Rocktober

This month, an incredible amount of great live music is coming to Bloomington and the surrounding area – so much so that I’ve taken to calling it “Rocktober” (often with a simulated echo, and always to the embarrassment of everyone around me). Rather than list everything that’s coming up, I’ll just point you to the Indiana Daily Student’s Happenings page. Suffice it to say, if you don’t find something to attend in October, either you have no music in your soul or you’re under 21. (To quote the immortal Nelson Muntz, “Ha ha!”)\nBut this isn’t merely a plea for participation – it’s a plea to change how you participate. After many shows, I’ve found that my love of live music has been tempered by my bitter hatred of the jackasses in the crowd. This is not to say that everyone, or even most people, are jackasses, nor do I consider eccentric but harmless behavior to be jackassery. (That one weird guy in the front of indie rock crowds who dances like crazy while everyone else just stands with arms crossed, nodding their heads? As long as he isn’t bumping into people, I say, “Bless ’im.”) \nNo, jackassery is engaging in behavior that seriously prevents others from enjoying the show. And, at the risk of idealism, I suspect that most jackassery comes from a lack of self-awareness rather than malevolence. Thus, for the sake of our shared love of live music, and for the sake of my not getting arrested for slugging people at shows, here are some suggestions to make our lives better – and possibly longer.\n• Please be aware of the short people. I’m five-foot-six and, thus, nearly every concert is spent peering around the behemoths in front of me. I know that you can’t help being tall, but there are still things you could do. \nFor example, don’t stand in the very front row when you can see perfectly from a couple of rows back, or don’t stand next to your tall buddies so that you form an impenetrable wall for everyone behind you. And when you get excited, watch your arms.\n• Don’t touch strangers if you can help it. It’s one thing if a venue’s crowded, but when there’s space and you’re still poking someone you don’t know, that’s really creepy.\n• Don’t come late and push your way to the front. I’ve seen this borderline-malevolent jackassery quickly turn crowds ugly. For the sake of your teeth, don’t do it. \n• If there are seats, don’t stand up unless it’s a standing ovation. You can be excited sitting down.\n• Bathe before you go to the show. Oh, please God, bathe.\n• If you’re not there to listen to the music, go to the back of the crowd. You can chat almost anywhere; why choose the middle of a rock concert?\nSo c’mon, let’s all enjoy Rocktober together, because who knows when we’ll see another month like this one.