Capitalism is Ruining Concerts
Image Courtesy: E Dunsmuir
I love concerts. They’ve been a large part of my life as long as I can remember, and even before I was alive, my mom and dad would tell me about the time they’ve spent at concerts and clubs and the culture they were part of because of it. Throughout my lifetime I have noticed a shift in the culture surrounding concerts, and it is a shift for the worse.
Since covid, I’ve noticed that a lot of people who attend concerts do so for the clout. I’ve been going to concerts since I was a kid and I will admit that there are a lot of concerts my parents dragged me to that I had no desire to end up at. But looking back, opportunities such as these offered me the ability to sit back and watch how people acted. They were respectful and kind, helping each other up when someone fell or holding their spot if someone needed to use the restroom. People would pass around water and snacks at festivals to make sure that no one got sick, I’ve even met people who would bring a “first aid kit” of sorts with bandaids, ibuprofen, and tampons for those who need it. Even if we were all different people, with different jobs and lives and experiences, even if we knew we wouldn’t get along in the real world, we all had one thing in common the second we stepped into the concert venue. It was a place that fans could gather and be fans of the artist without feeling weird or uncomfortable.
Image Courtesy: E Dunsmuir
But now– as I’ve noticed– people will go to a concert just to say they went. It's not always because they’re fans of the artist, but rather they want to say they were able to experience seeing them. Maybe a song or two got really popular on TikTok and therefore these “fans” wanted to go to see that one song, post about it, and never think about them again. I remember in 2019, My Chemical Romance announced a reunion tour. For those of you who are not stuck in 2005 like I am, MCR getting back together is a big deal. I had been wanting to see them for the better part of my life, and had faced bullying and ridicule from people who thought they were “weird” or “satanic.” By the time tickets went on sale for the show in my hometown, I was unable to get tickets because they were sold out. Yet all of the people who bullied me for being an “emo freak” were posting about how they would be able to see MCR. How they were excited for this monumental moment and couldn’t wait to hear all their hits, only to get mad when they decided to play album tracks or b-sides that were a little bit more obscure.
Do you see my point?
Let’s look at this from the perspective of something a little more mainstream. Taylor Swift had her record breaking eras tour, raking in 2 billion dollars. There were so many people who followed her around the country, getting multiple tickets to multiple nights, which resulted in other people who weren’t able to see her from getting tickets. Another author who tackled this argument said, “To me, this doesn’t signal that they are ‘true fans’, it demonstrates how incredibly selfish they are.” I think this very succinctly sums up the issue. The selfishness of “fans” and the disregard for fellow humans. What used to be a beautiful experience of human solidarity has suddenly turned into a bloody fist fight where every man is acting for himself and not caring for those around them.
Image Courtesy: E Dunsmuir
I love music, I love concerts, and I always will. But, I have faced a lot of violence at shows that should not have violence at them. Someone ripped my earring out at a Hozier concert because I was singing along to “Take Me to Church.” Despite this, it would never drive me away from live music. It's a part of me, something that I will cherish forever, but there are some people who will be driven away from the experience by these so-called fans. Maybe we don’t all have to be best friends, maybe we don’t have to get along, but we should not fight each other for the opportunity to see these artists live.
I don’t know how we fix this, and maybe I’m just waxing poetic over the loss of a community that was really formative to me growing up. But I will always love concerts, and I hope they trend back to how they used to be, so everyone can love them too.
Strike Out,
E Dunsmuir
St. Augustine
Editor: Maya Kayyal
E Dunsmuir (he/they) is a writer for Strike St. Augustine. He loves Victorian England, emo music, and anything to do with horror, so don’t be surprised when these things pop up in an article. When they're not writing for Strike, he’s probably texting his boyfriend or watching TV with their roommates. You can reach him at edunsmuir66@gmail.com or @edunsmuir66 on most social media platforms.
