[textblock style=”3″]Don’t: Shove through the crowd to get up front. It’s basic physics. Two objects/people cannot occupy the same space at the same time. These rules still apply at festivals, which means not everyone will be able to be right up front. If everyone is trying to press up to the front it means people get groped and squished, injuries happen, and worst of all, there’s no room to dance.[/textblock]
[textblock style=”2″]Do: Hang out with your friends, pick a spot to dance, and enjoy the set from where you are. The speakers are going to make it so that you are guaranteed to hear the set no matter where you are, and it’s great to have enough room to enjoy yourself. If you absolutely must get closer, saying “excuse me” and subtly working your way forward works wonders. Plus, you won’t kill the vibe of everyone around you by abruptly shoving them. Everyone wins![/textblock]
See how everyone can see the stage? Make the experience better for those around you.
[textblock style=”3″]Don’t: Hold a big sign up for the entire set, blocking the view of everyone behind you. It’s great to make big signs and banners to hold up during your favorite artist’s set, but you don’t have to hold it up the entire time. Most of our favorite artists put a lot of work into their stage design and the visuals, please don’t prevent everyone behind you from seeing them! This was especially frustrating when Above and Beyond recently had their triumphant return to Seattle after the devastating rerouting of their plane on New Year’s Eve that prevented them from performing. One of the highlights of a live Above and Beyond show is the words they write on the screen to connect to the audience. A lot of us were sad that we had to keep craning our necks or just flat out couldn’t see the love letter they were writing to us due to ginormous signs being held up.[/textblock]
Notice how this sign almost completely blocks the view of the stage? For the love of PLUR please don’t hold it up the whole night!
[textblock style=”2″]Do: Show your love for your favorite artists in creative ways. Make customized outfits, make kandi, make a cool sign or banner, carry around a life-size cut out of your favorite artist, whatever. When something super significant is happening on stage, please let those behind you enjoy it too! Similarly, if you are super tall you will make the day of the short person standing behind you if you re-position yourself so that they can more easily see. Respect those that are up front in the first place. Some of them were most likely the ones who were first in line waiting for the doors to open and are sacrificing a lot of comfort to stay up there. When in doubt, politely asking if you can wedge yourself in goes a lot longer than forcing your way in. [/textblock]
Important things happen in Pacific Northwest nightlife, and DMNW will send you alerts!
