How Not To Be a Dick At Gigs: A 6-Step Plan

Follow our six-step guide on how not to be a dick at gigs to avoid being the victim of tuts/eye rolls/internal hatred from your fellow gig-goers

Feature by Nadia Younes | 11 Sep 2018

We all know what it’s like, you've got tickets to see your favourite band – sometimes sitting at your laptop refreshing the page for a seemingly endless amount of time and breaking the bank just to do so – and you've been waiting for this moment to come round for months. OK, maybe that's a bit overdramatic, but you get the point; anticipation is high, so don't fuck it up. Students get a bad enough rep as it is and not being a dick at gigs is pretty easy, so just follow our simple six-step guide to save yourself the embarrassment of being 'that *insert expletive* at the gig'.

1) First and most importantly, a rather general one here, just RESPECT EACH OTHER. Chances are you are all there to see a band you like, so don't ruin anyone’s experience of that by acting up or behaving inappropriately. Everyone has a right to personal space, so respect that and don’t invade it. Absolutely no groping or harassing anyone, as is the case anywhere and everywhere in life.

2) DON’T TALK the whole way through the gig, especially while a band is playing. Nobody has paid money or given up their time to hear you tell your pal about the date you went on last night, the holiday you've just returned from or the totally awesome pair of shoes you’ve just bought. Not cool; don’t do it; go to a bar instead.

3) For the love of God, PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY. Do you really need to film yourself singing along to every song and put it up on Instagram so your story is #lit *fire emoji*? You definitely don’t and it’s annoying as fuck. Let's all live in the moment please, it's nicer and better there.

4) NO HECKLING. Shouting “I love you!” at the lead singer of a band while they are quite literally in the middle of doing their job is not going to result in a long and fruitful relationship with that person. Trust us, it’s not gonna happen. If you can find an example of it, we’ll hang our heads in shame, but we’re pretty confident you won’t.

5) SAVE THE MOSHING FOR THE PIT. There's a reason the mosh pit often has a two or three-row gap around it – not all of us want to be in it. If moshing is your thing, save it for the pit; that's what it's there for. Nobody stood in the back few rows has come there to mosh, so don't do it there, please and thank you.

6) Last but not least, NO THROWING DRINKS. You’re not at T in the Park, and even there it’s not acceptable. Some of us have just showered and would like to avoid having to wash our hair again for at least three days (busy lives and all that). Beer is sticky and gross and should only be consumed via your mouth, not seeping through your pores.


Want to find gigs at which to test out these tips? Look out for our weekly gig guide on theskinny.co.uk/music