that important, leave it at home.

...Don't bring it with you and then fuss about it all night long and moan and whine when you lose it. Again, common sense. There's about to be a lot of motion aroundy ou, and if you do bring your purse, do so with the awareness that there is a strong strong possibility that it will be gone by the end of the night. If you absolutely can not leave your purse at home... two words guys: Coat. Check.


• A head is not a tripod.

So please don't use it to rest your camera on. Crowds are, well, crowded... and there's nothign wrong with snapping a few photos of the band on stage, everyone does it, memories are a good thing! People leaning against everyone else, again, that's to be expected! The gift of personal space is not something you actually have at a show, but for someone to actually lean against you and prop their camera on your head and use it as a tripod to steady their shot? Excuse me for slipping into net-speak here, kids, but...WTF? That's just rude.


• I'm only here because my boyfriend/girlfriend wants me to be here...

So you go to a show with your significant other. That's cool. You go to a show you're not fond of, because they wanted you there to spend time together... well.. whereas a concert is not the best place to bond (well... emotionally at least... everyone tends to stick to everyone else via sweat and... other bodily fluids when getting out of a pit), but alright, cool. To each his (or her) own.

But please, please, I'm asking for the sake of everyone around you, do not go and stand in the middle of the pit and do just that. Stand. You may not like this band, but the people around you sure as hell do, and if you're going to stand stalk till in the midst of all that motion, you're kidn of in the way, and chances are you're making angry faces and huffing and puffing every time someone bumps into you, making you a kill joy.

Kill joy.

• "Dude, the pit was so HARDCORE! A dude had a HATCHET!"

Yeah... Caity's overheard that at a show, and I'm quoting it. Best part here? The guy was talking about a Yellowcard show.

But back to my point here: Bragging. Please don't get me wrong, a little good natured bragging about some of the shows you've been to, or the pits you've been in, that's cool all around. Everyone does it, but when you're... well.. for the lack of a nicer word here: BLATANTLY LYING... and everyone knows it? ...You just look like a Jackass, dude. (And not the funny, MTV kind...)

Caity's Note: To Mr. Hatchet... shut your mouth. Nobody believes you. Ever. There was not a HATCHET in the Yellowcard Pit. It was not a "bloodbath". Although you made my friend and I laugh at you, loudly.
• Your elbow, my ribs.

Look, it's a concert crowd, get over being pushed around, okay? It's going to happen, especially if you're near the front. So don't stand there and huff and shoot dirty looks to the person who is next to you at the barricades and happens to be a little too close to you for comfort. If you don't like it, leave. Don't start being overly violent. Personal experience speaking here: no one likes a whiny barricade bitch. If you want my spot, wait for the crowd to shift, or ask me to leave. Don't decide that your bony elbow belongs in my ribs cutting off my air supply. That's when the security guards people have made friends with come into play and pull people who are hurting other people out. (Again, personal experience. It's why I always make friends with the guards).


• My boob, not yours.

I'm strictly speaking from a female point of view here, and I'm going to be the spokeswoman for everyone at SF when I say: Keep your hands to your DAMN SELF! I've never been outright groped (thank god), but I've had thighs stroked and other such creepiness. I'm sorry, but no matter how much you say that you were trying to grab onto the barricade? No one of the female persuasion will believe you, and if you're still around the second we can turn around and move our arms properly? (Again, speaking on behalf of the SF girls... I can't say this is a positive for ALL girls...) we will *ahem* Knock your teeth out of your damn skull. It's just rude and f***ing uncalled for to do this, and honestly? If it's your way of trying to pick up chicks? You fail horribly and will probably end up with a sex offenders rap before too long...




So there you have it, folks. Not all, but definately some basic etiquette for all those amazing shows you'll be going to this summer! Like I said, you don't have to listen, but I'm just trying to look out for everyone.

I just don't want anyone to be punched in the teeth. Seeing people hurt tends to put a damper on my day, no matter how awesome it is.

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