There are a few things in this world that utterly disgust me such as zit-popping videos, school lunches, humidity and, lastly, recording concerts. Don't get me wrong; we've all been there -- you get to a concert and take a picture with your concert buddy of you in front of the stage and post it on Instagram with a witty caption. Maybe you take another selfie and post it on Snapchat, and maybe you're lucky enough to be attending a concert that has its own geofilter; however, when it comes to filming 10-second increments of said concert and posting them to your story, that's where I draw the line.
It seems as if my generation, commonly referred to as millennials, is guilty of not living in the moment. Concerts are the pure epitome of living in the moment as you're surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands, of people all there for the same purpose: to have fun, dance, sing their hearts out and to see a singer or band that they absolutely love with all of their souls. When you become so focused in taking a picture of that singer in their newest, sparkly outfit or them singing a new version of a song they wrote, that's when the problem arises. We all become so caught up in recording and posting that we forget to spend our time doing what we actually paid to do.
I don't know about you, but concert prices seem to be steadily rising, and it annoys the snot out of me. My most recent concert splurge was to Taylor Swift's 1989 World Tour, and one ticket alone cost me -- no joke -- $200. That ticket was just for me, and I attended that concert solo (aside: best decision of my life). That's why whenever I gather enough money in my little concert fund jar and actually get the courage to click "Buy Now" on Ticketmaster, I try to make sure that when the night comes for the grand event I'm not spending the entire night watching the concert through my cell phone's camera lens.
Another reason why this issue makes me so mad is that, frankly, I do not care enough to see half of my friends' numerous posts about a concert. I get that you're having a fun time and I'm happy for you. I'm glad you're singing and dancing your heart out, seeing one of your favorite bands or singers and living life with some of your best friends; however, if I wanted to see the concert you're so frequently posting, I would've attended the concert myself. It's also very rude and impolite, as it makes it very difficult for other concert goers to see their favorite performer if you have your phone blocking their view the entire time.
I've had numerous people tell me that they're doing people a favor by posting so other people can see them. A favor? Really? It's not good image quality, not good sound quality, I'm most likely unable to hear the performer over the sound of your yelling and it makes for a poor representation of the concert. So, fellow millennials, social media users and concert-goers everywhere -- do us all a favor. Put down your phones except for one or two pictures, and enjoy being in the concert scene. Have a good time and live life to the fullest. Carpe Diem.
