My wife and I enjoy classical music and theater. From time to time, we attend a concert. Usually we enjoy the music/presentation, but not always the company of our fellow concert-goers. There is a certain etiquette to these things that many people seem to ignore (or think doesn't apply to them). While most still manage to shut up once the music starts, there are a number of other annoying practices that can be observed at nearly every performance:
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Rifling through a purse or shopping bag, or unwrapping candy. Some think this can be done unobtrusively. It can't.
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Beating time or tapping a foot. A whole row of seats can vibrate. One gent in front of us once spent an entire concert shaking and nodding his head in time to the music.
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Bathing in perfume or cologne, or wearing that suit or dress that's mildewy or which you just retrieved from mothballs 15 minutes ago. Even for those who aren't allergic, these smells can be annoying.
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Using electronic devices. Most halls these days remind people to turn these off but it's not unusual for someone to forget. Even if the device doesn't make noise, its bright glow can be very distracting to anyone sitting nearby.
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As the final note sounds, far too many people leap from their seats in a mad rush for the door. We attended a concert this week in which nearly half the audience was gone before the conductor had even taken a second bow. It's an affront to the performers. Save that for the movies, where the inanimate screen won't care a bit. If you really have an urgent appointment elsewhere at 10:00 PM, maybe you shouldn't attend the event in the first place.
It would be tempting to think that all the breaches of basic etiquette one sees at these events are committed by a younger generation that hasn't learned the rules. But no...especially at classical concerts, there IS no younger generation - everybody looks to be 70 or older, and certainly old enough to know better. In fact the woman sitting in front of me a couple of evenings ago, reeking of Eau de Godaufle, was ancient enough that she might have done better to drench herself in formaldehyde, if drench she must.
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