Source: At a Portugal. The Man concert in the Kate Buchanan Room at HSU on September 27, 2011 (10pm-12am.)
Relation: When attending a Portugal. The Man concert I observed the traditions of going to concerts and how they vary with the type of music playing, who is surrounding you, and what type of venue the concert is taking place at.
Description: About three months ago I heard one of my favorite bands Portugal. The Man was going on tour. I got really excited when I saw that the first show of the tour was going to be about a month into my first year here at Humboldt so I immediately bought my ticket.
I didn't care if I was going by myself when I bought my ticket but I made many new friends here and some of them were going to the show as well. I met up with my friend Emily about a hour before the show and waited in line. Then we went in together and walked straight to the front middle area of the stage. People started rushing in but we held strong to our place in front of the stage. While waiting, Emily and I talked about different concerts we've been to and how fun they were. After about 20 minutes passed the band members finally walked onto stage where all of the instruments were ready for them. The crowd immediately started cheering and the band began playing their two hour set.
Portugal. The Man is categorized as an indie band (independent, college genre), therefore the crowd wasn't as energetic as some of the other shows I have been to that were more intense because of the different genre of music being played or how popular the band was compared to the one I saw this week.
From my point f view in the front middle of the stage most of the students around me were swaying back and forth, bebop-pin their heads, and the occasional jumping around. A few times when the music got louder and faster and the crowd became more enthusiastic, a very minuscule mosh pit formed next to me. This was somewhat surprising to me because, in general, indie bands don't attract the type of people that you would expect start a mosh pit. I saw Portugal. The Man three years ago but had to leave early so I only was able to see about half an hour of them, and there was barely any dancing from the crowd and there wouldn't have been a mosh pit at that show because the people were slightly older and much more calm compared to the crowd at HSU.
After the show was done the crowd called for an encore so they came out again and played three more songs for us and the lead singer talked to his audience a little more. Then after the encore was finished, we all went home or back to whatever else we had planned for the Tuesday night.
Portugal. The Man Sept 27th
Analysis: These traditions I have witnessed in my past experiences with going to concerts and music festivals have changed due to the different bands playing, the venue it's at, and the people around me. Yet, at all of the shows I have been to I've noticed that people obviously go to the show to watch the band and have fun with their friends or the people they meet. For me, going to concerts, it's a tradition to get as close to the front as possible, try to stay near my friends if possible, and dance, of course.
There was definitely a difference between the show I saw this week and some of the others I have been to. For example, when I saw Paul McCartney a few years ago with my mom, we had to sit in the bleachers at AT&T Park. This was the first concert that I was surrounded my older people with their families and I had to sit down for most of the show. But we still danced in our seats and I would have to say that was one of the best shows I have been to.
Another concert that wasn't like any other I have been to was when I saw Crystal Castles (electronic experimental hard core band) with my three guy friends in March of this year. We got to the very front of the stage and I was literally fighting just to be able to breath. This experience was totally different from seeing Portugal. The Man or Paul McCartney. The people surrounding me were on a lot of substances and going crazy. It was an amazing experience.
My last example was when I went to Outside Lands Music Food and Art Festival in the Golden Gate Park a week before I moved to Arcata. This was different for me because I have never been around so many people at a concert before. There was about 25,000 people attending this festival and almost all of them were really excited to be there and having a blast. During some shows it was impossible for me to get to the front of the stage, but as you can see in the picture bellow, I was very far back when seeing Girl Talk but everyone, even as far back as we were, was still dancing and going crazy.
In summation, I love going to shows and taking part in the traditions of concert going.
Girl Talk August 13th 2011
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