What I See at Shows

This was first posted on April 17, 2006

I saw some things at shows this weekend that has prompted me to write my first blog here.
OK, ladies, we all love our musicians, but you've got to give them some respect when they are at work. Yes, it may be a shock, but when these guys are one stage they are doing a job. While it may be fun to get a musician to touch you, there is a line between cute and obnoxious. When a man is trying to play guitar or even worse, when he trying to tune, grabbing your hand is not a priority. Give a man a break, and when it's a time when he can touch you and it's wanted, he will move closer to the edge of the stage.
I can't say I am completly innocent when it comes to this matter. I did spend three songs back in 1993 with my hands on the boots of Bryan Adams. But I did not grab at his hands. I just found a nice resting place at the front of the stage and his feet were there. I kept waiting for security to pull me off. Luckliy for me they were laughing at me rather than getting out the pepper spray. I guess they saw that I was harmless and I wasn't gonna mess up the man's playing.
Men aren't exempt from this either. There was a male fan at a James McMurtry show recently. He kept reaching out for James. Then when James broke a string the guy tried to grab the string---in the middle of a song!!! Good thing this guy had friends smart enough to ease him back into the crowd.
So, all I'm saying is that it's great to have fun, but keep in mind that these men are at work when you are having fun. They don't come to your office and shake you when you typing on your keyboard. Just be smart.