Rude fan behavior?

[kglory]

Spinning off of the Alton Brown and Wil Wheaton threads, what instances of rude fan behavior have you witnessed?

(sorry if this is the wrong board for this -- I'll be glad to move it!)

[kglory]

1.  A few years ago, some friends and I went to a Ben Folds concert.  We got there early so we were right up by the stage, but there were hours of wait and cover bands.  They ended up packing us tight as sardines in there.  So the girl next to me started to chat to me in the hours while we waited.  At first she seemed nice, friendly, and normal.  Then she started saying things that let me know she was obsessed with Ben, that she spent all her money following him around on tours and being a fan.

Then, it gets weirder.  She told me that she had taken a page of the music to her favorite song of his, had it laminated, and sewn it into a wallet, which she showed me. She explained that her plan was to give this wallet to him and that she just knew he would cherish it, etc.   Meanwhile I'm thinking, this girl has a few screws loose!

Ben got on stage.  He plays piano and sings, so it's not a passive job.  In the middle of one of his songs, nutty girl takes out the wallet, tries to climb up on stage, and FLINGS THE WALLET AT HIM while yelling, "I love you, Ben!"  Yes, she threw it at him while he was in the middle of singing and playing piano!  I was horrified.  Ben was a pro -- he just literally ignored her, and ignored the wallet sitting on the floor of the stage for the entirety of his performance.

2.  I'm a proud RENThead   I have only ever seen good fan behavior there.  The setup outside the theater was perfect for this.  There are doors at the back where the cast exit.  Imagine a square -- 1 is the wall of the building including the door where they exit, 2 are ropes that keep the fans back from the sidewalk directly outside the exit door, and one is the car waiting to take the star away.  So a star that wants can exit the dressing room, wave at the fans, walk to the car, and drive off.  A fan who wants to can stay and sign autographs or take photos.  Fans have to remain behind the ropes.  So I did go a few times and wait for hours behind the ropes for an autograph, but I didn't think I or anyone there did anything rude.  We took what attention we were given, didn'ty harrass the actors, and din't throw a fit for the stars who didn't stay.  And it was really fun camping out with fellow fans.  No professional autograph hunters in sight!

BUT

Once when I was seeing RENT - for the last time on Broadway, actually - I ended up seated next to a strange girl on my left.  She told me (what am I, a magnet for random strangers to talk to?) that her favorite show was actually Spring Awakenings and that she camped outside their entrance EVERY DAY.  And every day she brought gifts for the entire cast, for example today, she gave them all coloring books and crayons, isn't that awesome?  Um.  It took all I could muster to prevent myself from saying "Heck no! Not awesome at all!" 

She also insisted on commenting to me during the entire plot of the show, as did the lady to my other side.  All 3 of us had seen it multiple times before so it wasn't like gasping "Oh!" when a surprising thing happens, which would be fully understandable.  It was more like they forgot they were at  a live performance and wanted to gossip to me about the actors and the songs and the plot, in real time! aaack.

[pierrotlunaire0]

Back in my college days, I went to see a very popular comedian who appeared at the school.  There was an opening act, a musician.  He sang a few songs, and was getting ready to sing his last piece.  Strumming his guitar, he takes a deep breath, opens his mouth to begin, and a girl right smack dab in front of him shrieks out, "We want (comedian's name)!  We want (Comedian)!"  The musician stopped, glared at her, and said, "Well, you are going to have to wait."  Everyone in the audience was glaring at her also.

[mlkind1789]

I don't think this was so much rude as a little odd, but a few years ago hubby took me to see Harry Connick Jr.  (brave man, that one, considering I wouldn't kick HCJ out of bed for eating crackers   ) and there was a man in the 4th row with binoculars.  Yep, you read that right, he was in the 4th row...with binoculars.

HCJ actually noticed the guy from the stage, climbed down and went over to him.  "Seriously man, you're close already.  You can see every pore on my face with these", asked him for the binoculars and then stood in the aisle right next to him looking at the fan with them.  Now, it probably sounds like HCJ was being a little bit of a snowflake, but he's actually just a big huge goofball and was having fun with the fans. 

[Solanna Dryden]

I actually don't making the wallet was that bad. It sounds kind of cool and sweet, actually, particularly since it was a piece of her favourite music from him. If I were a musician, I think I'd be touched that a creation of mine obviously gave someone that much pleasure that they went to that much trouble.

However, her behaviour in giving it to him is beyond innappropriate, and verges into psychotic. What happened to her? I hope she got kicked out and barred from any other performances.

[shadowfox79]

I actually don't making the wallet was that bad. It sounds kind of cool and sweet, actually, particularly since it was a piece of her favourite music from him. If I were a musician, I think I'd be touched that a creation of mine obviously gave someone that much pleasure that they went to that much trouble.

However, her behaviour in giving it to him is beyond innappropriate, and verges into psychotic.

I've been to a lot of rock concerts where fans have made gifts and thrown them on stage. The first time I saw the Darkness, someone threw a handmade frock coat to Justin Hawkins, which he then put on and wore for the next song (fit very well, except that one side was sleeveless and the other had a full sleeve and huge lace cuff), while the second time someone threw him a pair of gold spandex pants which he put on over his trousers. I also saw someone hurl a pair of granny pants during an Axl Rose gig, and Axl picked them up and hung them over his lead guitarist's mike stand.

However, those have always been rock shows where the frontmen interact very closely with the audience. I can't imagine doing that during a Ben Folds gig, unless he got up between songs and came to talk to the crowd. Certainly not mid-song.

[Wonderflonium]

I don't think this was so much rude as a little odd, but a few years ago hubby took me to see Harry Connick Jr.  (brave man, that one, considering I wouldn't kick HCJ out of bed for eating crackers   ) and there was a man in the 4th row with binoculars.  Yep, you read that right, he was in the 4th row...with binoculars.

HCJ actually noticed the guy from the stage, climbed down and went over to him.  "Seriously man, you're close already.  You can see every pore on my face with these", asked him for the binoculars and then stood in the aisle right next to him looking at the fan with them.  Now, it probably sounds like HCJ was being a little bit of a snowflake, but he's actually just a big huge goofball and was having fun with the fans.

I love HCJ and am so not surprised he did that! "Knowing" him (as in, knowing his personality and having seen him in concert a few times), I know he wasn't being snowflakey. I can hear the laughter in his voice as I read that. 

[Miriam]

I think moshing is rude in a concert where there are no seats..and the music isn't even punch worthy. Think acoustic, soft songs, and these brats are slamming their butts into my back and forcefully holding people down. I had to get security at one point, I was absolutely being assaulted when one mosher decided to grab me around my body and throw me. Sweet monkey fritters!? I don't get it.

[kglory]

I actually don't making the wallet was that bad. It sounds kind of cool and sweet, actually, particularly since it was a piece of her favourite music from him. If I were a musician, I think I'd be touched that a creation of mine obviously gave someone that much pleasure that they went to that much trouble.

However, her behaviour in giving it to him is beyond innappropriate, and verges into psychotic. What happened to her? I hope she got kicked out and barred from any other performances.

Making the wallet would be cool if she made it for herself.  I like crafty things, so I can see the appeal of having a wallet or tote bag made out of the music to my favorite song.  But what I found odd was that she was making it for him.  Like to him, it's like yes, that's my song...what would he want with it?  If I wrote a song, I would probably find it odd for some stranger to make a craft out of the sheet music to the song and give it back to me.  But clearly I am not a famous musician, so maybe if I were, I would think differently!

What happened to her....I think nothing.  It was really, really crowded.  No seats, all standing.  But it was a small indoor venue so really not the place for moshing or throwing things.  There was nobody else on stage besides Ben Folds and he was playing the piano, so it's not like he was going to stop mid-song to pick up what she threw.  So it just went unnoticed.

[Cami]

Oh, I've seen tons of amazing behavior.

1. I once saw a fan freak out because although she got to meet her favorite actor, he did not spend enough time with her  (in her opinion).  She was screaming obscenities at the poor guy.

2. I went to an American Idol concert in 2010. It had become a fun part of the concert to throw bras and boas on stage when Adam Lambert was doing his last number, during which he danced around the entire stage and interacted with the audience. Lambert always enjoyed it when fans threw fun stuff on to the stage during the interaction and it became an anticipated tradition. However, at this particular concert, during his opening number, someone threw a large ******* right at him, hitting him hard in the leg.  It fell to the stage floor and without missing a beat of singing, he immediately kicked it off. He said later that he was quite angry about it and I don't blame him.  It was appallingly disrespectful and I don't blame him for being angry. Certainly a perfomer with less stage experience might have been totally thrown off kilter by it and even for someone with his experience, how disconcerting to be hit by something hard, especially during the opening number when you're trying to establish yourself on the stage.  In addition, a lot of children go to the Idol concerts.  I have to admit that I've wondered if it was a hater rather than a fan who did that.

3. I've also seen it happen several times that a fan will pretend to be dying or have a dying child in order to get personal greetings from a star. It's made me quite cynical about fans wanting to see stars because it's "their last wish".

4. I was at a local concert and during an absolutely lovely ballad sung acapella while the entire audience is silent and rapt, some drunken lout yelled out "MARRY ME! MARRY ME! MARRY ME!" Rude not only to the singer, but to the entire audience.

[ettiquit]

If you're ever lucky enough to get front row tickets to your favorite performer (FP), a sure fire way to get them to acknowledge you is to make sure that there's a girl on the left side of you so under the influence that she's trying to chase the lights on the stage (much like my cat), and a group of people on your right side hooting and hollering constantly.

I really think FP took a break and talked to me and my friend for a minute because we were the only not-crazy people in the front row.

[MissRose]

Where do I start?

*One girl tried to shove her pen and cd cover at one artist while he was doing an acoustic segment.  He ignored her and went on.

*I've had been shoved and pushed a lot at General Admission type shows especially by pushy fan girl / woman types that think they own every front row.

*People who ignore the signs to not use flash on their cameras

*People that scream and holler during acoustic and/or slow tempo songs. That irritated me ALOT at Adam Lambert's concerts last summer

*People raising their signs blocking views of those behind them.   Once you are a few rows back, they cannot read the sign anyways.

[nolechica]

Oh, I've seen tons of amazing behavior.

2. I went to an American Idol concert in 2010. It had become a fun part of the concert to throw bras and boas on stage when Adam Lambert was doing his last number, during which he danced around the entire stage and interacted with the audience. Lambert always enjoyed it when fans threw fun stuff on to the stage during the interaction and it became an anticipated tradition. However, at this particular concert, during his opening number, someone threw a large ******* right at him, hitting him hard in the leg.  It fell to the stage floor and without missing a beat of singing, he immediately kicked it off. He said later that he was quite angry about it and I don't blame him.  It was appallingly disrespectful and I don't blame him for being angry. Certainly a perfomer with less stage experience might have been totally thrown off kilter by it and even for someone with his experience, how disconcerting to be hit by something hard, especially during the opening number when you're trying to establish yourself on the stage.  In addition, a lot of children go to the Idol concerts.  I have to admit that I've wondered if it was a hater rather than a fan who did that.

It was a fan, I have friends who were at that concert and the fan in question tweeted a pic of the toy.  People were still throwing stuff on stage last year, but not as often because of the dancers.

[nolechica]

People that scream and holler during acoustic and/or slow tempo songs. That irritated me ALOT at Adam Lambert's concerts last summer

Part of why I'm still proud of the pin drop silent Soaked I got in Atlanta last year. So hard to do, even the DVD copy isn't that silent.

[wolfie]

Oh, I've seen tons of amazing behavior.

2. I went to an American Idol concert in 2010. It had become a fun part of the concert to throw bras and boas on stage when Adam Lambert was doing his last number, during which he danced around the entire stage and interacted with the audience. Lambert always enjoyed it when fans threw fun stuff on to the stage during the interaction and it became an anticipated tradition. However, at this particular concert, during his opening number, someone threw a large ******* right at him, hitting him hard in the leg.  It fell to the stage floor and without missing a beat of singing, he immediately kicked it off. He said later that he was quite angry about it and I don't blame him.  It was appallingly disrespectful and I don't blame him for being angry. Certainly a perfomer with less stage experience might have been totally thrown off kilter by it and even for someone with his experience, how disconcerting to be hit by something hard, especially during the opening number when you're trying to establish yourself on the stage.  In addition, a lot of children go to the Idol concerts.  I have to admit that I've wondered if it was a hater rather than a fan who did that.

It was a fan, I have friends who were at that concert and the fan in question tweeted a pic of the toy.  People were still throwing stuff on stage last year, but not as often because of the dancers.

What was thrown? I don't follow American Idol so have no idea.