An NPR story is being passed around a bunch today asking Are Tall People Obligated To Stand In The Back At Concerts? which was a question submitted by a reader who offered the following:
I was recently at a show of the unseated variety when, to my dismay, a very tall and wide chap with a head boasting the approximate dimensions of a cereal box stationed himself directly in front of me. I spent the whole (crowded) show craning to one side or another so that my view was not entirely obstructed. I wished this gentleman to be banned from concert-going forever, or at least to be forced to view the show from the back row of every venue.
As somebody who is 6'4", I obviously have a bias, but before I spout of my opinion, what does NPR have to say about this?
To answer your question, I think tall people do indeed have a social obligation to minimize the obstruction they create; to avoid front rows, stand against walls (or, even better, in front of pillars), and otherwise forfeit premium positioning between band and audience. I'm only medium-tall myself, and I try to remain aware of who's behind me, widen my stance, make room for shorter people in front of me, and otherwise avoid scenarios where fans' enjoyment of a concert might be diminished by my presence.
What a crock of shit!
Yes, being short is probably difficult, but guess what, being tall ain't no picnic either. The main advantage of being tall (besides being able to reach things on high shelves) is being able to enjoy a concert from virtually any sightlines, yes. And yes, I do typically find myself in the back of the venue or off to the side anyway. If I'm with a group, or I see somebody short behind me, I have no problem letting them stand in front of me. But if there is a band I really want to see and I'm dying to go up front, I'm going to do it because GOD DAMN IT'S MY RIGHT. And guess what? Even as a tall person, you know what obscures my view? Short people having their cellphones up for an entire song shooting awful footage of a band they should be watching. Case in point:
To those wondering, I was indeed off to the side for this show.
If you are standing in a spot and a tall person comes and stands in front of you and this is a general admission type venue, guess what? You can move too! If you want to be ensured that you don't get blocked at shows, just show up early like everybody else and get to the very front row. Otherwise, stop complaining.
I thought I'd set up a poll to see what the consensus is:
[Thanks for the tip, Dan T.]
