Issue date: 4/15/08 Section: Forum

- Luke ADAMS

Weinberg sophomore

Candidate for ASG President



A letter to A&O

Please stop bringing good bands to Northwestern. Not because I don't like good music, but because I'm embarrassed at the lack of concert etiquette my fellow students practice.

Last Thursday, I, along with 1,200 others, attended the Counting Crows concert at The Riviera. I'm sure it was a really great show. It looked nice. Adam Duritz jumped around a lot. But I couldn't tell you how it sounded because the audience talked through the ENTIRE show. I know, it's a concert, it's loud, and sometimes you have to lean to your friend and talk about how sweaty the guitarist is. Fine. But when the band is playing a slow, quiet piano ballad, it's polite to pull out your cell phone and sway, not do what some douchebag in a blue polo did and wave his middle fingers around in the air, yelling "play a real song."

The Crows played a lot of the songs from their new album, so it's understandable that people were frustrated they didn't hear songs they knew. But that's what bands do when they're promoting an album. Half the time, the audience didn't even seem to notice when a song was over, because they were so wrapped up in their own personal conversations. When the lead singer gave a heartfelt explanation of the inspiration for one of his new songs (the inspiration being how disillusioned he was with touring, probably because of audiences like us), I had to strain to hear over the sound of some girl flirting with the 300-pound security guard and the guy in front of me talking about why the Crows are irrelevant. Great. Then don't come to their concert.

I understand that we're in college, and when a concert, ANY concert, is offered for $15, it seems like it'd be cool to go, have some background music and drink with your friends. But that's what bars are for. Concerts are for people who like the band playing and who want to hear them perform. Talking throughout a concert is disrespectful to the people around you, and especially to the performer. NU, as a whole, has pissed off, and been called out by Counting Crows, Wilco, Cake and Talib Kweli. Even Bob Saget made fun of us for being a terrible audience. And that is why, with all due respect, I thank A&O for bringing such great acts to NU, and I ask that they please never do it again.

- Jenn Babin

Communication senior

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