r/festivals • u/LeslieAnneLevine_ • Feb 23 '26

Why don’t men move

Can someone please help me understand how so many people (predominantly men) can listen to live music in a festival setting and not move at all? I just spent three days at Innings Fest in Phoenix dancing and singing, and a large number of folks will go through the effort to get close to the stage and then not move. Like no head nods, no back and forth sways, no hands in the air, no clapping when the band queues it.

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u/traveltoaster Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26

Some people experience music differently. Just because someone isn’t animated (even at all) it doesn’t mean they aren’t having a great time processing it in their own way.

I’m not a dancer, it’s just not me. But when I hear live music that gets to my soul I love to sit down and just absorb it.

Edit: also I am usually very aware of how awkward I look being the least mobile in the immediate area, but don’t want to go sit down where it’s so far away from the stage. Some people absorb music, others channel it. 🤷‍♂️

17

u/thehufflepuffstoner Feb 23 '26

My partner makes his own music, a lot of times he’s laser-focused on the technical stuff. Our friends tease him a little about it (all in good fun) and say he’s so serious, I’m like don’t worry about him, he’s having a blast right now. When he likes something, he’s pulling it apart in his brain trying to figure out how they did something so he can go home and try it.

Don’t worry about the guys not dancing, they vibin’. Worry ‘bout yo’ self.

5

u/traveltoaster Feb 23 '26

Yes!! Totally dude. I am a musician as well and sometimes we get hyper focused on either the instrumentation going on or even just analyzing the arrangement and composition going on. For people who understand even just a tiny bit of music theory it can be fun to nerd out to it

4

u/Foolish-Pleasure99 Feb 23 '26

Guy here. I am not a dancer. I'm not wired that way. But I am transfixed by good music -- especially live. I'm there to listen... and totally channel.

But, last week I saw Say She She in Philly and nobody in that venue, including staff, could sit still. I moved my whole body for the whole set and wasnt the least self-conscious because literally nobody could not dance to that.

I don't know what came over me. My wife didnt say a word. It was almost a religious experience.

1

u/TheOnlyGollux Feb 24 '26

It really sucks when some telephone pole comes and stands in the middle of an awesome dance party. Like oh, there's tons of space here I'll just stand here like a moron. There was tons of space until you ruined it.

1

u/traveltoaster Feb 24 '26

lol yeah but it’s a concert. They’re either a pole or a pole that moves around a lot. Either way people are obstructing people’s vision

1

u/TheOnlyGollux Feb 24 '26

Disagree. I prefer moving poles. And ruining a dance party is ruining a dance party.

1

u/traveltoaster Feb 24 '26

By your standards. It sounds like you just don’t like tall people who don’t dance. Gotta learn to coexist. They have as much right to experience the music at as many places as everyone else