I am not a huge fan of when the lead singer has the crowd sing instead of him or her. I didn't pay to hear the guy next to me sing out of tune.

Speaking of phones: "We know what you like because [the oldies] light up your phones. And when we play one you don’t know it’s like a black hole." - Paul McCartney 😂😂

People watching the gig via their phones...

My girlfriend was at a concert, and spent the entire concert behind a girl who was wearing a big cowboy hat. Not only did the hat block my girlfriend's view, but every time the girl with the hat moved around, the brim of the hat would hit my girlfriend in the forehead. My girlfriend repeatedly asked her if she would please remove her hat so she could see the show, but the girl would just giggle in reply and ignore the request. Finally, my girlfriend grabbed the hat from the other girl's head, took it out into the aisle, dropped it on the ground, and stomped on it until it was flattened while the girl and her boyfriend looked on in amazement. My girlfriend then gave the hat back. The other girl shouted to her boyfriend (or possibly husband), "Do something, Jeff!" To which he started laughing and just shook his head. I don't think he got lucky later that night. The rest of the concert the girl spent attempting to re-shape her hat.

Smart Phones for me. Concerts have never been the same since those started appearing. Robotic morons holding up their arms for two hours rather than enjoying the moment, yet also managing to ruin your night too

As a Brummie I know Peaky Blinders well....its set in Birmingham. PS I'm 6ft5...I would happily stand at the back with no-one behind me but often other people won't let me have the wall.

One thing I hate about concerts I have noticed in recent years;People in the audience that look lilke they don't want to be there.Just sitting completely still,no reaction at all.

After Manowar in Leeds 2011 my wife and I returned to hotel with armfuls of merch t/shirts, cd`s, posters (over £150 worth) and went for a nightcap in the guests bar and lo and behold there is Joey having his supper and obviously talking business. The band was using the same hotel. Donnie was there too. Upon asking one of the roadcrew could we get our stuff signed we were told the band were not signing anything at this time😞. So after a shared "Sign of the Hammer" moment the Manowar contingent left. After a few more drinks we decided to call it a night and after trying unsuccessfully to get in the room for 10 or so minutes "our" door was opened by a rather pissed off couple who were in "our" room !! Our coats, luggage and wife`s handbag were all gone😱. On marching this guy down to reception in his boxers with the intention of going full ballistic I bump into Karl Logan, so while I am distracted talking about the excellent gig we had just been to my wife and Mr boxers went to sort out "The Slight Mishap"!!!! of the hotel re-letting our room. Our missing items were recovered from behind the desk and we were told they were preparing another room for us. While we were waiting the rest of the band and crew came out and got on the busses to go to the next concert and we spent some time chatting to them. A very apologetic assistant manager came to escort us to our new room, HOLY CRAP it was one of the penthouse rooms the band had stayed in the night before🤗. The following morning we had a "Personal" helper in the executive dining area who was like Jesus on the mount feeding the 5000. On checking out we were told a "healthy discount" would apply next time we use this hotel chain ! Not so bad I guess but still pissed about no autographs. 🤘🤘

Nice to see Pete swish his furry tail when he's happy, always suspected he had one.

I hate driving to the show,looking for a place to park,waiting to get out of the venue,trying to remember where I parked,sitting there for a while trying to decide which route to take home.The drive home I don't mind,as I like driving at night and I will usually stop some where to get dinner.

That was a fun show Pete, Simon and Steven. There are so many concert stories... One on the more recent side: My brother (a drummer) talked me ( a guitarist) and another friend (non-musician) into going to Terry Bozzio's solo drum tour. The show was actually pretty enjoyable except for the drunk guy sitting next our party constantly yelling, "Terry... Terry... I love you Terry. You remember me, Terry?" This might have gone unnoticed at a larger, fully sold-out venue but as it happened, we were at about 1/4 capacity for the show and seated in a relatively small venue so there was no "crowd to hide amongst. The house lights were down but we were so close that everyone there was pretty fully illuminated. So, in addition to deflecting everyone's glares and stares (assuming this guy was with us), there was NO way Bozzio could just ignore this guy. He actually stopped the concert at one point and came to the edge of the stage to politely (but firmly) talk this guy down. The inebriated soul managed slur out that he had done lights for a UK concert and assumed because he had a nice hang with the band back in the day, Terry would remember. Mr. Bozzio gave him a slight but appropriate scolding which got him to stop yelling "Terry, Terry... I love you" but it unfortunately meant that he spent the rest of the show - quietly but drunkenly - re-explaining to my buddy why he knew Terry and how he "thought they were friends." File under the heading of "Drunk Guys At Concerts Who Can't Rein It In..."

I have to say Pete, everytime these two are on your show its a real comedy performance . Brilliant entertainment.

Tonight's drink is Tall House Shiraz from South Africa.

My three recent ticket buying experiences: 1) two seats right next to each other in the same row, one is a "premium" seat for $125 and the other is just a normal seat and it is $79.50 - the difference is more than a ticket in the balcony ($45). 2) "Convenience" fees - the venue website says it is 17% except when you buy the tickets, it is 22%. 3) paying $10.83 to have tickets mailed to you but to mail the parking pass is free. Couldn't they both come in the same envelope with the same postage?

People who sit on someone's shoulders pisses me right off. I didn't pay to see the back of some selfish person in the crowd.

One of the things i hate about going to concerts is when you have people who are always talking very loudly during the band's performance, it's very annoying especially when you're trying to listen to the musicians play the music and you have someone talk over it especially with their back turned away from them.

I haven't commented in a while, but I just wanted you to know i'm still watching every Saturday morning! A few random comments: 1. It's so cool Pete went to see Luis Miguel. I grew up with my mom blasting his music. In Mexican culture, he's an icon! 2. Steven's story of his car being set on fire, while super unfortunate, is the funniest thing i've heard in a while. 3. I like the ritual of sharing what beverage you are drinking. 4. I've realized this series is one that must be watched and not just listened to as half the comments are made silently by Steven's facial expressions lol 5. Possible future topic, travel concert experiences, like to another country or at least long travel within your own country. Keep up the great chats!

I’m with Pete I’m not wanting to stand for hours anymore. My local venue has seating upstairs that is about $40 more than the general admission standing area. I saw Dirty Honey and Wolfgang VH this past week and realized I’m not made for standing for 3-4 hours anymore. Saw Overkill a couple weeks ago and enjoyed sitting in the upper level

Vastly overinflated ticket prices keep me away from concerts these days! I have been to over 100 concerts in my life and most cost me between 40-100 bucks! These days, parking alone costs that much.. I feel bad for today's youth because they will definitely never make the thousands of memories me & my friends made at concerts because they just can't afford it.. I once lost my shoe at a concert, moshed the entire show with one shoe on and then found my shoe towards the end because the crowd was tossing it around, a small miracle! Went to a Faith No More concert on acid but that's a story for another day! 😝

I hear you Pete. The OLDS man. I am 57 and for me to attend a gig, it has to give me a happy answer to three questions: Where's my seat? , Where's the toilet? and Where's the bar?

I'm with Pete, give me a seat to sit in to enjoy the show, and make it end at a reasonable time!! At 59, my "Rock and Roll All Night and Party Every Day" days are well over, and sleep is paramount!! LOL!!! Plus, I, too, find myself preferring smaller clubs and venues to see a band or performer over some huge arena, stadium, or amphitheater, more intimate and less A-holes in the crowd to deal with and be annoyed by!! I will admit that, while I am still a HUGE Music fanatic, and can't live without it, I have bought tickets well in advance for some shows,..only to find myself somewhat dreading going when the day of the event finally arrives, mainly due to the travel time, the audience hijinks, parking, etc., etc., and hate to admit, have actually ate the cost of the ticket, a time or two, just to avoid the nonsense, and remain relaxed in the comfort and security of home!!!!....Okay, you're right, I'm old,....get off my lawn!!! 😆 Great Show, Guys, Great topic!! Really enjoyed it, glad to know that I am not alone in these annoyances!!👍

I feel like I have to apologise as I am a tall person & I stand in front of other people at concerts. Now I know how annoying it is for shorter people, I’ll kneel down at all future gigs. Honest!

Steven’s Jimmy Eat World story 😲! If I ever have a bad gig night I’ll remind myself that at least it’s not as bad as that.

Drove into Toronto with a buddy to see Sylvian/Fripp ('93?). Parked at a private lot across from a dance club. Asked the attendant - when do you close? 1am. Concert will be over long before. No worries. Saw the show - great opening act (Michael Brook) and great show. Bought some merch. Went back to the car. The lot is locked up with my car in it. It's not even midnight. Peeking through the window, we scanned around through the attendant's kiosk to see if we could find a number to call. Bingo! Called the number and here's what he said - "I got bored, so I went home early." No apologies. No help. No nothing. Public transit home and then back again the next day - to retrieve my car.

Went to see Focus last night at the Westgate Hall in Canterbury UK. By contrast Steven, the card machine was working at the merch stand and the guy said come back after the gig and I'll get the band to sign cd/poster as they weren't meeting and greeting in person due to COVID apprehension. Sure enough, the poor guy collected in all the merch and carried a whole stack of merch, dropping some of it in the process! No damage, just funny. Mine came back all signed in one piece! As for the show, just brilliant. Small, intimate venue of around 200, very civilised and enjoyable. If you get a chance to see them, do so. They're on a massive UK tour.

Luckily I never had anything horrible happen to me at a show - and I've been to over 100 in my lifetime. There were two pretty bad incidents that happened to people around me at shows that I can remember. At Triptykon/1349 in NYC around 2010, the guy right in front of me caught a flying vinyl disc right to the brim of his nose. Yep. Someone in the seating area behind us threw a brand newly purchased record like a frisbee and it flew all the way to the front right near the stage where we were standing and sliced his nose wide open. At one of the Ozzfests (2004 possibly), a guy's car parked right next to mine in the lot at the PNC Bank Arts Center had all 4 of his tires slashed. It was end of the night and we were all walking back to our cars after Sabbath's set and I saw that. I was like "shit!" but luckily my car was left untouched. Let's face it. Some metal fans can be total shitbags, thinking they're being badass.

I cannot stop laughing at Steven's Carbecue story... Holy fuckin shitballs, batman, I am sorry, but you killed that story. Fantastic episode.

Venues that are not designed for concerts drive me mad. I saw RUSH in what was basically a giant cow shed. The acoustics and PA were terrible.

Hi Pete and Simon and Steven great fun show and some great stories,I have seen some bands now do VIP tickets that let to see the sound check!!! Why

Gents, another outstanding episode and feel the need to second Pete's statement that it won't get easier. Having a decade on Pete and more on the UK Connection, it doesn't get any easier but it still can be fun. All of your particulars are right in line with mine except that never have experienced and auto fire related domino-effect like Steven experienced. As one of the taller people, always trying to find seats or be where someone more height-challenged can see the stage - even to the point of swapping seats at a few shows. The cellphone film crew drives me particularly nuts and, fortunately for the person recording, have not run across the iPad or tablet camera crew. Laughs all around and here's wishing each of you experiences none of these at your next concert....but not counting on that. Thanks again....... and Cheers!

This was a hilarious show! I saw Cheap Trick recently and everyone stood up the whole show. The band were great, started on time and did not waste time exiting and returning for encores. They stayed onstage. The geriatric seat dancers ruined the experience.

I've seen a lot of things happen at concerts especially back in the day. I love this show. Thanks guys.

Steve I know what its like to have friends drop out of a gig for various reasons. I ended up travelling down to Londoon on my own to see Quo. Never had a car set on fire but did end up sleeping on Kings Cross station (that has its own dangers) after the band decided to sod the curfew and jammed for an extra 45 minutes.

Great video gentlemen! No sarcastic comment this week!! Nice to see Steven's Honeycrack t-shirt, great band that no-one seems to have heard of (except Wildhearts fans, obviously)!

My evening tipple was Vibrant Forest's Black Forest Porter at 4.9%. Delicious. Excellent content as ever and you all had me rolling about with tears streaming from my eyes. I agree with all you said about phones and talking etc. I'm 6ft tall so I try to stand a good 2/3rds of the way back to give others a chance to see but there'll still be some 7ft pillock in the middle at the front blocking everyone's view. Hey ho! I'm also not keen on the extortionate price of a pint of the flavourless, gassy beverage they dare to call beer. Like Simon I too once parked at the Manchester Apollo and returned to a car that wasn't quite as complete as when I left it. It was my own fault. As a naive 17 year old I told the group of young brats aged 13 or 14, who offered to 'look after your car, mister', where to go. I should have paid the 50p demanded as when I returned, to my mother's car which I had borrowed for the evening, it was missing the driver's side window and my ghetto blaster that had been hidden under the seat. It was a cold, wet November night and even with the heater on full it was not the most pleasant drive home, especially with the expectation of a good bollocking when I arrived. And the Peaky Blinders secreted razor blades in the peaks of their caps to slash at the faces of anyone who got in their way, hence the name. I think it's set in the early 20th century. 1920s I think.

Got to say guys never had any problems with gigs in Germany 🇩🇪 always friendly and greeted with a Viel Spaß (Have fun)by security. Also typical German efficiency queue for merchandise never pushing etc.

I saw The Darkness at Teddy Rocks Festival a few years ago. Everyone round me talked through the entire set, only stopping for I Believe In A Thing Called Love which is a song I could happily never hear again. So I just started talking very loudly to noone in particular during the whole song. One muppet even told me to shut up cause "I like this song". Venues need a bucket list section well away from those of us that are there for the whole gig, not just that 1 song.

Too many stories to tell but I really enjoyed you lads telling me your experiences. Love this show, please, UK Connection, please keep it going thank you.

when I saw Slayer and all the crowd surfed from back to the front. I repeatedly got kicked in the back of the head. That sucked

Cows sketch from Father Ted Stephen priceless 👌

Tipple for this evening Atlantic Pale Ale. Great rant gents, exceptional work!

I was at the infamous UFO gig in Manchester in 2000 where Schenker was drunk and sporting a black eye. He was booed off the stage. And wow, Simon pulls out The Lantern just down from the good old Victoria Theatre. Being from Halifax meself it's nice to hear venues mentioned outside Madison Square Garden.

I was allowed to grab some flyers off the wall for upcoming shows and the current flyers for tonight's band and was told it's perfectly fine by the person who checked me in , I went over and started carefully removing concert swag and venue...I was immediately grabbed by a huge poc officer and escorted out...so I returned to my car and returned in line, which was long wrapped around the block downtown sketchy Providence, and I reentered and already had a bracelet on , I walked right by him and he didn't even recognize me , I'm just another 6 foot Longhair like the rest of them ... grabbed more flyers on way out anyways because nobody was taking the rest ..

Many yeas ago I arranged for me and a friend to travel from South Wales to London where we were meeting up with another mate and all going to see Warrior Soul at the Astoria. Having hung out and had a few beer in a number of different pubs were were in high spirits looking forward to show. Once in we found a spot mid way in the hall and watched the last few songs of the support act, the name of which escapes me. So all going well, as the support ended my mates headed to the bar and I when to the toilet. Having had to queue longer than expected Warrior Soul are on when I return , so I 'jogged' back to where we we standing. All of a sudden I'm grabbed from behind and given a 'gentle' slap and frogmarched our of the venue in a head lock. So I find myself outside and without my mates, annoyed and panicked as I had no way of getting back no my mates flat in Edmonton and worrying I miss him each other If I had to say outside. I knock the door and manage to speak to the guy who's throw me out. Explaining my situation I ask to be let back in promising no to 'jog' again. So he says he need to speak to his boss, after a minute or two he returns with a smug look on his face, yes I can come back in as long as I have another ticket, To his surprise I pull another ticket from my pocket, his face is a picture and reluctantly he lets me back in. I had a spare as I'd been let down by another mate who stiffed me on the ticket. When I got back to my mates I'd only missed two song, they thought I must have been at the bar. The look on the bouncers face will live with for ever.

I witnessed the death of two people at Download, the infamous Guns 'n Roses crush. We'd moved towards the front, but very much to the right where the crowd was much thinner. It was awful and Donnington was to full that year.We didn't know about the deaths, but we knew something was very wrong.

Steven, they probably have a fire extinguisher in their backpacks in case their car overheats!😂

I remember being shouted out at a Dream Theater concert for not singing to Foresaken, I was just in awe of the performance. He saw me at the railway station and was still ranting on about it wtf.

I was at an Angel Witch concert and they had their own mix guy with them. The support band used the guy from the venue and they had a really great sound, the Angel Witch guy took like 2 songs to turn up mr Heybourne's microphone and turn down the drums so we could actually hear anything.

I got a beer thrown at me because I stood up during the encore. Only reason I stood up was because the guy in front of me did. People need to show a little respect and consideration sometimes the stuff people do or don’t do blows my mind on a daily basis

I hate it when people clap in the wrong place, a song starts to slow and a real fan knows its got another couple of minutes to go but people start clapping loudly. If I see a band that I'm not familiar with I count to ten before joining in.

That was a funny show, as usual. I don't have any car stories to tell like Steven, which I would have freaked about, having my car burned to nothing, but long ago they used to hold these things called "Superfests" in Buffalo, NY, at Rich Stadium, which is where the Buffalo Bills Football team plays. It's not in the downtown of the city. Back then, it was actually a bit out in the country. So I went with some friends to see Peter Frampton, Johnny & Edgar Winter, Todd Rundgren's Utopia, and Natural Gas. My one friend was driving, so we found a spot near a light pole in the stadium parking lot, which is huge, and they are numbered. So he said, remember that, so we can find the car after the show. When the show got out, we went to that pole, and the car wasn't there? We're all looking at each other, wondering what to do, and people starting seeing how much money they had on them so we could take a cab back to Niagara Falls, and we're walking around the lots looking. By this time a lot of people had left, and someone spotted a car parked way back against a fence. Hey Trevor, isn't that your car? We start walking, and thank God it was his car. I don't know how they moved it or how it got where it was, but there was no damage to it, and we got home OK that night. Talking people at concerts is the worst. I went to see David Bowie in Toronto, and this group of five or six jock type guys stood at the end of our aisle and talked through the entire show while drinking beers, They barely watched the show at all. It was annoying as all hell. I've seen people at shows turn to people talking near them and ask them to be quiet, and if they don't shut up, basically tell them, listen, if you don't shut up, I'm going to do it for you. Usually they do shut up after that. It's sad though, when you have to threaten people who are showing no respect to others at all. Parking is a thing you just have to deal with. I generally find out a good place to park when I go to places I often go to, so I know what I'm doing. Parking in Downtown Toronto can be a lot of fun, I can tell you, but the worst is actually driving home. You can't get back to the highway. No left turn, No left Turn, WTF??? Blocks and blocks just to find a street where you can go down it on your way. Why would anybody in their right mind want to go see Sum 41, the band that basically stole almost every single one of their hits from another song that came out before? I hate that band. Now, Steven, I must admit, I do like Jimmy Eat World. Sorry what happened to your car though, and your ordeal afterwards. Oh, and I did get to see the Stranglers play in a fairly small local bar years ago. That was a good show!

Well this show had me crying from laughing so much. Here's one not mentioned: Fake tickets. December 2005, U2 Vertigo Tour, XL Center Hartford, Connecticut. At the time I was a member of the actual promoter's ticket club, where I could purchase seats in advanced of certain shows at certain venues and receive legitimate tickets with specific seating arrangements. Get to the show early, get to my friend's and I assigned seats. Get to see the opening act (Gavin Rossdale's Institute). Rossdale's set ends now two schlubs coming along with tickets printed on paper saying were in their seats. When I tell them "they're sadly mistaken" (since I receive tickets directly from the promoter), Security gets involved. Oddly, the security guard walks up to me (whom had a severe Napoleon complex) asked to "see my tickets". When my friend and I present our tickets, the rent-a-cop grabs them and tears the tickets up and says "they're fakes and you'll have to come with me". The four of us (meaning my mate, I, and the 2 schlubs) are lead down to the bowels of the venue to the security office while the ticket office figures out who is in the right. Bear in mind this is in-between sets and it took nearly 6-7 minutes just to get to the security office. After 15 minutes of waiting I could hear the roar of the crowd, U2 are already on the stage. Two songs into the set the Security personnel finally say "sorry about that, the seats are indeed yours...". My mate and I raced back to the seats now missing the first 3 songs performed of the set. Subsequently, I never used the promoter's service to buy tickets again; and have not seen U2 live since. F**k them all. Fake tickets...

Great rant! We all can relate.

Never heard of Lancashire, Pete? The Beatles - A Day In The Life "Ten thousand holses in Blackburn, Lancashire...". Also where Blackpool is - and Tull forrmed there. And Peaky Blinders is MASSIVE - even stars like Sam Neill, Adrian Brody and Tom hardy have been in it.

We need a part 2 guys please

I don't like arena shows in general. For one, they don't have the same energy they had in the 80s. People are too into their phones. Besides that, I've always preferred smaller venues, either amphitheaters, concert halls, or good clubs. Bigger is not always better, God forbid stadiums. Sound quality is very important to me and most arenas and stadiums sound terrible. One of the best sounding concerts I ever attended was Joe Satriani at the Wiltern Theater in L.A.'s Koreatown in the winter of '88. Great show. You could hear every note loud and clear.

Between the price gouging for pretty much everything nowdays (Parking, Fees, Tickets, Food/Drinks...) and me getting older, I am pretty much done with most concerts. I will still go to a small venue if it's convenient to get there. I have a big collection of BluRay/DVDs that I can enjoy in the comfort of my couch. Everyone in the industry including the artists think they can charge 20-50% more just because fans are dumb enough to fork anything. Sorry, but most people salaries are still the same as pre-2020.

Hi Guys. Very entertaining episode. I have a few things that I hate about going to concerts. 1. I am not the tallest person in the world. I hate people in front of me that are taller. I Cannot see. Much prefer reserved seating. Had a problem with the Judas Priest concert on this issue. 2. I hate Festival Seating. See Number one. Zakk Sabbath- I was in front and it annoys me that people were being pushed around and I was getting beer spilled on me. I was not participating in the Body surfing that was going on. 3. Hate the Downtown parking in Mpls. 4. Paid the extra money for reserved balcony seating for Symphony X rather than getting pushed around on the floor. 5. Not fond of the Phones recording. too distracting. 6. If you are standing in festival seating and you have to get a beer or go to the bathroom, you can forget about getting your spot back. 7. They have no physical tickets anymore. With older people who are not the most savvy on their phones, this gets distracting. Have to show QR codes from your phone to enter the venue.

Great show. There are many smaller venues. And semi large venues in the Portland Oregon area that have no parking. You have to park in the local neighborhood. The big issue is there is a theft ring in Portland where people are drilling holes in your gas tank stealing your gas, or your catalytic converter. The big arenas cost about twenty to thirty dollars to park. It almost makes you not want to go to shows.

Vaping at concerts is not illegal. What happens is the venues have their own policies on it, the vast majority just treat it the same as smoking and ban it. Often arenas will allow it on the concourse or lobby area, but not inside the actual arena seating area.

I fucking HATE when people try and talk to me when there is clearly a loud ass band playing! I really don't need their drunk ass prediction of the next song on the setlist!!

Yeah people talking during the show, esp. when what they're saying is 'Can you sit down please?', as if they forgot they were at a fucking Rush concert! Same with movies, shows, events...doesn't matter if 90% of the people are cool, it takes just a few to ruin it. The I-phone generation is Zombie Central.

Interesting what you say about the Glasgow curfew, Steven. I've been 'ushed' towards the door a few times (we tend to be in the last dozen out of a venue) but never rudely and I've never missed out on merch as a result. I've been at The Garage a few times and haven't found them any more urgent than others. I do resent paying to park my car so tend to scout out the nearest free parking and don't mind a bit of a walk. (I'll not mention my 'Hydro' spot in case it becomes too popular) I'm 5'11" and feel deeply sorry for all those short people standing behind me (not) Biggest gripe is (cliché) the people who talk during the quiet bits. NO EXCUSE.

Talking during concerts is very common in the Netherlands. If the sound isn't loud enough or you are too close to the bar, you're going to have a bad time. Not to mention they are some of the tallest in the world. Saw Magnum at a small venue and their support act was a one-man acoustic show. Of course, since everyone was there for main act, half the place were nattering. The guy left after playing about 4 songs. Really a shame, and it's 's just disrespectful to the artist.

Where to start…. Smith Kotzen in Leeds last month, an hour late on stage… didn’t start until after 10pm. We were with some guys with a 3 hour drive afterwards, and work the following morning…in short , bands that come on way too late.. I have a long list of offenders .

😂 brilliant Steven, that's the Glasgow polis for you 🤣

I’ve seen Jimmy Eat World quite a few times & really enjoyed them each time. But I have heard that if you leave their gigs early they send their roadies out to torch your car.

Hmmm, when it comes to rants about things that make a gig a misery, the list begins and almost ends with, not talking but TALKING. Don't you realise that you're having to raise your voice to let your pal hear whatever bilge you're spouting because there is someone on the stage trying to entertain the rest of us? The worst was an acoustic gig by the wonderful Dan Reed. My wife, usually the epitome of equanimity, was keen to banjo several people at that one. We were lucky enough to chat to Dan afterwards, lovely guy, he was philosophical, "What are you going to do, it's Saturday night in Scotland?" 😂 Another highlight was a poor guy somewhere in front of us at a Cadillac Three gig who smelled as if he had unavoidably voided his bowels....

Speaking of fires, i seem to remember when White Zombie played the Barrowlands around '95, that there was talk of a fire in the building before we were all let in. I'd forgotten about that. Dunno what exactly that was about. Things that annoy me at gigs... Listening to people in the queue trying to out-metal each other about how many times they've seen the band, who they've met etc etc. There's always one. People who turn up at gigs who look like they wandered in off the street by mistake. I'm sure it was a Slayer gig i was at in Glasgow once and there was some old guy kinda wandering around in a long, brown coat, absolutely no idea what was going on. Either that or he was a shy flasher building up to the big reveal? :O Getting there early enough to get a good place in the crowd then having a couple of drinks and needing to go for a piss directly before the headliners come on, losing your good place in the crowd. Standing waiting to buy merch while 14 other people have to try every tshirt design on before buying one. Getting to the front of said merch queue, buying a tshirt then taking it home to find it's fucking tiny, oddly shaped, or hipster cut. Arseholes who are too afraid to get into a pit but try to bounce on their own around you while you're trying to watch, knocking your drink, generally getting on your tits. Tall people. As a relatively tall person, i also always seem to get the genuine giant standing in front of me. Bastards :D Apart from that, i love gigs...hahaha. Great show again, folks. Looking forward to the Maiden show, my favourite band ever. Cheers.

Boston played a lot with the lights on when I seen them in Newcastle City Hall in 1979! WTF! Still awesome. One of the great nights!

Nowadays , price of tickets , price of drinks and the main one mobile phones !

People talking constantly at gigs are the biggest problem, always have been. This is made worse if the bar is in the same room as the show, and the clowns that appear to only be there to get blind drunk are holding court with very loud voices. I've often had to point out to talkers that "I bought a ticket to listen to the band, not listen to you"! You occasionally get some abuse back for daring to ask them to STFU, but usually all you get is an indignant stare and "what's your problem mate"? Well my problem is your loud mouth and moronic conversation, so I politely repeat "STFU"!

A couple of specific things that have annoyed me in the past: Getting out of Knebworth. The bit where they herd thousands of fans onto this enclosed slope for over two hours to let the coaches out. You can't even get ti the car parks. Went to see Joe Bonamassa on the British Blues Explosion tour at Newark Castle and there was NO merch! they had completely sold out and the new orders hadn't come through. One thing that was horrible was taking an ex to see Dire Straits two days after we split.

Best show on the internet.

The Albert Hall in Stirling used to put a lot of bands on in a concert series most years, but not for a while, since maybe the 1990s, and mostly Scottish bands. Proclaimers, Silencers, Love & Money, Hipsway and the like.

This isn't about a concert but, I can relate to your car stories. I live in a major West Coast city and, I'd get up around 5 a.m. three days a week to drive my Toyota SUV to a car park and catch a bus to work. Over a year ago, I was dropped off a few blocks from the car park. I spotted my car and it looked like someone had tampered w/it. When I got to it, I saw that someone cut my fuel line and stole my gas. I was shocked and wondered why someone would target my car? I called the police; my car towed to the dealership and was given a loaner to drive home. Anyway, I remembered the night before the bus driver drove past my stop and took me along w/a half dozen other passengers to the next city eight miles away. I also called home and said I was going to be late and needed to get gas. What I think happened is that someone overheard my conversation and decided to target my car. I also remember after getting into my car and someone walked by a minute later. So, I learned not to talk about anything worth mentioning on a bus.

Last time I saw Porcupine Tree was 2002 in Milwaukee with about 20 other people.We checked on tickets for PT now and like you said the closest for me is in Chicago descent seats are 300 bucks so my friend and I are going to wait for the blu-ray

Great topic. Other than the annoying cell phones I have one MAJOR beef. People in the front rows yelling for the band/artist to play their big hit song. Saw Tom Cochrane a couple of years ago and after every song, people were yelling play Life is a Highway. For fucks sake ! Enjoy the show and listen to every song, he'll get to it. So these people come to hear one song only ?! Stay home and play the damn record if that's all you want, I want to hear ALL the songs. This happens lately at every show. SHUT UP AND LET THEM PLAY ! Thanks. I feel better now.

Steven repping Honeycrack. Nice. Great CJ side project. Sad they only did one album but it’s a cracker. Great episode guys.

For me it's people who just chat .....weather it s arena or a club why pay money for a ticket if you are just going to speak and not give a f..k about anyones feelings

The ticket prices are ridiculous. Not paying over 200 bucks besides the price for parking to see some washed-up band that was big 25 years ago and are worth mega-millions. It's just not a big deal anymore, not for that amount. To give an idea how different it is now -- back in 1988 during my metal days I paid $100 for a 5th row floor seat from a ticket agency to see Metallica with opening act Queensrÿche during the infamous seat cushion riot at Long Beach Arena. A $100 floor seat ticket at that time was an insane amount of money. Today I probably wouldn't go see them if the tickets were free, not my cup of tea anymore. How times have changed.

Not really a rant, but more of an anecdote. Maybe there is a message in there. Here it is: I was 18, my older brother took me to see Status Quo at an outdoor arena near a big mansion in Southern Sweden. It was a dream come true and the band was great, as was the opening act (D-A-D). So far so good. Sometime around mid-concert the guy to the right of my brother got a surprise from a woman he had never met before. She unzipped his pants and gave him an oral present, so to speak. If there is a message it would be that it seems some people lose all their marbles and do things they will never do normally. Whether it's alcohol, drugs or something else, this is not normal. If I remember correctly the band saw this and just smirked.

Thank you Steven for regaling us with your very upsetting stories. You are correct in thinking customer service is everything. You could wish a pox on them, but that's very Christian-like. I hope you had 100% replacement on your vehicle.

24 hours from seeing The Amazons and Royal Blood at the O2 arena and I seemed to have on either side of my shoulders a tiny Simon and tiny Steven sitting there telling me , well I told you so, people standing in seated areas, dancing very badly, once one person stands up in the row it's like backwards domino's, everyone has to stand up, people constantly talking even above the vibrations of the bass, which was so loud that I thought my phone was ringing, but not loud enough to cover the constant giggling, also being near a stairwell the amount of times, people went passed carrying plastic cups of beer, £10 for 1 shot of vodka, which means more they drink more toilet breaks, imagine the hangovers even on a school night, while I am drinking a bottle of water costing £3, and I can't be trusted as they Always take the cap off the bottle, probably due to an idiot in the past thinking might be a good idea to throw plastic bottle into a crowd and injure someone, trying to get the venue with Northern Line underground shut, the trouble is we never learn, due to endure Hell once again on Tuesday, going to see the excellent Dark Tranquillity.

Youngsters walking around with back packs as if they are about to scale Everest (from 59 year old man)

Brilliant show 👍 funny stuff on the SOT!

Good thing is the positives outweigh the negatives

Oh this is fantastic entertainment, crickey Simon that's some terrible evening you had . I'm reminded of years ago when I made the mistake of parking my car in Moss Side Manchester to watch a football game whereupon my very average car got completely ransacked with the only thing left being my rock and metal cassettes !

Agree on the conoodling stop please.

I do love to hear someone spin a yarn in a thick Scotting brogue. I half expect them to start telling tales of giants and trolls under bridges.

I am with Pete on the people who wait for the last song having chatted for the whole gig or playing with mobile. Usually Scorpions Wind of Change ,Rush Spirit of Radio Blue Oyster cult Don't Fear The Reaper

I’m from the north of England and can relate fully to Stephens initial story, a lot of the music venues are also nightclubs and rush everyone out after a show so that they can open the club. Worked with local bands who have been treat very poorly once the show is over. Ps Peaky Blinders is a decent show great acting throughout, it’s mostly let down by some of its fans.

I'm vertically challenged, short in other words, being only 5 foot 3 inch i often have a nightmare with someone taller standing in front of me.

I have a list. I hate video screens behind bands! Hate, hate, hate 'em! Give me a clean backdrop (ala Iron Maiden). Lights look better, the band isn't tiny in front and huge behind them. And I want to see what I want to see not what the camera person wants to show me. Lighting design isn't nearly as good as it used to be. There are way too many lights now, mostly white and always flashing. Classic shows in the 70's set moods with 1/10th as many lights and they were more in sync with the music. New stages are just too damn bright. I don't want to see behind or on the sides of the stage. I want it black as night and all the lighting focused only on the stage. Less is more in this case. Flamethrowers. Kiss use to use them only a couple times a show. Now they fire them off (no pun intended) throughout nearly every song. Tends to not make it "special" if it does it all the time. The sound. While hanging (flying) pa equipment helps throw sound to the back of the hall and improves sight lines from the sides of the stage, the sound is not nearly as impactful as when the pa was on the stage firing right at the audience. I miss having the bass drum crush my chest and the snare drum knock it back into place. DRUNKS!! I have never, EVER understood people who get shit faced at concerts and think it is cool. Watching this sight for as long as I have, I even hear guests joke about being fucked up. I just don't get it. One drunk can ruin an entire event. If you get so wasted you don't remember stuff, why are you there in the first place??? CELLPHONES!!!!! I HATE people who do nothing but point them at the stage! I didn't pay a lot of money to watch a show starring through a ton of small lighted camera screens! PRICES!!! They have gone into the realm of pure stupidity! I saw Rush in 1978 for $9.50. I can't think of anything else (except maybe a house) that has increased in price way beyond inflation!

Stephen agree on 7.00 pm thing. A friend of mine Nightwish and Amorphis Manchester Arena doors 7.00pm they went in 7.35 just as Amorphis left the stage. That gig the merchandise was so expensive Nightwish that merchandise guy packed up after Arch Enemy finished. T shirts Nightwish £75 👕lol

Bowie at the Isle of Wight in the early 2000's. Pushed and wriggled our way to the front of the crowd with 3rd degree sunburn, very tired and emotional. Bowie drips class for 2 hours, upstages every other act of the weekend(including The Who) with ease, "finishes" his set and we start walking the mile back to the campsite. Out of it, but very happy. Almost there when 'Rebel Rebel' kicks off from the stage, and we fucking RUN back for a half hour 70's set. Even he pulled the encore shit, but got a pass.

Great impassioned intro from Steven. I also hate how gig goers can be treated - they should remember that we are customers. One good thing about early curfew at the Waterfront in Norwich is you are allowed to stay on for the club night, should you wish. This it least gives everyone time to buy their merch and meet the bands without being pushed out the door. I saw Yonaka in 2016 and they were very entertaining.

A-holes holding cellphones over their head with 2 hands and elbows nice and wide.

A bit late to the party here but I have also been to many shows at the infamous Glasgow Garage and many a time have security not even had the merch stall open at all after the show but also enjoy literally hurling you down the stairs on to Sauchiehall Street. Any body that has been should know that is a lot of steps!!!

I read the news today, oh boy Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire And though the holes were rather small They had to count them all