Pittsburgh, although it may not seem like it, is a thriving music city. The city has a rich history in jazz, orchestral music and rock, along with a currently-thriving underground scene full of every genre. From alt-indie, to experimental noise electronic, Pittsburgh is home to fantastic music.

And with great music, comes many great concerts. There are an incredible amount of venues that host these concerts across the city. They range from the large arenas of PPG Paints and Acrisure Stadium, the mid-size venues of Stage AE and Mr. Smalls, to the smallest rooms such as The Government Center, Mr Roboto and Certain Death II.

An issue permeates many of these shows, however. Audiences attending concerts, paying their own money – sometimes large amounts of it – don’t seem to dance or even be an active participant of the show itself. They’ll go to the concert, stand up during the headline, maybe shuffle in place, while being sure to record plenty of the show on their phones, and then leave.

This all leads to the question, what’s even the point of attending a concert then? Is it to simply have said you went to an artists’ show and the bragging rights that may come with that? Is it for an excuse to dress up in fun clothes and take videos and photos while ignoring the artist as a whole? Or is it a special chance to be able to see an artist you’ve been dying to see or a chance to maybe hear a new artist you’ve never heard of before? If it’s the latter, why would you not want to use that chance – which you may never get again – to be as in the moment as possible?

There’s a permeating idea that people might make fun of you if you act too outlandish at a concert. There’s a worry that you might be shamed for enjoying yourself at a show. As a result, people end up just standing still at shows, giving little for the artist to work with and making the aura of the show just plain sad. Concerts are too special to have thoughts like that. 

Music performances are too unique of an experience to spend on your phone or focusing on superficial factors like your outfit or how you’re perceived. Concerts are when musical artists are putting on a show, curated and rehearsed, to the best of their ability. They put everything possible onto the stage. The lighting, the set design, the outfits, the musicianship, it all is intentionally done to create a single final product for the audience to enjoy. So, it’s the job of the audience to reciprocate that.

Audience members need to know that they can dance and that they should dance. The experience of truly letting yourself enjoy the music, letting your guards down, and moving your body to the music is completely unmatched. 

So, if you want to elevate your enjoyment at concerts, move around a little bit. Lose the fear that someone might judge you because the alternative of truly enjoying yourself is a much better and much more fulfilling experience.