Dancing at shows

[kcjones119]

Originally posted by HoyaParanoia:
   

Originally posted by kcjones119:
  My favorite dance was the gent in front of me at the Bob Dylan surprise 930 show last year.  He seemed to be perfectly happy sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth, wearing headphones and scribbling aimlessly on the inside of his Rand McNally atlas.  
 

that's really funny.  maybe he just took a couple-too-many microdots?
 
 i think i've already told this story on here, but at a stones show in 98 i saw this 50-60 yr old guy strip naked in the opposite end zone in the orange bowl and writhe around on the ground, screaming the lyrics to "can't always get what you want" ... security finally showed up and had a really tough time getting him to put his clothes back on ... absolutely hilarious [/b]

I was also standing next to a drunken troll at the GBV concert who kept throwing things off the 2nd floor railing and waving at people, but I guess Robert Pollard's antics gave him the freedom to do so.

[kosmo vinyl]

i've had a number of bad concert experience usually with just one or two people and not an entire audience.  it's amazing how the bad events are unfortunately more memorable than the show... it most often involves yacking without any concern for those in the area.

[HoyaSaxa03]

Originally posted by kcjones119:
 I was also standing next to a drunken troll at the GBV concert who kept throwing things off the 2nd floor railing and waving at people, but I guess Robert Pollard's antics gave him the freedom to do so.

i think you kind of throw any expectations for reasonable etiquette out the door at a GBV show

[jkeisenh]

this is a really relevant question for punk/hardrock shows.  in the district, esp at Warehouse, folks may bob their heads, but that's about it.  in baltimore, folks will pogo/"mosh"/slamdance, and have a good time about it.  they also talk to strangers and have a sense of community about it that dc totally lacks.

[joz]

Originally posted by kcjones119:
  My favorite dance was the gent in front of me at the Bob Dylan surprise 930 show last year.  He seemed to be perfectly happy sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth, wearing headphones and scribbling aimlessly on the inside of his Rand McNally atlas.  
 
 Kudos to him and his undiagnosed mental illness.
 

speaking of freaks at shows, does anyone remember the middle-aged spaz that used to frequent 930 and Black Cat shows in the mid to late 90s that would always show up and dance solo right in the middle of the audience? i saw him at almost every show i went to (he particularly liked bands with females or female leads) and he was always way into the band, no matter who was playing. i remember him coming to a man or astroman show (or maybe it was servotron??) at the black cat wearing a space helmet he had made out of tin foil. that guy was nuttier than a squirrel banquet.

[ggw]

Originally posted by chimbly sweep:
 in baltimore, folks will pogo/"mosh"/slamdance, and have a good time about it.  they also talk to strangers

That's because they're all chasing the dragon.

[ggw]

Originally posted by joz:
  speaking of freaks at shows, does anyone remember the middle-aged spaz that used to frequent 930 and Black Cat shows in the mid to late 90s that would always show up and dance solo right in the middle of the audience? i saw him at almost every show i went to (he particularly liked bands with females or female leads) and he was always way into the band, no matter who was playing. i remember him coming to a man or astroman show (or maybe it was servotron??) at the black cat wearing a space helmet he had made out of tin foil. that guy was nuttier than a squirrel banquet.

http://www.930.com/cgi-bin/ubb-cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile;u=00001826

[BookerT]

speaking of freaks at shows, does anyone remember the middle-aged spaz that used to frequent 930 and Black Cat shows in the mid to late 90s that would always show up and dance solo right in the middle of the audience? i saw him at almost every show i went to (he particularly liked bands with females or female leads) and he was always way into the band, no matter who was playing. i remember him coming to a man or astroman show (or maybe it was servotron??) at the black cat wearing a space helmet he had made out of tin foil. that guy was nuttier than a squirrel banquet.  

that's crazy larry, or rainman, or whatever you want to call him. he's still around, i saw him at a holly golightly show a while back and some friends of mine saw him at the dirtbombs show last month. he definitely does love him some female fronted and/or garage bands. he's a weirdo, but lord does he know his stuff. actually not a bad guy to have a conversation with. i'm sure he agrees with me, because often that conversation will be with himself.

[kosmo vinyl]

yup he does attend shows with a female in the band... Your Pal's old band the Milk-o-matics wrote a song about him.  not sure if they ever released it though...

[joz]

Originally posted by BookerT:
  that's crazy larry, or rainman, or whatever you want to call him.  

thanks bookerT for clearing that up...he actually started a conversation with me at a jesus lizard show once then proceeded to talk with himself for the rest of the night.
 
 and why is it that all the crazy guys are named larry? the town i moved from had not one, but TWO, crazy guys named larry...one was "larry the liar" and the other was "larry, the bisexual homerotic cowboy", the latter of which used to hump pool sticks in the  bars around town and was a chef at the local swingers club.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

How was his cooking?
 
 

Originally posted by joz:
   

Originally posted by BookerT:
  that's crazy larry, or rainman, or whatever you want to call him.  

thanks bookerT for clearing that up...he actually started a conversation with me at a jesus lizard show once then proceeded to talk with himself for the rest of the night.
 
 and why is it that all the crazy guys are named larry? the town i moved from had not one, but TWO, crazy guys named larry...one was "larry the liar" and the other was "larry, the bisexual homerotic cowboy", the latter of which used to hump pool sticks in the  bars around town and was a chef at the local swingers club. [/b]

[joz]

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
  How was his cooking?
 
   

Originally posted by joz:
   

Originally posted by BookerT:
  that's crazy larry, or rainman, or whatever you want to call him.  

thanks bookerT for clearing that up...he actually started a conversation with me at a jesus lizard show once then proceeded to talk with himself for the rest of the night.
 
 and why is it that all the crazy guys are named larry? the town i moved from had not one, but TWO, crazy guys named larry...one was "larry the liar" and the other was "larry, the bisexual homerotic cowboy", the latter of which used to hump pool sticks in the  bars around town and was a chef at the local swingers club. [/b]

[/b]

don't know...i have his business card if you need catering for a "private" function.

[ericalindquist]

I agree with all of your points.
 At last night's Bloc Party show a friend and I were standing pretty close to the stage and everyone around us stood perfectly still (well, except for taking photos OC!) the entire time.  It irritated me because I feel like that behavior belonged in the back or in the upper level of the club.  
 I say, let's keep the "stiffs" away from the front!
 
 Also, I couldn't help contrasting the show with the LCD/MIA show (which was also sold-out).  I stood in basically the same location, and everyone around me was moving around and having fun.  People were actually INTERACTING with each other!!  (My friend and I did note at the time that this behavior was unusual for DC.)
 -C
 
 
 

Originally posted by j_lee:
  I think the complaint lends itself specifically to specific genres of music where dancing is not only acceptable but expected.  Very few people were dancing at Kraftwerk, and while you're right about the room thing when the show is sold out, you can still do something.  People at LCD/M.I.A. were dancing. jumping, etc.
 
 There's some situations where I'd rather not see dancing.  At the pixies show last year there was this large woman two rows away who moved into the aisle to do some type of weird hybrid hippie/50's dance.  No.  
 
 On the whole I think the dancing comment is meant to imply "doing more than just standing there, arms crossed, staring at the band," which seems to be the pose of choice for the D.C. elite.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

I say let's rope off a little area on the side or in the back so the dancers can do their stuff.
 
 Let the people who came to SEE and LISTEN to the band be up front.
 
 

Originally posted by Caesar:
  I agree with all of your points.
 At last night's Bloc Party show a friend and I were standing pretty close to the stage and everyone around us stood perfectly still (well, except for taking photos OC!) the entire time.  It irritated me because I feel like that behavior belonged in the back or in the upper level of the club.  
 I say, let's keep the "stiffs" away from the front!
 
 Also, I couldn't help contrasting the show with the LCD/MIA show (which was also sold-out).  I stood in basically the same location, and everyone around me was moving around and having fun.  People were actually INTERACTING with each other!!  (My friend and I did note at the time that this behavior was unusual for DC.)
 -C
 
 
   

Originally posted by j_lee:
  I think the complaint lends itself specifically to specific genres of music where dancing is not only acceptable but expected.  Very few people were dancing at Kraftwerk, and while you're right about the room thing when the show is sold out, you can still do something.  People at LCD/M.I.A. were dancing. jumping, etc.
 
 There's some situations where I'd rather not see dancing.  At the pixies show last year there was this large woman two rows away who moved into the aisle to do some type of weird hybrid hippie/50's dance.  No.  
 
 On the whole I think the dancing comment is meant to imply "doing more than just standing there, arms crossed, staring at the band," which seems to be the pose of choice for the D.C. elite.

[/b]

[ledererk]

Hey, just because I'm bobbing my head and smiling doesn't mean I'm NOT "seeing and listening" to the band.  It means I'm having a good time and getting into the music.  I agree about the obnoxious dancers who are either really plastered or trying to dance sexy for the boys, but a lot of us just like to get into the show and move around a little, being of course careful not to intrude on anyone else.  The sullen standers belong, I think, in the balcony - that seems to be the dominant culture up there.  If you're going to shove your way past me to stand right in front of the stage (this means you, 7 foot tall men everywhere), you have to expect that the more enthusiastic/moving/dancing fans will be up there.