The summer in which artists have raised their voices: complaints about the front rows at festivals

2023-09-16 17:44:28

The first rows at gigantic concerts and festivals are usually the most expensive square meters. Years ago someone thought about compartmentalizing the spaces and selling tickets by sections. Nowadays it is common to see concepts such as ‘Front stage’ or ‘Golden ring’ at large events to refer to the most exclusive tickets for a show.. All of this, of course, also at an exclusive price or, with luck (and often with many followers), by invitation.

There are many music festivals that sell these types of premium tickets that allow the buyer to experience the event from a privileged position. At the beginning of this summer, at the height of the festivals, the Granada artist Dellafuente said on Twitter: “It would be good to rethink the ‘front stage’ in the ‘shows’, I think other benefits can be given to people who want to pay more other than being in the front row, which is where those 100 meters away should really be.” Some guildmates responded to that through social media, like Recycled J with a brief “amen.”

Dellafuente, during his concert at the Share Festival, this Friday, June 9. ZOWY FEET

Dellafuente, a rapper with a classy speech raised in Granada, has been immersed in a concert tour this summer that has gone from festival to festival after a time away from the stage. In Barcelona he performed in June at the Share Festival, in the Parc del Fòrum, which had a space occupied by people with VIP tickets. Three other great festivals in the Catalan capital, the Primavera Sound, Sónar and Cruïlla do not now have that separation in front of the stages, although they do sell premium tickets which includes, for example, bars or exclusive spaces, among others.

However, with these passes you can see the shows on elevated platforms (perhaps a metaphor for the social elevator?) from which to watch the concerts, either on the sides or, as in the case of some Sónar stages, at the end of the space. Primavera Sound, which previously did have a VIP area in front of the big stages, rectified it because it was often found that at the ‘less popular’ concerts that space was empty or half empty and the real fans of the band in question were 20 or 30 meters further than they should have. The image was ugly.

Audience in the first rows of the general admission at a Dellafuente concert at the Share Festival in Barcelona. ZOWY FEET

Heterodoxy and respect

But this summer the artists have also raised their voices due to the attitudes that occur in these large public gatherings., often unorthodox and called by the presence of some headliner. In mid-June, member of the Ginebras group Sandra Sabater wrote a text in which she explained her experience at the O son do Camiño festival, which is held in Santiago de Compostela. “The first rows were filled with groups sitting on the floor, reserving space to watch an artist who performed next. Some were standing, with ass faces, yawning and even hesitating. People, you can see absolutely everything from up there, even the ‘paluegos’, it’s not a joke,” said the guitarist.

Sabater complained that “those people didn’t let those who were there to listen to us enjoy it,” that is, fans of the band and curious people. “It’s annoying, it’s disrespectful and it’s quite rude,” he said. The situation is not new and many artists comment privately on the difficult situation they have when they are scheduled before a festival headliner. Others, however, see it as an opportunity: they will surely have a larger audience in front of them than they would have at any other time.

Sabater proposed something simple: that people move back and then they will recover the place. Simple and complicated at the same time, it seems. The member of Ginebras defended in her text the role and experience of festivals, places, according to her, to “share, discover, celebrate.” “If you want to see a specific artist, buy a ticket to see them on tour, but don’t taint someone else’s experience with your sit-down and lack of respect,” she concluded.

Many other artists publicly applauded Sabater, such as rapper Rayden, who wrote on Twitter: “I experienced this last year at a festival. Festivals that want to engage young audiences are filling up with people who only listen to the TOP 50 from Spotify and they think that if they kick out the artist or group that plays with their band, their favorite artist will play first.

The summer in which artists have raised their voices: complaints about the front rows at festivals.

Summer has already entered Bad Gyal, little suspicious of not moving masses wherever it goes, starred and gave a speech similar to Sabater’s from the stage at the Boombastic festival in Alicante. “At festivals I feel a little strange, there are people here in front with a look of observing, judging, not enjoying themselves… I recommend that, if you are here, you try to have a good time, you try to enjoy, leave the judgement… Those of you who already know me and love me know about the autotune, the short skirt, You know I move my ass…

“Let those of you who are here enjoy it, and if you don’t like it… I don’t know… The festival is huge,” he exclaimed. And, despite the obvious discomfort, the party continued. And so did the round of macro festivals. .