STARTING 4/8/17: Six Word Saturday is now being hosted by the lovely Debbie at Travel With Intent.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

What would you do if I sang out of tune?

Ever go to a concert and someone beside you is obviously enjoying the show, singing along with every song?

Loudly. With the wrong words. And so out of tune you can't be sure they're even singing the same song, let alone in the same key? In fact, you can't actually be certain they aren't experiencing some sort of medical emergency that requires the attention of that really hot paramedic you saw when you bought your $9 beer.

I guess they're having a good time and that's important. After all, they paid for admission, just like me. When I'm feeling charitable, I usually kinda laugh, appreciate the fact that they're in the moment, and turn my attention back to the show.

When I'm not feeling so generous, I really wish they'd just shut up. I paid to hear Bono, not someone strangling a goat with a Slinky!

Or, maybe sometimes more annoying is the Super Fan. You know the ones. The ones that travel in herds to every show on the tour. They don't just sing along, they sing the harmony. In an intimate venue, trying to enjoy an acoustic set, it's all I can do to NOT turn around and punch them all in the face. You are grown-ass women! He is not your friend - he sees you coming and looks for security because he is AFRAID of you wackos. Get a life!

I do my best to continue my Snoopy dance and enjoy the experience while they do their thing but ugh.

P.S. Yes, I've been known to sing along at a concert. But I would never ever do so in an annoying way. Because I'm delusional awesome.

23 comments:

C. Beth said...

Okay, I admit I am not a big fan of live music in general, which I know is weird. But I can enjoy it to varying degrees. I would be totally and completely annoyed if someone close to me was singing along.

Unless it was one of those Sound of Music sing-a-longs, which I totally would go to and would sing with, and I would love it.

Sass said...

The uber fans are the ones who scare me. Who talk about the lead singer like they're best friends...

Scary.

And yes, I sing along, but never loud enough for anyone to hear.

I don't think...;)

Intense Guy said...

But.. but.. but.. a little panty throwing is okay ... isn't it?

:)

Omah's Helping Hands said...

I think part of the problem is many think they can sind, so they do. The important thing is everyone has fun. If only thre was a way to block out those that can't carry a tune like myself. ;)

Unknown said...

we are so similar...it strikes me as funny every time one of us discusses something and then the other totally agrees.

i've realized as of late that other peoples idiocy and my constant requirement to deal with them causes me A LOT of the anxiety i feel.

i can cope, but most certainly count the minutes until i can get away from said idiots.

andy

p.s. perhaps one of our parents had an affair with each other? curious.

Annelie said...

I would take singing-alongs and uber fans any day, over public-I-hope-the-crowd-will-just-diffuse-this-one burpers & farters. Seriously. Nothing is worse than getting engulfed by someone's foul cloud of nasty, airborne body particles while you're stuck in one place...

mo.stoneskin said...

It would be nice to see a video of the Snoopy dance.

Agree?

robin said...

Oh, this annoys the CRAP out of me! And even worse are those people who get all up in the very little personal space you even have at these shows, dancing all wild and crazy and shoving into you every two seconds. Now that makes me want to punch someone in the face!
PS- What show did you go to?

TM said...

It's not the singing, it's the clapping along to a tune. All to often, the crowd is off the beat.

Worse than singing is talking during a song. This is a punchable offense.

The Wife O Riley said...

Usually it's my husband who is singing until I elbow him in the ribs and tell him to shut up.

TMC said...

can't handle live shows anymore. Too loud, too crowded, too much anxiety. But way back in the day when I did go to shows, I sang along. And I have an awesome voice. So there.

Call Me Cate said...

C. Beth - you ARE a weirdo! I'm almost the opposite. Something about live music makes it so much more tolerable. Usually. I did not know they have sing-a-longs for Sound of Music. That could be possibly horrifying. Or a lot of fun!

Sass - That's exactly how this was. "Oh, yes, we went to his show last night and he was telling us about...". He wasn't telling YOU. He was telling the entire audience from the stage. FREAKS!

Intense Guy - As long as they aren't my panties, go right ahead and throw.

Omah's Helping Hands - Definitely a lot of people shouldn't be encouraged to sing in public. Scary.

Andy - I do come from a long line of loose women so it's possible there's some relation along the way. Unfortunately I couldn't get away from these idiots. They were everywhere!!

Snarky A - Oh, eww. People need to keep their funk to themselves. And save it for home.

Mo - No, I don't agree. But nice try!

robin - The last few shows we've been at were standing room general admission kinda deals. People WAY too close. This post was based on several shows but specifically Blue October and Ryan Star/David Cook.

TM - off-beat clapping is a problem as well. Some people have no skills. I haven't had too many problems with talkers recently but sometimes at the outside arena people seem to treat it like the concert is just background music.

Wife O Riley - Joe doesn't often sing along. But sometimes when he does, I sorta scoot off to the side a bit...

TMC - The anxiety is miserable for me but I love live shows so much I try to go anyways. Crowds and hot and noise and lines to bathrooms. Not ideal. But I'm sure you have an excellent voice.

Lucia said...

That was funny! I haven't been to a concert in ages, but it sure brought me back. Yea, those fans were annoying back then too.

blognut said...

Crap! I'll try not to stand next to you at concerts anymore.

That singer next to you, the loud and out of tune one? That's SO ME!!!

Sorry. :)

Sorta...

Grand Pooba said...

Depends on the concert and where you're at. General Admission, anyone can sing and you still couldn't here them.

What I hate is when bands record a live cd and they stop singing while the audience sings for them. Bugs me so bad! I don't wanna here the damn audience sing!

2cats said...

I have been both people.
I love to sing along and I am annoyed when others do it.
I sing badly but make up for my lack of talent by singing loudly.
I was seeing the "Nutcracker" with my mom one Christmas, the man next to me sang along with every song. The man om my mom's other side had had garlic for dinner.
Need I say more?

Beth said...

When I read the title, I thought "she needs a hard of hearing friend." Girl, I couldn't tell if someone sang out of tune unless they were lip syncing. There are advantages to not hearing that well.

AmyK. said...

I only sing louly when everyone else is...otherwise I sing quietly, or in my head where only my other personalities can hear me.

I couldn't agree more. I once almost got in a fist fight with an OLD lady at a show because she was so loud and slobbery over the middle-aged, former thrown panty-accepting guy in a jumpsuit on stage.

Juliet Colors said...

I rarely get a chance to go to live concerts, but I have to say this post is not making me regret it. ;-)

In general, it annoys me when anyone (other than myself) sings along to music. Doesn't even matter if they are any good or not. I'm just hypocritical like that.

Call Me Cate said...

rightonmom - I should post a part 2 to include the "WE LOVE YOU DAVID" pre-teen shriekers and the miserable dragged-along husbands.

blognut - That singer next to me was also my husband. Wait, are you my husband? Lucky for me, he doesn't sing a whole lot at the shows of my choosing.

Pooba - I'm with you on letting the audience sing. I paid to hear the people on stage, not join a sing-along!

2cats - Not sure which is worse. Annoying singer or garlic man.

Beth - Good point! Though I think there should maybe be a singing and a non-singing section.

Amy K - There's a lot to be said for reading the crowd. Some people fail miserably at it.

Juliet - I don't mind singing along to a radio. But not when I paid big money. Then they can SHUT IT!!!

Ryan Ashley Scott said...

I'd be the one next to you singing out of tune, but my hearing isn't great - so I probably wouldn't think you could hear me, either. :)

Super fans are weird, though. Totally.

Eric said...

So that's why everyone was looking at me and pointing when I was singing along with the Vivaldi string quartet last Sunday at brunch...

Toriz said...

I don't find that too annoying personally. What I find annoying is when you go see a movie, and you get someone behind youu who insists on saying, "did you see that?" every time something good happens. Only they say it so loudly you don't hear what the actor just said in the movie. That happened so many times during one of the Harry Potter movies that I lost my patience, turned around and said, "no, I just paid for a ticket to watch the movie, only what I really came in here to do was stare at the ceiling with my fingers in my ears. What do you think?" Never heard another word from the person after that. ;)