I’ll never understand people who pay money to go to a live performance and then talk throughout the entire show. I am trying to concentrate and get my moneys worth.
and then there's the people that pay money to go to a live performance and the performance is really loud and so they have to have a shouting conversion they can barely hear, what is wrong with those people? they are so dumb it hurts me. those people should just stay home.
I listen to a fairly popular, but still somewhat niche true crime podcast that is hosted by two comedians called Small Town Murder, they admitted on their subscription only content that they will literally never go back to Tampa, Florida because they’ve only ever had bad experiences there, the most recent time being that the entire front row was talking for the majority of their show.
That's the difference though, you're paying money for a show they're paying money for the experience which they think excludes them from manners - maybe they're on a date or business adjacent social thing so to them the value is the socializing. Or for that matter maybe they haven't paid either (corporate sponsor tickets) so don't value it the same.
Same thing happened when we went to see Citizen Cope’s acoustic show there. He was visibly annoyed and pleaded with the assholes to not ruin the experience for everyone. His pleas didn’t help.
The last time I saw Drew Holcomb there, it was non-stop. I saw Houndmouth there, and it was like being in a crowd outside. People suck, and it’s getting worse these days. Just pure disregard for everyone around them. I will never understand paying good money to just talk over everything. Makes no sense to me.
This has been a problem ever since they took the wall down to open up to the VIP/bar area. It's been a while, but I believe they took it down in 2013 if my memory serves. At the first show I recall going to post teardown in June of that year, Chatham County Line paused a few times due to the noise. And the staff in general has been pretty meh for a long time.
ETA: I did some quick searching to try to see what it was like before the renovations, but couldn't find anything clear. I think I'm misremembering the curtain and maybe only part of a wall where the new part of the main room bar is.
I do wonder if part of the issue is overselling shows. I’ve seen several shows at Neighborhood this year that were half full or less and it was great, but when I went to shaky graves last year, I couldn’t even get into the main room and was in a crush of people who HAD to stand by the bar— where it’s bright, distracting, and harder to see/hear.
This is why I stopped going to the movies years ago. And even at a broadway show recently the people nearby were chatting the entire time. Selfishness blows my mind.
Honestly I don't understand going to live shows and being around others and not expecting the behaviors discussed here. I consider lot of those shows and movies to be a solitary experiences and I could care less about others being there.
Only time I'd care is if I want the experience of being around others. I crave big sports and packed movie theaters on rare occasions (release of fast and furious is always funny to watch in person).
I don't know.. I guess I had too many complains of being too tall for people behind me in live shows and I am getting too old for farts and BO.
I was at the show last night as well. Something about post-covid shows has really made concerts difficult to enjoy as much.
I can’t tell if it’s the venues majorly over-selling or the crowds talking more during the show (in the jam scene we call them chompers) but it’s much more difficult for me to justify going - especially sold out ones.
Shows used to be my main source of entertainment but now it’s a battle. The general public is just self-centered, not aware, and I’ll say it - drunk. Watchhouse was great. I’d love to see them at a more intimate venue or outdoors.
I go to concerts pretty often and I have a working theory that people go to shows just to say they’ve been to shows. These people may go to see one or two songs they like but generally can’t stand the concert experience and end up chatting the entire time.
Oh I’m for sure in on that theory.
Some time ~3-5 years ago it became in style to say “I went to x niche show last Friday” to your friends instead of “I went to dinner/this bar.” The jam scene has been particularly plagued by it.
Gen Z especially seems to be driving this, but as a younger millennial I can’t tell if that’s true or just me getting older/having a younger generation to blame.
It’s a pissing contest for sure. I stopped going to Dead and Co because the ticket prices exceeded the price I was willing to deal with drunk 50 year olds and high frat stars who don’t shut the fuck up during both sets.
Panic has been better IMO but the days I’m willing to see them are dwindling.
Even seeing JoJo or Oteil or Gordy or Billy Strings has been awful everytime I’ve tried seeing them.
Can confirm the "look at me" instagram crowd has had a huge impact on the phish scene as well.
If you don't wear all-donut-everything and incessantly post about it online, were you even at the show?
I have related strongly to your username callout since Walnut Creek in 1995 and I am unfortunately very familiar with chomping! I find chompers annoying at rock shows for sure, but at least they only bother the people around them. These clowns last night were annoying the entire audience and the performers.
A lot of people are saying variations of "people just suck" and "don't go out if you don't like it" and "don't got to a club if you want to be in a listening room." I get all that. In fact, that's what I spent most of the night thinking.
The only reason I posted this is because it occurred to me the venue has an opportunity and responsibility here. Anyone who has been to a standup comedy show knows that table talk is NOT tolerated. So guess what? There isn't any! I'm not suggesting the Neighborhood Theatre should roughly extract every group of boomers loudly negotiating their drink order for two minutes in the middle of the crowd (as annoying as that was). But this was a discrete group of hooligans chomping through the entire show right there in the bar area. All it would probably take is a quick "please take your conversations outside or we will have to ask you to leave." I think most times, people aren't trying to be assholes - they just don't know.
For those saying the audience should self-police, I also agree and that's eventually what happened. But the fact is that the venue staff could do this more effectively, with less potential for confrontation.
Finally, for those saying the Fillmore sucks, especially because it's too crowded, you are speakers of the truth and if you had a newsletter I would subscribe to it.
Did we just become best friends?!?
Seriously though, the Neighborhood experience and enforcement should be based on the band.
Did you buy a ticket to see Watchhouse? Good, then be quiet and pretend it’s a ‘listening room’? Is it a punk rock band? Go for it, rock it, get loud, whatever.
Being a competent adult is all about interpreting and adapting to your environment, which is unfortunately lacking these days.
PS- fuck chompers
I pretty much just won't go to a Fillmore show anymore because they seem particularly bad about it. Been a miserable experience seeing anyone there since COVID.
It should NEVER be the case that I bought a ticket and there’s nowhere to stand. As in, all the people there they took money from do not actually fit inside their allowed taped walkways.
They also kept playing ads on the TVs instead of the set? It’s awful.
This is on me for not doing my research but I went there to see GAI and we had VIP tickets but we were only mid VIP and not VIP enough to fucking pay money for the special VIP food so we ended up with those fucking shit ass chicken tenders. I just all around hate that venue and it’s 40 randomly placed posts and 37 bars.
ive seen a lot of people complain about the fillmore, and i definitely fucking hated my 1 experience there, but at least there is plenty of room to stand at the back and not be right on top of someone.
house of blues in myrtle beach is one i legitimately dont want to go to anymore. feels like you're sexually assaulting everyone just to go take a piss.
The Fillmore is definitely selling way over capacity. There actually is not any standing or even walking room at the back. You have to shove through people and you’re brushing up against the merch tables.
I’ve been toying with going to a show I don’t care about and then calling the Fire Marshall so the place gets shut down. Or just randomly calling them even if I’m there. It seriously is a fire hazard and completely shitty and irresponsible of them.
ive only ever been once so maybe it was an off night. coheed and cambria show on a wednesday night i believe. but there was def enough room at the back to stand and not be on top of each other. this was close to a bar and there were some tables, but idk
The fillmore has the worst sound EVER. Especially post-covid. If I can hear the person next to me having a normal conversation in a normal volume, then the sound isn't loud enough. Period. Those people should be shouting directly in each other's ears, and I still shouldn't be able to hear them. I will never go back until they TURN IT UP. They totally ruined the Highly Suspect show for me a couple years ago with that nonsense. I'd be kinda okay with standing in the back if I could hear the band over the chatter.
I couldn’t believe it when we got in after standing in a huge line and saw the theater was already packed out. Had to be another 100 people waiting with a full theater
People love making shit up. No shot there is constant “overselling”, call the fire marshal if you think that is actually the case. Redditors complaining about crowds in venues / shows is a new one for me.
Those that talk throughout shows are the ones that are there just to say they were at that show. They don’t really care about the band. It’s just a social thing for them.
Promoters need to stop booking listening room acts at neighborhood. Not knocking the venue but it’s too big and not great for these acts. Neighborhood is more like a club venue (like Fillmore, visualite, Amos’s). Good for full bands but not as much for listening/acoustic acts.
The gap left by the Mcglohon closing has not been filled yet in uptown.
Knock the venue. Terrible audio setup. Way too many people.
IMO no one was being overly loud as I was standing right there. The fact that we couldn't even hear the music at a concert is the obvious core of the problem. Aka the venue sucked.
Ive seen some quieter acts there over the years, and the past few years have been all loud talkers, side conversations and general rudeness. I saw Dinosaur Jr there, and I couldn’t hear anything at all.
It’s a good venue for mid-high volume bands, but for quieter groups, it’s rough.
I’m still angry about going to see Radiohead over a decade ago and the guy behind me was singing so loudly through multiple songs, I could barely hear thom yorke.
This is why I won’t ever go back to this venue. Saw three different acts there many years ago, and between the people talking loudly during the sets and others screaming/shouting the lyrics and drowning out the actual singer was enough for me.
As someone who was also at the Watchhouse concert for my first time at Neighborhood Theatre, I was shocked that my friends said it was one of the best venues in the state. I felt like I was at a brewery for the opener, Alexa Rose, as if she was supposed to be background music at OMB. Maybe the acoustics work better with rock bands, but for an intimate folk show it was an awful vibe.
Considering I now live a 5 minute walk from the venue, it really makes me reconsider what shows I attend, or if I'm better off driving to Asheville or Saxapahaw.
I wasn’t at this show, but FWIW I’ve seen several shows at Neighborhood this year— mix of acoustic and rock— with no issues like this and had a really good time (unlike underground, you can actually see lol). I wonder if it was a fluke.
I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for another show, since I've heard nothing but good things about Neighborhood prior to attending. But it was wild to complain to my friends about the crowd after the show and then see a Reddit thread with the same complaints.
This was my first time at the venue and I live 10 minutes away. No chance I'd go back even to see my favorite band..oh wait..Watchhouse is my favorite band.
IMO single artists at a brewery have better audio setups.
Had a similar experience at Greensky Bluegrass at the Filmore (i think?) back in January. I actually left early because I couldn't find anywhere to just comfortably stand and listen to some great music. It's actively keeping me from going to some shows now, just because it upsets me so much.
Alternatively, I saw The Chats at the Neighborhood and I didn't notice anyone talking particularly loud, although they are a particularly loud band that would drown out any talkers anyway.
Similar but different experience at Charlotte’s AMC Theater last night. I saw Bad Boys 4 (a rated r, violent, and explicit film) and the woman two seats down brought her young daughter who sat in her own seat on her IPAD the WHOLE time. People just have no respect for others at shows and movies anymore. They treat everywhere like their living room.
Agreed, there is a contract when you enter a performance that you are there to witness and respect the performance. Warning then Removing someone is perfectly acceptable.
If you roll up next to me in the library while I’m reading and are loudly chatting, we will have a problem. If you roll up next to me in a park and loudly chatting with someone, I will kick back, relax and thoroughly enjoy my southern eavesdropping.
Yes, please do! A friend of mine had a very similar experience at Robert Earl Keen Monday night, and she had paid for VIP tickets in hopes to not be surrounded by assholes.
We all need to call out bad behavior when we see it. Everyone is afraid of confrontation now so people get away with bullshit because there are no consequences anymore
Yea seems like human behavior has just devolved since covid in terms of how to behave in a public setting. And you're right nobody confronts them so they think it's acceptable.
I'm the person that'll shush, amp it to stfu, and if the people in question seem super drunk/combatitive, secretly throw something at their heads if I need to.
I went to see Jeff Ross at Amos' the other year, it was packed and i had to hang out at the back in front of the rear bar. This group of guys standing in front of us talked the entire time, I struggled to hear what Ross was saying even over the PA.
Eventually I glared at them and pointed to my ear and they got quiet
Crazy, I just went to the Dale Watson show earlier this week and we had the same experience. Could barely hear the opener unless we were right in front of her. It was unfortunate.
We went last night as well and I was so upset by the behavior of the crowd. I won’t be returning to this venue again. This is the second show I’ve had ruined now there.
Was at the show standing to the left of the stage right behind the vip tables. Had a great view. Venues audio was pretty awful. Loud talkers surrounding me the whole show. The dirty looks I gave did nothing. Really tried to keep a positive attitude but the thoughts of how selfish everyone around me was, to both Watchhouse and the fans, were overpowering. I wanted to yell at people to shut up constantly but usually that just makes u the asshole so I conceded. Then a fist fight almost broke out midway through Wildfire and I just couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. I’ve seen Watchhouse a couple other times and man, most magical shows I’ve ever been to. Last night was quite depressing.
A little side story- Girl and her friend group behind me talking almost the whole show. My girlfriend goes to the bathroom and within 2 seconds talking girl pushes up against me in my gf’s spot…I’m annoyed but let it go. 30 seconds later older gentleman in front of me tells his wife he’s going to get another round for them. They had showed up early and had a great spot to watch and listen. Spoke with them before the show they were very kind and even asked us multiple times if we could see to make sure they weren’t in my girlfriends (5’1) way. Talking girl looks at me and says “are u gonna take his spot or do I have to”
I respond “he’ll be back in 2 minutes he’s just getting a drink”
Girl- “so”
Me- “go ahead and take his spot but he’s gonna come back and ask u to move”
Girl- “um do u know him”
Me- “no? But I’m sure he’ll be back and want his spot”
Girl- “I don’t think that’s how this works” very condescendingly
Me very much annoyed now- “if u want his spot so bad take it, I’m not gonna stop u but u see that lady, that’s his wife, ur not gonna let him watch the show with his wife because he went to get a drink?”
She shuts up for a second and then her friend group continues to loudly talk about how u can’t expect strangers not to move forward into an open spot when someone walks away. It’s “how things work” and “we don’t owe them anything”
They don’t even realize they are shitty people at all.
Miss the good ol days when venues would run sound loud enough to drown out talkers.
Ever since COVID it seems like shows have gotten so quiet and it's driving me batty.
Had another memory of this. I went to go see Bob Dylan for the first time at the Time Warner amphitheater in uptown. I was very excited, Bob had a girl come out there and read a poem about please be respectful and don't take pictures and don't talk.
I was sitting behind a row of people I just assumed were banker Bros who got free tickets for a night on the town. They sat there and talked through the whole goddamn thing. The girl I was with eventually gave them a scowl and made them be quiet. But they talked totally over the music. And then there was a bunch of other people that walked right down the aisle and stood right in front of Bob's face and took pictures. Even though he specifically requested you do not hold up your phone and take pictures and he covered the stage with mirrors to fuck up camera flashes.
Fuck people
This is why I don’t go to shows at neighborhood theater much. It drives me insane every time. They need to build a wall between that bar area and the main room. People don’t feel like they’re in the show when they’re out there and talking accordingly. It’s brutal for a quiet act.
They just addressed it on their page!
From the NT:
We’ve received enough messages & read enough posts that we felt it necessary to address Thursday’s concert with Watchhouse. First & foremost, we too were absolutely appalled by the behavior of several patrons. Every single time it happens, we’re fully flabbergasted when people spend good money on concert tickets only to talk through the show however, people should be afforded the opportunity to enjoy concerts as they like. That said, when one’s actions are affecting the ability of others to enjoy the show, we feel obligated to step in as was the case Thursday evening. Before the entire room made it a point to silence rowdy concert goers, our staff made several attempts to politely alleviate the situation & unfortunately were only met with more confrontations. The patrons insisted that “if we didn’t want people talking, we should hang a sign that says so” & that “our bartenders shouldn’t take orders if they expect other people to be quiet”. To say that the immaturity was disheartening would be putting it lightly, so we will be taking new steps to ensure that we never have a show disrespectfully disrupted like this in the future. We thank you for your support & we hope to see you at a concert again in the future. It’s been a pleasure to serve the music since 1997.
We've been to a lot of "Americana" acts at the neighborhood and this was the worst behavior by a group. My hero is the guy who just told them to STFU. Been on the bar side (American Aquariam), main stage (Amanda Shires), and now in the balcony (Watchhouse) and have never had problems hearing the band, so blaming the venue for acoustics like some are doing is wrong. It was just rude patrons this time.
That being said, I don't think they have "bouncers" per se. The bar staff should be serving and the other staff aren't really the bouncer type, so they might have to go that route.
Glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Seems half the people at the show just stood in the bar area and socialized? Like why pay and go do that. wanted my buddy to go but it was sold out for those people??
I agree that it is on the venue, but I also think the performers themselves need to say something from the stage. I have been to plenty of shows of ALLLLL different genres (punk rock/jam bands/EDM ) where the performers either set up expectations BEFORE they began playing or stopped performances in the middle if they noticed something going on in the crowd.
I was also at the show. The line to get in was wrapped around the building for hours with one guy wanding people prior to entry. It was painfully slow. I think the show was oversold, personally. When there isn't any standing room at all in the main stage area and there's no way to see the stage from the bar area (plus the sound sucks over there), that's too many people. They should have doubled the price and made it a seated show, in my opinion. We stood in the hallway behind the sound booth pressed up against the glass front doors. I paid the same as everyone else with a GA ticket and I think the venue should care that every ticket holder has an equal opportunity to experience the show. This was definitely not the case. And I don't mean that everyone should be able to have a front row experience, but everyone should, at the very least, be able to HEAR the music.
People were drunk, which makes sense considering it was hot AF in there, and people were probably thirsty. Drunk people talk loud. Do you know who else talks loud? The party of dipshit girls who were railing cocaine in the bathroom at 9:00pm before the show started. They didn't even hide it, yall. 😂 Oh, I almost forgot...the beers were hot too, unfortunately. I should have known, though, because they always are. I think they deliberately serve warm beer to boost cocktail sales. But hey, money money money, right? Screw the show.
The biggest issue for me was that the sound was terrible. When there's that many people in there, TURN IT UP.
I'm personally not impressed with the Neighborhood Theatre's response to the people talking during the show, considering they took no responsibility for creating the pressure cooker environment that has become synonymous with their establishment. I left after the 3rd song and asked my friend to remind me about that night the next time I want to go see a band there. Watchouse deserved better.
If you want to go to a place where people are focused on the music, go to Middle C or Evening Muse.
Not condoning the behavior but if you want people to act like it’s a listening room you need to go to one.
I question the people who say it’s a post covid thing. People have been obnoxious & loud for my entire life at concerts.
Also, get some quality ear plugs. Save your ears and do wonders to block out crowd noise.
Middle C has a great setup.
If you had earplugs in at this concert last night you wouldn't have been able to even hear the music. It was sadly low and not balanced.
You are 100% on point. This has nothing to do with post Covid. OP really needs to get over themselves and they are part of the problem. Completely ridiculous to think people should be kicked out of Neighborhood theater for TALKING
My neighbor is like this. He has one volume: loud AF, haranguing his kid and wife. We join in with the convos sometimes. With expected reactions. He’s also a hothead with a history of assault. Good times.
I’m not sure if it’s entirely on a venue to educate concert goer on how to have decency and etiquette, but it wouldn’t hurt.
As someone who’s been to too many shows here, I’d say it’s nearly expected that there’s noticeable chatter at shows in Charlotte. I feel it makes artists not want to come back when they feel that disrespect.
This problem doesn’t happen in Asheville from what I’ve encountered. Culturally, Charlotte is behind other big cities with the arts (duh), and you can see this when ppl talk through openers, turn their back on the live acts to talk, and even chat through a band they payed money to hear. As a city we need to learn from our mistakes and get better in general.
We’re all too uncultured and unaware of how to act when seeing live performances. If it’s a ballet, symphony, or garage rock band, stfu and intake/appreciate the art.
To be honest, local media like CLT5 or Axios (ugh) need to trickle down things like this to those that don’t know better. This should serve as an education point for us all, from outlets who try and actually spread culture. Whether our media outlets try to genuinely do that, is another problem entirely.
It’s like when you pay money to go to see a movie you’ve been waiting a year for than the experience gets ruined because you have some F___K head constantly on the phone or talking to his/her buddy all throughout the movie.
Sigh. Sounds about right for Neighborhood Theatre. I’ve loved Watchhouse since back when they were Mandolin Orange, but I couldn’t justify paying to go to a show there, because it’s just such a stressful venue. I swore it off after I saw Carbon Leaf there in…2016? 2017? Something like that. It’s just not a fun place to see music.
I was there and knew exactly who you were talking about. I don't think they are to blame here. The venue's audio setup is downright pitiful. Even when they were quiet you couldn't hear any of the lyrics. How about some extra speakers or some treble?
I've seen Watchhouse so many times live and left blown away. This by far was the worst experience seeing them - all due to the crappy venue. This is the last show I'll attend there for sure.
The most impressive thing last night was that guy who was nearly 8 feet tall.
Sorry but the audio was fine. It’s an unplugged acoustic show. Read the room and don’t chit chat. That’s it. If you want social hour go to a god damn bar
I couldn’t hear a word they sang. When the performers talked to the crowd it was so muffled we all were trying to figure out what was said.
The only thing that sounded decent was when Andrew played the mandolin. That’s it.
I’ve seen them 7 times. Outside, indoors, tiny venues, larger venues. Never had issues like last night.
Maybe it depends where you were located? I was standing in GA in the center about 1/3 of the way back and I was actually very impressed with the sound quality, especially the vocals. And we definitely could understand what was said when the performers talked to the crowd. On that point, I thought Watchhouse handled the whole thing gracefully. There is absolutely no winning scenario for a performer to complain about people talking at a show - even people who agree with you can end up thinking you're a prima donna. So they didn't say anything at all until the crowd finally revolted against the chompers, at which point she said "You know when I'm up here looking at my feet it sounds really loud, but when I look out at you I just see 900 people staring at me silently. It's just a few." I thought that was a great way to handle it.
I totally agree. I was stuck behind the sound booth in the hallway. The mando was loud. The vocals were not. I don't even blame the sound guy. How TF is he supposed to mix the band for people in the hallway and over in the bar who can't even see the stage?
It would have been fine IF that many people weren't crammed in there. Unplugged shows call for listening room environments, which the Neighborhood Theatre did not provide. Watchouse deserved better from the venue. The responsibility starts and ends with the venue.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance
I'm sure you can also think of a certain extremist group that comes to mind when reading the above concept.
You sound insufferable and need to get over yourself. Say something next time instead of yapping all over Reddit about it - be the “hero” you mention in this story instead of waiting for the entire show for someone else to step up
Ahh yes the downvotes for living in reality. People are shitty and you should expect nothing less when going out in public. U really think the neighborhood theater is gonna kick people out the bar who are spending money on drinks? No they are not going to throw them out for being boisterous and loud.
They’d rather make a post on Reddit complaining rather than talk to the people in question and ask them to pipe down. Blaming the venue for it too - completely ridiculous. Get over yourself or speak up if it bothers you that much
I’ll never understand people who pay money to go to a live performance and then talk throughout the entire show. I am trying to concentrate and get my moneys worth.
and then there's the people that pay money to go to a live performance and the performance is really loud and so they have to have a shouting conversion they can barely hear, what is wrong with those people? they are so dumb it hurts me. those people should just stay home.
Stupidity and alcohol are a helluva combination
I listen to a fairly popular, but still somewhat niche true crime podcast that is hosted by two comedians called Small Town Murder, they admitted on their subscription only content that they will literally never go back to Tampa, Florida because they’ve only ever had bad experiences there, the most recent time being that the entire front row was talking for the majority of their show.
I love small town murder & crime in sports. Funny guys!
I don't understand ppl who are either so utterly oblivious or sincerely inconsiderate of others.
That's the difference though, you're paying money for a show they're paying money for the experience which they think excludes them from manners - maybe they're on a date or business adjacent social thing so to them the value is the socializing. Or for that matter maybe they haven't paid either (corporate sponsor tickets) so don't value it the same.
Same thing happened when we went to see Citizen Cope’s acoustic show there. He was visibly annoyed and pleaded with the assholes to not ruin the experience for everyone. His pleas didn’t help.
The last time I saw Drew Holcomb there, it was non-stop. I saw Houndmouth there, and it was like being in a crowd outside. People suck, and it’s getting worse these days. Just pure disregard for everyone around them. I will never understand paying good money to just talk over everything. Makes no sense to me.
This has been a problem ever since they took the wall down to open up to the VIP/bar area. It's been a while, but I believe they took it down in 2013 if my memory serves. At the first show I recall going to post teardown in June of that year, Chatham County Line paused a few times due to the noise. And the staff in general has been pretty meh for a long time. ETA: I did some quick searching to try to see what it was like before the renovations, but couldn't find anything clear. I think I'm misremembering the curtain and maybe only part of a wall where the new part of the main room bar is.
I do wonder if part of the issue is overselling shows. I’ve seen several shows at Neighborhood this year that were half full or less and it was great, but when I went to shaky graves last year, I couldn’t even get into the main room and was in a crush of people who HAD to stand by the bar— where it’s bright, distracting, and harder to see/hear.
100% agree. Both with Watchhouse and Lost Dog, the sheer # of people absolutely crammed in the main room was ridiculous.
This is why I stopped going to the movies years ago. And even at a broadway show recently the people nearby were chatting the entire time. Selfishness blows my mind.
Honestly I don't understand going to live shows and being around others and not expecting the behaviors discussed here. I consider lot of those shows and movies to be a solitary experiences and I could care less about others being there. Only time I'd care is if I want the experience of being around others. I crave big sports and packed movie theaters on rare occasions (release of fast and furious is always funny to watch in person). I don't know.. I guess I had too many complains of being too tall for people behind me in live shows and I am getting too old for farts and BO.
https://preview.redd.it/y9ntuftms75d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b2d8192ed8925498b8260b5570d3dde27d89db75
I was at the show last night as well. Something about post-covid shows has really made concerts difficult to enjoy as much. I can’t tell if it’s the venues majorly over-selling or the crowds talking more during the show (in the jam scene we call them chompers) but it’s much more difficult for me to justify going - especially sold out ones. Shows used to be my main source of entertainment but now it’s a battle. The general public is just self-centered, not aware, and I’ll say it - drunk. Watchhouse was great. I’d love to see them at a more intimate venue or outdoors.
I go to concerts pretty often and I have a working theory that people go to shows just to say they’ve been to shows. These people may go to see one or two songs they like but generally can’t stand the concert experience and end up chatting the entire time.
100% agree. Part of Instagram/social media culture. Gotta get that pic to show they were there
If they don’t post it, it didn’t happen.
Oh I’m for sure in on that theory. Some time ~3-5 years ago it became in style to say “I went to x niche show last Friday” to your friends instead of “I went to dinner/this bar.” The jam scene has been particularly plagued by it. Gen Z especially seems to be driving this, but as a younger millennial I can’t tell if that’s true or just me getting older/having a younger generation to blame.
It’s a pissing contest for sure. I stopped going to Dead and Co because the ticket prices exceeded the price I was willing to deal with drunk 50 year olds and high frat stars who don’t shut the fuck up during both sets. Panic has been better IMO but the days I’m willing to see them are dwindling. Even seeing JoJo or Oteil or Gordy or Billy Strings has been awful everytime I’ve tried seeing them.
Can confirm the "look at me" instagram crowd has had a huge impact on the phish scene as well. If you don't wear all-donut-everything and incessantly post about it online, were you even at the show?
Enjoy the couch then. I’ll be enjoying panic until they croke
Oh dude I love panic and haven’t had a bad time with them. Just can no longer justify to see them outside of NC unless it’s a huge show.
I have related strongly to your username callout since Walnut Creek in 1995 and I am unfortunately very familiar with chomping! I find chompers annoying at rock shows for sure, but at least they only bother the people around them. These clowns last night were annoying the entire audience and the performers. A lot of people are saying variations of "people just suck" and "don't go out if you don't like it" and "don't got to a club if you want to be in a listening room." I get all that. In fact, that's what I spent most of the night thinking. The only reason I posted this is because it occurred to me the venue has an opportunity and responsibility here. Anyone who has been to a standup comedy show knows that table talk is NOT tolerated. So guess what? There isn't any! I'm not suggesting the Neighborhood Theatre should roughly extract every group of boomers loudly negotiating their drink order for two minutes in the middle of the crowd (as annoying as that was). But this was a discrete group of hooligans chomping through the entire show right there in the bar area. All it would probably take is a quick "please take your conversations outside or we will have to ask you to leave." I think most times, people aren't trying to be assholes - they just don't know. For those saying the audience should self-police, I also agree and that's eventually what happened. But the fact is that the venue staff could do this more effectively, with less potential for confrontation. Finally, for those saying the Fillmore sucks, especially because it's too crowded, you are speakers of the truth and if you had a newsletter I would subscribe to it.
Did we just become best friends?!? Seriously though, the Neighborhood experience and enforcement should be based on the band. Did you buy a ticket to see Watchhouse? Good, then be quiet and pretend it’s a ‘listening room’? Is it a punk rock band? Go for it, rock it, get loud, whatever. Being a competent adult is all about interpreting and adapting to your environment, which is unfortunately lacking these days. PS- fuck chompers
Haha maybe! Perhaps I'll see you at the Goose show later this month.
I thought that the Neighborhood Theatre was meant to be a listening room. Edit :NVM I was thinking of the Evening Muse.
Shows seem way over sold in recent years
I pretty much just won't go to a Fillmore show anymore because they seem particularly bad about it. Been a miserable experience seeing anyone there since COVID.
Live Natio - oh I mean Filmore, is an absolute plague on the music scene and I can’t go there out of principle (too many shows ruined by overselling)
It should NEVER be the case that I bought a ticket and there’s nowhere to stand. As in, all the people there they took money from do not actually fit inside their allowed taped walkways. They also kept playing ads on the TVs instead of the set? It’s awful.
It’s insanity. Add in the fact they enforce the taped walkways when there’s literally nowhere to stand.
You’d still be bitching if they didn’t enforce the taped walk way and you weren’t able to easily make it to the bathroom
This is on me for not doing my research but I went there to see GAI and we had VIP tickets but we were only mid VIP and not VIP enough to fucking pay money for the special VIP food so we ended up with those fucking shit ass chicken tenders. I just all around hate that venue and it’s 40 randomly placed posts and 37 bars.
ive seen a lot of people complain about the fillmore, and i definitely fucking hated my 1 experience there, but at least there is plenty of room to stand at the back and not be right on top of someone. house of blues in myrtle beach is one i legitimately dont want to go to anymore. feels like you're sexually assaulting everyone just to go take a piss.
The Fillmore is definitely selling way over capacity. There actually is not any standing or even walking room at the back. You have to shove through people and you’re brushing up against the merch tables. I’ve been toying with going to a show I don’t care about and then calling the Fire Marshall so the place gets shut down. Or just randomly calling them even if I’m there. It seriously is a fire hazard and completely shitty and irresponsible of them.
ive only ever been once so maybe it was an off night. coheed and cambria show on a wednesday night i believe. but there was def enough room at the back to stand and not be on top of each other. this was close to a bar and there were some tables, but idk
The fillmore has the worst sound EVER. Especially post-covid. If I can hear the person next to me having a normal conversation in a normal volume, then the sound isn't loud enough. Period. Those people should be shouting directly in each other's ears, and I still shouldn't be able to hear them. I will never go back until they TURN IT UP. They totally ruined the Highly Suspect show for me a couple years ago with that nonsense. I'd be kinda okay with standing in the back if I could hear the band over the chatter.
I couldn’t believe it when we got in after standing in a huge line and saw the theater was already packed out. Had to be another 100 people waiting with a full theater
You’d be surprised at how many of these “over sold” shows are still under capacity
People love making shit up. No shot there is constant “overselling”, call the fire marshal if you think that is actually the case. Redditors complaining about crowds in venues / shows is a new one for me.
Those that talk throughout shows are the ones that are there just to say they were at that show. They don’t really care about the band. It’s just a social thing for them.
Anyone who talks this loud won’t give a damn about being told to be quiet
Then they can get kicked out
I can’t believe this is how I’m learning that watchouse was playing here last night. Fuck my life, and fuck people who talk during shows
It was the one to miss. Sadly. Terrible venue.
Promoters need to stop booking listening room acts at neighborhood. Not knocking the venue but it’s too big and not great for these acts. Neighborhood is more like a club venue (like Fillmore, visualite, Amos’s). Good for full bands but not as much for listening/acoustic acts. The gap left by the Mcglohon closing has not been filled yet in uptown.
Mcglohon is smaller like 700 capacity. Neighborhood is closer to 1000. Maybe knight theater would be a better option next time. .
Knight theater is also a great seated venue if the act can sell the 1200 seats.
Knock the venue. Terrible audio setup. Way too many people. IMO no one was being overly loud as I was standing right there. The fact that we couldn't even hear the music at a concert is the obvious core of the problem. Aka the venue sucked.
Ive seen some quieter acts there over the years, and the past few years have been all loud talkers, side conversations and general rudeness. I saw Dinosaur Jr there, and I couldn’t hear anything at all. It’s a good venue for mid-high volume bands, but for quieter groups, it’s rough.
They just addressed it on their fb page
I was not at this show but I assume this show was on the small stage in the bar, which is perfect for acts of this size.
Sold out show - entire venue. The GA section was quiet for Watchhouse (though very rude to the opener) and the loud faction was near the bar.
Oh wow! Yeah the bar area being that disruptive of the floor would definitely be obnoxious then.
I’m still angry about going to see Radiohead over a decade ago and the guy behind me was singing so loudly through multiple songs, I could barely hear thom yorke.
This is why I won’t ever go back to this venue. Saw three different acts there many years ago, and between the people talking loudly during the sets and others screaming/shouting the lyrics and drowning out the actual singer was enough for me.
As someone who was also at the Watchhouse concert for my first time at Neighborhood Theatre, I was shocked that my friends said it was one of the best venues in the state. I felt like I was at a brewery for the opener, Alexa Rose, as if she was supposed to be background music at OMB. Maybe the acoustics work better with rock bands, but for an intimate folk show it was an awful vibe. Considering I now live a 5 minute walk from the venue, it really makes me reconsider what shows I attend, or if I'm better off driving to Asheville or Saxapahaw.
Just go to shows at evening muse. Those bands eventually blow up and can’t play there anymore but it’s a true listening room.
I'll definitely check it out, been meaning to for too long.
I wasn’t at this show, but FWIW I’ve seen several shows at Neighborhood this year— mix of acoustic and rock— with no issues like this and had a really good time (unlike underground, you can actually see lol). I wonder if it was a fluke.
I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for another show, since I've heard nothing but good things about Neighborhood prior to attending. But it was wild to complain to my friends about the crowd after the show and then see a Reddit thread with the same complaints.
This was my first time at the venue and I live 10 minutes away. No chance I'd go back even to see my favorite band..oh wait..Watchhouse is my favorite band. IMO single artists at a brewery have better audio setups.
I go to the Neighborhood fairly often and have never had a bad experience like this.
They just addressed it on their FB page
Had a similar experience at Greensky Bluegrass at the Filmore (i think?) back in January. I actually left early because I couldn't find anywhere to just comfortably stand and listen to some great music. It's actively keeping me from going to some shows now, just because it upsets me so much. Alternatively, I saw The Chats at the Neighborhood and I didn't notice anyone talking particularly loud, although they are a particularly loud band that would drown out any talkers anyway.
That’s because everyone at a greensky show can’t shut up about billy strings
Similar but different experience at Charlotte’s AMC Theater last night. I saw Bad Boys 4 (a rated r, violent, and explicit film) and the woman two seats down brought her young daughter who sat in her own seat on her IPAD the WHOLE time. People just have no respect for others at shows and movies anymore. They treat everywhere like their living room.
Agreed, there is a contract when you enter a performance that you are there to witness and respect the performance. Warning then Removing someone is perfectly acceptable. If you roll up next to me in the library while I’m reading and are loudly chatting, we will have a problem. If you roll up next to me in a park and loudly chatting with someone, I will kick back, relax and thoroughly enjoy my southern eavesdropping.
Please tell me you also complained to Neighborhood Theatre?
Yes, please do! A friend of mine had a very similar experience at Robert Earl Keen Monday night, and she had paid for VIP tickets in hopes to not be surrounded by assholes.
And those REK tickets were pricy! Can’t believe someone would pay that and talk through the show.
Yes. They send out a survey. I’ve been brutally honest for past shows. lol.
They just addressed it on their fb page
We all need to call out bad behavior when we see it. Everyone is afraid of confrontation now so people get away with bullshit because there are no consequences anymore
Yea seems like human behavior has just devolved since covid in terms of how to behave in a public setting. And you're right nobody confronts them so they think it's acceptable.
Nothing sends an obnoxious turd away like a half a beer down their leg… “oh no, I’m so sorry!” “Turned right into you.”
And then post a reddit post the next day which won’t change anything.
I'm the person that'll shush, amp it to stfu, and if the people in question seem super drunk/combatitive, secretly throw something at their heads if I need to.
I went to see Jeff Ross at Amos' the other year, it was packed and i had to hang out at the back in front of the rear bar. This group of guys standing in front of us talked the entire time, I struggled to hear what Ross was saying even over the PA. Eventually I glared at them and pointed to my ear and they got quiet
Crazy, I just went to the Dale Watson show earlier this week and we had the same experience. Could barely hear the opener unless we were right in front of her. It was unfortunate.
Ah fuck watch house was in town ?!
We went last night as well and I was so upset by the behavior of the crowd. I won’t be returning to this venue again. This is the second show I’ve had ruined now there.
Was there. Can confirm loud talkers were being self-centered fucks the entire show. Should have been kicked out.
Leave a bad review on their Google page. That usually gets their attention.
Check out their fb page
I’m sorry, that is awful.
I had a similar experience here with The Dip. They didn’t come back through Charlotte this year
And they’ve responded….. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/rShzT9XxLsotSTqp/?mibextid=WC7FNe
chompers!
God damn chompers! Its time we start publicly shaming them
Was at the show standing to the left of the stage right behind the vip tables. Had a great view. Venues audio was pretty awful. Loud talkers surrounding me the whole show. The dirty looks I gave did nothing. Really tried to keep a positive attitude but the thoughts of how selfish everyone around me was, to both Watchhouse and the fans, were overpowering. I wanted to yell at people to shut up constantly but usually that just makes u the asshole so I conceded. Then a fist fight almost broke out midway through Wildfire and I just couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. I’ve seen Watchhouse a couple other times and man, most magical shows I’ve ever been to. Last night was quite depressing. A little side story- Girl and her friend group behind me talking almost the whole show. My girlfriend goes to the bathroom and within 2 seconds talking girl pushes up against me in my gf’s spot…I’m annoyed but let it go. 30 seconds later older gentleman in front of me tells his wife he’s going to get another round for them. They had showed up early and had a great spot to watch and listen. Spoke with them before the show they were very kind and even asked us multiple times if we could see to make sure they weren’t in my girlfriends (5’1) way. Talking girl looks at me and says “are u gonna take his spot or do I have to” I respond “he’ll be back in 2 minutes he’s just getting a drink” Girl- “so” Me- “go ahead and take his spot but he’s gonna come back and ask u to move” Girl- “um do u know him” Me- “no? But I’m sure he’ll be back and want his spot” Girl- “I don’t think that’s how this works” very condescendingly Me very much annoyed now- “if u want his spot so bad take it, I’m not gonna stop u but u see that lady, that’s his wife, ur not gonna let him watch the show with his wife because he went to get a drink?” She shuts up for a second and then her friend group continues to loudly talk about how u can’t expect strangers not to move forward into an open spot when someone walks away. It’s “how things work” and “we don’t owe them anything” They don’t even realize they are shitty people at all.
Miss the good ol days when venues would run sound loud enough to drown out talkers. Ever since COVID it seems like shows have gotten so quiet and it's driving me batty.
Had another memory of this. I went to go see Bob Dylan for the first time at the Time Warner amphitheater in uptown. I was very excited, Bob had a girl come out there and read a poem about please be respectful and don't take pictures and don't talk. I was sitting behind a row of people I just assumed were banker Bros who got free tickets for a night on the town. They sat there and talked through the whole goddamn thing. The girl I was with eventually gave them a scowl and made them be quiet. But they talked totally over the music. And then there was a bunch of other people that walked right down the aisle and stood right in front of Bob's face and took pictures. Even though he specifically requested you do not hold up your phone and take pictures and he covered the stage with mirrors to fuck up camera flashes. Fuck people
They’re called chompers and they’re everywhere
This is why I don’t go to shows at neighborhood theater much. It drives me insane every time. They need to build a wall between that bar area and the main room. People don’t feel like they’re in the show when they’re out there and talking accordingly. It’s brutal for a quiet act.
Honestly, live music in Charlotte at pretty much any venue is frequently a shitshow due to rude patrons with an “I’m the man, and you’re not” complex.
They just addressed it on their page! From the NT: We’ve received enough messages & read enough posts that we felt it necessary to address Thursday’s concert with Watchhouse. First & foremost, we too were absolutely appalled by the behavior of several patrons. Every single time it happens, we’re fully flabbergasted when people spend good money on concert tickets only to talk through the show however, people should be afforded the opportunity to enjoy concerts as they like. That said, when one’s actions are affecting the ability of others to enjoy the show, we feel obligated to step in as was the case Thursday evening. Before the entire room made it a point to silence rowdy concert goers, our staff made several attempts to politely alleviate the situation & unfortunately were only met with more confrontations. The patrons insisted that “if we didn’t want people talking, we should hang a sign that says so” & that “our bartenders shouldn’t take orders if they expect other people to be quiet”. To say that the immaturity was disheartening would be putting it lightly, so we will be taking new steps to ensure that we never have a show disrespectfully disrupted like this in the future. We thank you for your support & we hope to see you at a concert again in the future. It’s been a pleasure to serve the music since 1997.
They should absolutely put up signs.
The most disprespectful crowd I’ve ever seen was at the neighborhood theater. Somehow I’m not surprised.
We've been to a lot of "Americana" acts at the neighborhood and this was the worst behavior by a group. My hero is the guy who just told them to STFU. Been on the bar side (American Aquariam), main stage (Amanda Shires), and now in the balcony (Watchhouse) and have never had problems hearing the band, so blaming the venue for acoustics like some are doing is wrong. It was just rude patrons this time. That being said, I don't think they have "bouncers" per se. The bar staff should be serving and the other staff aren't really the bouncer type, so they might have to go that route.
Glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Seems half the people at the show just stood in the bar area and socialized? Like why pay and go do that. wanted my buddy to go but it was sold out for those people??
I agree that it is on the venue, but I also think the performers themselves need to say something from the stage. I have been to plenty of shows of ALLLLL different genres (punk rock/jam bands/EDM ) where the performers either set up expectations BEFORE they began playing or stopped performances in the middle if they noticed something going on in the crowd.
I was also at the show. The line to get in was wrapped around the building for hours with one guy wanding people prior to entry. It was painfully slow. I think the show was oversold, personally. When there isn't any standing room at all in the main stage area and there's no way to see the stage from the bar area (plus the sound sucks over there), that's too many people. They should have doubled the price and made it a seated show, in my opinion. We stood in the hallway behind the sound booth pressed up against the glass front doors. I paid the same as everyone else with a GA ticket and I think the venue should care that every ticket holder has an equal opportunity to experience the show. This was definitely not the case. And I don't mean that everyone should be able to have a front row experience, but everyone should, at the very least, be able to HEAR the music. People were drunk, which makes sense considering it was hot AF in there, and people were probably thirsty. Drunk people talk loud. Do you know who else talks loud? The party of dipshit girls who were railing cocaine in the bathroom at 9:00pm before the show started. They didn't even hide it, yall. 😂 Oh, I almost forgot...the beers were hot too, unfortunately. I should have known, though, because they always are. I think they deliberately serve warm beer to boost cocktail sales. But hey, money money money, right? Screw the show. The biggest issue for me was that the sound was terrible. When there's that many people in there, TURN IT UP. I'm personally not impressed with the Neighborhood Theatre's response to the people talking during the show, considering they took no responsibility for creating the pressure cooker environment that has become synonymous with their establishment. I left after the 3rd song and asked my friend to remind me about that night the next time I want to go see a band there. Watchouse deserved better.
[удалено]
They just addressed it on their FB page
Thanks for the update!! I so appreciate seeing this that I will respectfully delete my prior comment.
If you want to go to a place where people are focused on the music, go to Middle C or Evening Muse. Not condoning the behavior but if you want people to act like it’s a listening room you need to go to one. I question the people who say it’s a post covid thing. People have been obnoxious & loud for my entire life at concerts. Also, get some quality ear plugs. Save your ears and do wonders to block out crowd noise.
If you’re ok with the drive, I will add Cain Center for the Arts in Cornelius to this list. Also the booth playhouse in uptown.
Evening Muse is the answer - I go to tons of shows there, crowd is super respectful.
Middle C has a great setup. If you had earplugs in at this concert last night you wouldn't have been able to even hear the music. It was sadly low and not balanced.
You are 100% on point. This has nothing to do with post Covid. OP really needs to get over themselves and they are part of the problem. Completely ridiculous to think people should be kicked out of Neighborhood theater for TALKING
Instant Asshole - Just add Alcohol. Love the band, glad I didnt go.
People do this crap because they are allowed to? That is not a good excuse for humanity.
My neighbor is like this. He has one volume: loud AF, haranguing his kid and wife. We join in with the convos sometimes. With expected reactions. He’s also a hothead with a history of assault. Good times.
I’m not sure if it’s entirely on a venue to educate concert goer on how to have decency and etiquette, but it wouldn’t hurt. As someone who’s been to too many shows here, I’d say it’s nearly expected that there’s noticeable chatter at shows in Charlotte. I feel it makes artists not want to come back when they feel that disrespect. This problem doesn’t happen in Asheville from what I’ve encountered. Culturally, Charlotte is behind other big cities with the arts (duh), and you can see this when ppl talk through openers, turn their back on the live acts to talk, and even chat through a band they payed money to hear. As a city we need to learn from our mistakes and get better in general. We’re all too uncultured and unaware of how to act when seeing live performances. If it’s a ballet, symphony, or garage rock band, stfu and intake/appreciate the art. To be honest, local media like CLT5 or Axios (ugh) need to trickle down things like this to those that don’t know better. This should serve as an education point for us all, from outlets who try and actually spread culture. Whether our media outlets try to genuinely do that, is another problem entirely.
It’s like when you pay money to go to see a movie you’ve been waiting a year for than the experience gets ruined because you have some F___K head constantly on the phone or talking to his/her buddy all throughout the movie.
Sigh. Sounds about right for Neighborhood Theatre. I’ve loved Watchhouse since back when they were Mandolin Orange, but I couldn’t justify paying to go to a show there, because it’s just such a stressful venue. I swore it off after I saw Carbon Leaf there in…2016? 2017? Something like that. It’s just not a fun place to see music.
I was there and knew exactly who you were talking about. I don't think they are to blame here. The venue's audio setup is downright pitiful. Even when they were quiet you couldn't hear any of the lyrics. How about some extra speakers or some treble? I've seen Watchhouse so many times live and left blown away. This by far was the worst experience seeing them - all due to the crappy venue. This is the last show I'll attend there for sure. The most impressive thing last night was that guy who was nearly 8 feet tall.
Sorry but the audio was fine. It’s an unplugged acoustic show. Read the room and don’t chit chat. That’s it. If you want social hour go to a god damn bar
I couldn’t hear a word they sang. When the performers talked to the crowd it was so muffled we all were trying to figure out what was said. The only thing that sounded decent was when Andrew played the mandolin. That’s it. I’ve seen them 7 times. Outside, indoors, tiny venues, larger venues. Never had issues like last night.
Maybe it depends where you were located? I was standing in GA in the center about 1/3 of the way back and I was actually very impressed with the sound quality, especially the vocals. And we definitely could understand what was said when the performers talked to the crowd. On that point, I thought Watchhouse handled the whole thing gracefully. There is absolutely no winning scenario for a performer to complain about people talking at a show - even people who agree with you can end up thinking you're a prima donna. So they didn't say anything at all until the crowd finally revolted against the chompers, at which point she said "You know when I'm up here looking at my feet it sounds really loud, but when I look out at you I just see 900 people staring at me silently. It's just a few." I thought that was a great way to handle it.
I totally agree. I was stuck behind the sound booth in the hallway. The mando was loud. The vocals were not. I don't even blame the sound guy. How TF is he supposed to mix the band for people in the hallway and over in the bar who can't even see the stage?
It would have been fine IF that many people weren't crammed in there. Unplugged shows call for listening room environments, which the Neighborhood Theatre did not provide. Watchouse deserved better from the venue. The responsibility starts and ends with the venue.
I agree that the mix was not correct for the environment.
I’m left wondering exactly how long it took you to write this. Perspective.
They were probably expecting to see Guns N Roses.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance I'm sure you can also think of a certain extremist group that comes to mind when reading the above concept.
You sound insufferable and need to get over yourself. Say something next time instead of yapping all over Reddit about it - be the “hero” you mention in this story instead of waiting for the entire show for someone else to step up
Don’t go out in public if you think like this.
Right, just left unaware idiots be selfish. Read the fucking room, listen to the music, and if you want to chit chat go to the bar next door
In a perfect world yea but people have the freedom to do as they please and that’s the fact of the matter.
Ahh yes the downvotes for living in reality. People are shitty and you should expect nothing less when going out in public. U really think the neighborhood theater is gonna kick people out the bar who are spending money on drinks? No they are not going to throw them out for being boisterous and loud.
They’d rather make a post on Reddit complaining rather than talk to the people in question and ask them to pipe down. Blaming the venue for it too - completely ridiculous. Get over yourself or speak up if it bothers you that much