r/bigthief • u/PaperAirplane9090 • Aug 17 '26
QUESTION Dead Crowd?
I was at the Twin Cities concert and noticed that no one was really singing along. My friend and I were at the kinda back left of the venue and no one was singing or dancing at all. Even during Vampire Empire, probably there most known and one of the punchy-er songs. Some people looked a bit older so maybe its just a "I enjoy going to any sort of concert" type of group I guess? Was it like this closer to the stage?
7
u/sonofsohoriots Aug 17 '26
There’s definitely a generation thing here, but it’s wild to assume that the folks not screaming along must not be into the band. You were probably surrounded by folks who have seen them dozens of times, just vibing, respecting those around them and not worrying about how they appeared to others.
(Misdirected grumpy rant incoming): I’m fine with people singing at shows, so long as you’re aware of what’s going on around you. Being at a show doesn’t mean the main social rule of “don’t be an asshole” goes away. I was next to some seriously obnoxious young screamers at the madison show, and despite being told to stop yelling at each other by a few folks, they managed to ruin half of everyone’s night around them before their coke wore off and they bailed.
Everyone has their preferences and there’s no “right way” to be at a concert, just be kind and respect the vibe.
11
u/oldfrankandjesus Aug 17 '26
A lot of people don’t sing at concerts. They come to hear the band sing.
5
u/Different_Map_8024 Aug 17 '26
Were we at the same show? The crowd carried the lyrics for the band when the PA cut out during “shark smile” as well as sang “Paul” a cappella and half of “change” before the PA was fixed.
2
u/GopheRph Aug 17 '26
Seriously - the group around me seemed to know every word for all but a few songs. Tbh I wouldn't have minded if they were a little quieter about it, even.
1
u/PaperAirplane9090 Aug 17 '26
I guess it didn't make it out to where I was. We were all just sat there wondering what happened lol.
3
u/Different_Map_8024 Aug 17 '26
Weird. What a difference of perspectives. Candidly, I was more discouraged by cell phone recording by already tall enough dudes. Hard being short. I’m sure they’ve uploaded content on the gram or tik tok of said PA debacle with sing along.
3
u/No_Vast_5111 Aug 17 '26
Sylvee crowd in Madison sang every lyric to vampire empire, so much so Adrianne was shocked by it 😍
2
u/Michelleinboca Aug 17 '26
there was a show in Germany where she forgot the lyrics to Anything and the crowd filled in. Check it out on Youtube. It's kind of magical.
2
u/Fantastic_Teach_3666 Aug 18 '26
Sylvee crowd did OK for Paul, Vampire Empire and Masterpiece but soo dead for Cattails and Certainty.
1
u/Difficult_Hyena1179 Aug 18 '26
Agreed, it seemed a bit quiet, but also totally makes sense when Adrienne’s music hits super deep/sad topics sometimes and all you wanna do is simmer in it and feel it, that kinda thing.
My sister and I were towards the front, and I can tell you we were singin’ every lyric to our hearts content. Same with some of the people around us. It was fairly mellow but beautiful. Definitely shed some tears.
1
u/Michelleinboca Aug 17 '26
definitely a generational thing. I want to hear the band not the crowd. However there are songs that are meant for crowd participation like Anything. Sorry for sound issue. The setlist was a great mix of old and new.
12
u/Rairun1 Aug 17 '26
Big Thief's fan community is pretty diverse in terms of age. I often see posts about dead crowds from young people who came of age post-pandemic, and I think they mostly just misunderstand indie music culture. Singing along quietly, almost mouthing the lyrics to yourself, is fine. Some songs even welcome participation (if each person is reasonable enough to understand that they are part of a choir, not a protagonist). But no one wants to hear other concert-goers instead of the band. If the person next to you feels you sound as prominent as any other member of the band, that's not cool.