“Poor audience etiquette” is not only getting worse at comedy gigs (It’s no joke – since lockdown, live audiences have forgotten how to behave, 21 April). It has been getting worse at music gigs for years.
After 50 years, and hundreds of gigs, we have decided to retire from gig-going. We are tired of people spoiling what should be an enjoyable experience by using camera phones. You pay good money to see an artist on stage, only for it to be ruined by selfish people raising their screens in your line of vision. Why watch something on a tiny screen when you can live in the moment?
Some venues make an effort to stop this selfish behaviour, but many don’t. More musicians should make a stand to stop so-called music fans recording their performances.
Barry and Joy Norman
Drighlington, West Yorkshire
• Several reports recently have mentioned the bad behaviour of audiences at comedy, theatre and so on. As a musician, I have had the opposite experience at the few concerts I have been able to play since lockdown: there has been a deep and concentrated silence from the audience and a notable absence of coughing (hooray), and afterwards I’ve had heartfelt messages from people saying how much they had missed live music.
The pandemic may have changed people’s behaviour, but there are positive changes too.
Susan Tomes
Edinburgh
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