At huge concerts and festivals, the first rows are usually the most expensive square meters. Years ago, someone thought of dividing venues into sections and selling tickets by section. Nowadays, it is common at major events to see concepts such as ‘Front stage’ or ‘Golden ring’ to refer to the most exclusive tickets to a show.. All of this, of course, at a special price or, with luck (and often with many followers), by invitation.
There are many music festivals that sell such premium tickets that allow the buyer to experience the event from a privileged position. Earlier this summer, at the height of the festivals, Granada artist Dellafuente said on Twitter: “It would be good to rethink the ‘front stage’ in ‘shows’, I think there could be other benefits to people attending such shows. Apart from being in the front row which should be 100 meters away I want to pay more.” Some guildmates, like Recycled J, responded via social media with a quick “amen.”
Granada-raised rapper Dellafuente, with a classy delivery style, has dived into a concert tour from festival to festival this summer after a period away from the stage. In June, he performed at the Share Festival in Barcelona at the Parc del Fòrum, where people with VIP tickets were present. Three other major festivals in the Catalan capital Primavera Sound, Sónar and Cruïlla no longer have this distinction in front of the stages, despite selling premium tickets This includes, among others, bars or private areas, for example.
But with these passes you can see the shows on elevated platforms (a metaphor for the social elevator perhaps?) The place to watch the concerts is either at the edges or, as in some Sónar stages, at the end of the area. Primavera Sound, which previously had a VIP area in front of the big stages, has rectified this situation as at ‘less popular’ gigs it was often seen that this area was empty or half empty and the actual fans of the band in question were around 20 people. or 30 meters more than it should be. The view was ugly.
Heterodoxy and respect
But this summer, artists have also spoken out because of the attitudes emerging at these large gatherings., is often unorthodox and evoked by the presence of some of the leads. In mid-June, Sandra Sabater, a member of the Ginebras group, wrote a text in which she described her experience at the O son do Camiño festival in Santiago de Compostela. “The first rows were filled with groups sitting on the floor and making space to watch the next artist to perform. Some were standing, ass-faced, yawning and even hesitating. Guys, you can see absolutely everything from above, even the ‘paluegos’, this is not a joke,” said the guitarist .
Sabater complained that “those people did not bring joy to those who were there to listen to us, namely the fans and enthusiasts of the band.” “It’s annoying, disrespectful and pretty rude,” he said. This situation is not new, and many artists are commenting privately about the difficult situation they face when scheduling ahead of the festival’s headliner. But others see this as an opportunity: They will definitely have a wider audience in front of them than at other times.
Sabater suggested something simple: People will return, and then they will take this place back. It turns out that it is both simple and complex. In his text, the Ginebras member defended the role and experience of festivals and venues in “sharing, discovering, celebrating”. “If you want to see a particular artist, buy a ticket to see them on tour, but don’t taint someone else’s experience by sitting around and being disrespectful,” she concluded.
Many artists have also publicly applauded Sabater, such as rapper Rayden, who wrote on Twitter: “I experienced this at a festival last year. Festivals that want to attract young audiences are filled with people who only listen to Spotify and the TOP 50. I don’t want to see the artist playing with their own band.” or they think that if they throw the band out, their favorite artist will play first.
Summer has already entered Evil Gyal has little doubt in not moving the masses wherever he goes, performed and performed a speech similar to Sabater’s on stage at the Boombastic festival in Alicante. “I feel a little strange at festivals, there are people in front of me who observe, judge, and have unamused looks… I recommend, if you are here, try to have a good time, try to have fun, stop judging… Those who already know and love me know, autotune, short skirt, You know I move my ass…
“Let those here enjoy it, if you don’t like it… I don’t know… The festival is too big,” he exclaimed, and despite the obvious discomfort, the party continued. Macro festivals also happened like that.