Throughout my many years of attending concerts, I’ve become pretty familiar with the types of crowds you see at each gig. Every show is unique in the fact that they draw in various types of individuals. Despite coming across people of different interests, ages, backgrounds, etc., there is an obvious imbalance at a lot of the concerts I go to: the female to male ratio is wildly disproportionate. It’s to be expected depending on the artist you see. I’ve seen blink-182 where the crowd seems split down the middle, but I’ve also seen One Direction where finding a male in attendance is like spotting a unicorn on your lawn. While I can understand that some groups are just simply marketed to appeal to a certain target audience, I’ve noticed that the degree of seriousness attributed to the fanbase is fascinatingly off.
My favorite band has changed several times over the years, as has the reaction I’ve received when sharing this fun fact with others. At age 13, telling people that my go-to band was the Jonas Brothers typically ended up with an eye roll or scoff. When my answer eventually changed to Jimmy Eat World years later, I now get a response that signals approval or respect. I’d like to say that it’s just a matter of difference of opinion with one group being big in the pop world, while the other finds its home in rock culture, but that’s not usually the case. Unfortunately, I’ve come to notice this certain stigma a lot more recent times.
I listen to pop rock music and go to pop rock shows too much for my own good, but it’s where I feel most at home. I rarely receive a poor reaction when discussing the bands I love in the scene because for whatever reason, people can respect these groups for what they do. They write their own music, play their own instruments, tour constantly, meet fans after shows, and just do what they love! It wasn’t until I started expressing my love for the band 5 Seconds of Summer that I witnessed snobbish tones with a hint of disgust. Again, I’d like to imagine that it’s because the group has a heavier pop sound to their music than they do rock, but I can’t honestly say that’s why people argue with me about their validity. They’re a group that also writes their own music, plays their own instruments, tour constantly, meet fans after shows, and do what they love. The difference? Their crowds are made up of primarily females. For those unaware of the band’s history, they started out their career posting covers to YouTube and eventually found themselves opening up for One Direction around the world. Their start is a once in a lifetime sort of thing, but it doesn’t mean they don’t work just as hard.
Despite that lucky beginning, the Aussie natives have constantly had to prove to doubters that just because they were attributed to 1D (albeit, another group comprised of members that wrote their music and had the ability to play instruments) doesn’t mean they’re a boy band with no talent or real substance. They eventually made waves and caught the interest of pop punk notables like Alex Gaskarth, Brian Dales, Mark Hoppus, Alexander DeLeon, and plenty more. They didn’t quite have to establish themselves amongst their peers anymore, but music elitists everywhere will jump at the chance to speak their mind on why the band doesn’t belong in the scene. I find it truly compelling that a band such as The Beatles can be thought of so highly and seen as legendary when their music career can be summed up through Beatlemania, not unlike Bieber Fever or the phenomena that was One Direction arguably becoming the biggest band in the world these last few years. If The Beatles can garner such admiration and be held to such high esteem by the majority of music fans after reaching such a large level of fame thanks to millions of teenage girls, why can’t other groups be respected even half as much? Also, what does the fanbase have to do with the actual musicianship of the band? Why does the approval of teenage girls drive other demographics away? I long for the day the answer I receive to that question has nothing to do with the girls who go into hysterics upon seeing her musician crush. It’s not a crime for these ladies to become overexcited in the presence of someone she looks up to. We all express our emotions in various ways. As long as you’re not harming the well-being of your idol, why should anyone care if you burst into tears or not? It’s incredible to see how groups can bring about these intense emotions in people. To me, getting overwhelmed and being “over the top” is just another way to say thank you for impacting my life with the music you make.
I doubt this issue will clear up soon. People are stubborn and will look for any reason to knock down a group that doesn’t appeal to their music taste. I’m not asking for people to automatically like all bands with mostly female fans—that’s just foolish. Like bands because you like their sound and message, not because of who else likes them. I’m just asking for a little respect where it’s due. Any band that works hard deserves that sort of recognition, no matter who shows up to their shows. Even with the knowledge that people won’t always give this respect, I can sleep soundly knowing that these enthusiastic females are the ones helping to drive the careers of these bands. We’ll keep showing up to performances, buying merchandise, acting as our own street teams, and heightening the prominence of our favorite artists with or without your respect.