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nostupidquestions·No Stupid QuestionsbyMike Hunt

Feeling insecure about going to a 'girlie pop' concert as a 30 year old man, am i overthinking it?

My wife and I are going to a concert in a few months which is considered 'girl pop' and we have standing tickets. I wanted to get a look at what a show by this artist is like, so I search YouTube just to find it's a bunch of young adult woman screaming anytime something is done like a dance move as an example, but this just isn't me.

I have a worry that someone is going to start filming me for being 'grumpy' or whatever, usually I wouldn't think this much into it, but I'm already going to be sticking out like a sore thumb and in the current year I always assume I'm in the background of someone's video at any given moment and I don't want my awkwardness being confused for anything else other than what it is.

Am I in over my head, or should I just not overthink it and try to enjoy myself?

View original on lemmy.ml
jlai.lu

Enjoy yourself, have fun with your wife, and don't overhtink-it, your dick won't fly away

111
Mike Huntreply
lemmy.ml

Dammit, won't be able to make an insurance claim now

53

You are overthinking it. Just enjoy yourself and take ear protection — besides the concert being loud, teenage girls scream really loud.

82

You'll be among the pool of husbands and dads who also had to go. Enjoy not waiting for the bathroom the whole concert.

But yes, you are overthinking it. Go have fun and do what you do naturally. Maybe you don't have to constantly be giddy every second for 2 hours.

52

Put on your shortest shorts, ask your wife to do your makeup, and dance like no one is watching.

37

Had the same feelings going to a Taylor Swift concert with my grilfriend as a middle age man. Turns out, nobody paid attention to me because they where to busy screaming their lungs out and filming the show. Yeah, I could be a background stander in someone's video, but they definitely would be the main character, not me. Everybody was there to have a good time and enjoy the artists and other people's outfit. Don't worry, you'll do fine. Especially if you also like the music, that will be a connection. And usually the crowd for these artists will make you forget being uncomfortable and you start dancing and singing yourself a bit. Because if you see people crying, screaming, moving as if they are epilleptic but actually are dancing, you are less bothered with how you yourself look. Only regret I had was that I didn't get to experience the whole living up to the concert feeling, just because of the anxiety.

32

I agree with all of this. The post is one of those many you come across and think "wow heteronormativity really makes people scared of the most normal things". But I get it, no judgement of course, it's society that needs a rewrite

12
Mike Huntreply
lemmy.ml

I think It's because I don't really see myself as either, I struggle with both. I know it's all made up, but it's all I ever see people talk about online and that could be anyone you walk past, I mean not everybody is chronically online as others, but they still have their views.

Just the other day, some kids lost their ball in a tree, so I go over to try and help (unsuccessfully) and then a man of similar Age and height just comes over and climbs into the tree in front of these kids, and I'm just standing there looking up with them, I felt like a lesser man at that moment, and it was pointed out to me once that I seem to seek the validation of woman for some reason.

Sorry, didn't mean to get deep, but your comment got me thinking haha

6
iktreply
aussie.zone

damn that sucks :/

i wouldn’t bother to much asking about manliness around these parts, if it was all just made up as they say they wouldn’t care when i call them the wrong pronouns since that’s just made up as well

turns out things that are “just made up” still matter

but you’ve got a whole real life wife so that counts for a bundle👍

-2

Just because it's a construct doesn't mean some people can't have preferred pronouns that they would like to have respected.

3

People don’t go to concerts to look at the audience. If anyone has a problem they are a gate keeping moron.

22
europe.pub

You will probably feel "out of place" and there will probably be few people of your demographic....... But no one cares. If you enjoy your time with your wife and enjoy the concert, it doesn't really matter.

I been to a bunch of goth metal concerts as a middle aged man. It's mostly young people dressed in black goth apparel. I'm there as a serious middle aged guy in a normal T-shirt and jeans. It's never been a problem. Many times the other concert goers will be quite welcoming to share their music taste with someone.

18

Own it or stay home. By owning it, I mean just enjoy yourself & I guarantee all is good. I can’t say the same about the demographics of the fan base. People are people and just do your best, don’t assume anything , be kind & direct when speaking & just present the best you.

13

I'm also in my 30s. I've been to a bunch of "girly" concerts with my wife and have had a great time at all of them.

It's much easier to enjoy life when you let go of notions of what you should or should not be enjoying. Music doesn't need to be gendered. You can just enjoy it for what it is.

In fact, I'd extend the idea to countless other facets of life: there's so much pointless gendering in society that does a huge disservice to everyone, men included. I'll give you a dumb example: I used to hold the notion in my younger years that if I were given a purse to hold, that I had to hold the purse in such a way to telegraph that it wasn't actually my purse. Like grasp it like some kind of ape man or something. Like... What is the fucking point in that? It's so goddamn dumb and childish. Now I often take turns holding my wife's purse (it can be a bit heavy because it also doubles as a diaper bag for our toddler) and don't give a single fuck about doing so.

I can give you countless other examples where I was raised with incredibly damaging ideas ultimately stemming from toxic masculinity that I have painstakingly excised from my psyche.

13

One of my favorite things about getting older is that I give less of a shit about anyone else's opinion, every year. When you're 40, you're gonna laugh at how worked up you got about this.

13

just be free to go, who cares -- as long as you can enjoy it, nobody's harmed. So go and have fun with your wife!

12
lemmy.world

Guy over 30 here. I went to a PVRIS concert recently, and apparently the singer is a LGBT icon. Also the opener was Scene Queen. I definitely didn't fit into the demographic, but I didn't feel like I was sticking out either.

It was an awesome concert. IMO you're overthinking it. Just have fun.

11

and apparently the singer is a LGBT icon.

Anyone who sees this and doesn’t immediately go “oh they’re gay as fuck” needs to replace the batteries in their gaydar:

3

Oh, new batteries won't help. Mine is completely busted.

2

You are overthinking it. No one cares. Just do what you have to do.

The people who judge will be out of sight in a few hours but the regret of not going will be with you till you die.

10

If you go and decide you like it then explore other girly things too.

Fuck gender norms, do whatever sounds interesting.

10

You're going with your wife. She's your human Teflon.

As a single adult man any space not specifically targeted to you will draw heat and dirty looks. With a wife and/or kids to hide behind the world is yours for the taking.

10

Be aware of the venue and how crowded it could be. I've been to plenty of metal shows in my youth and been waaay to close the speakers. Surprisingly, what fucked my ears worse than anything was when I got invited by a girl friend to see the band "Live" (known for the song "The Dolphin's Cry") at a standing room venue. I was only like 20 but still being packed in tight among countless shrieking girls/young women gave me tinnitus for a week and my hearing has never been the same since.

Really though, don't worry about how you are perceived. Just have fun, but maybe bring ear plugs just in case. Hell, I likely should have worn earplugs for most of my concerts regardless.

9

It's possible you will feel weird about being there and not enjoy it. I was to two concerts of one of my favorite bands and I just didn't really get it and enjoy it that much, because it was in a big crowd. The "live" thing just didn't do it for me, so my conclusion is that I just prefer music by myself.

But the mood at the event itself shouldn't keep you out, you like what you like and if it's a cool community, they will not gatekeep it.

My wife and I

Showing up alone would be a bit weird. With your wife, nobody should give you a second look.

8

It depends big time on the size of the venue, for me. I have a hard time enjoying shows in stadiums and like giant amphitheatres...

1
lemmy.world

Enjoy the show. In the last two years, I was at 2 shows where a male companion and me were the oldest. And one show we were only beaten by boring parents which waited in the bar area instead of listening to a great show (imagine grumpy older Gen X being on their phones the entire time). It felt weird at first. Teens and young adults all around me. Every teen had so much swag and I needed Vexillology lesson because there were so many queer flags and didn’t know existed. The shows were nice (Tessa Violet and Cavetown) and I had a great time. Everything was calm, the bar always free, I guess because money is a lot tighter when you are young. If people notice you they’ll think you are a cool dude cause you enjoy good music.

7

Upvoted for the Vexillology reference.

But yeah, OP, just enjoy the show. Most of the attendants are going to be way too focused on the show, their friends, and themselves to care that some rando isn't bopping along with them.

3
feddit.org

I'd say you should worry about it all you want beforehand, but make sure to go, and make sure to leave those thoughts at the entrance. These thoughts/emotions are there for a reason, but IMHO they are more useful for preparation, not for the event itself.

I sometimes even mime putting such intrusive thoughts into an imaginary box, locking it with a key, and setting it down somewhere, or tossing it over my shoulder. This sort of ritual helps me to really cement my intention of leaving something that I no longer need behind.

Also, having you wife with should be a great help, for obvious reasons. But really you are an adult, as long as you don't show up in a sailor moon costume I doubt if anyone will be paying much attention to you at all.

7

Or alternately. 1: study up on a bunch of kickass girlie dance moves 2: acquire a super cute sailor moon costume 3: Go To The SHOW and get your moves on!

5

While you're there, you'll probably see someone twice as out of place as you, and immediately forget about them.

6

You must really love your wife haha. Seriously, try to enjoy the concert. You're already going, so you might as well try to enjoy yourself.

6

I just reached my mid-40s, and at the same time, I realized that I have been overthinking everything. Nobody cares, and those that do, you shouldn't care about. Too many missed opportunities because I thought it worried too much and did too little. I think my new outlook may have been influenced by the ever increasing deaths of people around me. Time keeps speeding up, I'll be dead soon. So will everyone. Do whatever you want, be nice to people, it'll all be over too soon.

5

They would never film you if they think you're grumpy, because they're hired by the venue, the labels and artists, and it would be considered bad PR for them.

The cameras ususually only catch the front rows anyways, and the concert is way different and more relaxed when you arent in the mosh pit.

You're also going there to enjoy it, in contrast to the parents that just go there because of their children, that will likely look way more grumpy than you.

5

I went to a local band performance where the median age of the audience was around 14, with me as a 40 year old in attendance. I felt self conscious for about 2 minutes until the show started. Then I didn't care anymore.

Banger show. I'm glad I went.

You do you, dude. Don't worry about what others might think about your attendance. Vote with your dollar. Spend it on stuff you want to enjoy.

5

I went to a Jonas Brothers concert with my wife a few years ago and I had this same worry. I went, was overwhelmed by how much my ears hurt from how loud the entire crowd of women screaming was, and ended up enjoying the performance, even if I feel like I was sticking out for now being that excited.

There was some solace in seeing other dudes in the crowd, probably feeling exactly like I was

5

I have a worry that someone is going to start filming me for being ‘grumpy’ or whatever

Embrace your future memetic fame

4

Don't overthink it, have fun, bring good earplugs.
No seriously, there are plugs meant for shows, designed to not butcher it too much, merely attenuate it all a bit.
First, you'll avoid tinnitus.
Second, it blocks out quite a bit of the other show-goers background noise.

4
0d.gs

If you're taller, always make sure there aren't any shorter people behind you. If you're having fun, smile, move a little, enjoy the atmosphere. You've got nothing to worry about and have a great time!

3
Mike Huntreply
lemmy.ml

im 6'5, better opt for a hack saw before the show i guess.

2

Hah, just be aware and courteous and it really won't matter.

2

I'm not sure about "girl pop" concert vibe, but i don't see much video pointing out at people in the crowd in concerts (in fact, i only remember one, and it's not really being mean at the person). Also there may be some kind of survivor paradox here : the video you see of young adult woman may not be a realistic depiction of the crowd, there probably is people just chilling, but they're less interesting to film, so there's less video about them. I'd say enjoy yourself !

1
Skuareply
kbin.earth

I'm surprised to see someone say that they don't think standing tickets are allowed any more, what gave you that impression?

Regardless, being in the standing section is exciting and usually a very good view. It's not necessarily the right atmosphere for every person or every show, but if you enjoy the feeling of being in the crowd as everyone moves together it's great

6
protistreply
mander.xyz

Like where? I can only assume you've never been to a large pop concert

6

The sort of event you're describing is incredibly rare, and I can still only assume you haven't been to a concert with a GA section in decades. You're much more likely to die in a car accident on the way to a concert than by a crowd crush at a concert

2

That's largely limited by ticket sales nowadays, right? Responsible / law-abiding venues (in countries with good regulation on it) don't sell so many standing tickets that the risk gets too high

The wiki page you linked in the other reply has a link to a list page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_crowd_crushes

You'll notice that very few recent ones are at concerts, and those that are consistently involve serious mismanagement of the event and usually something inciting large-scale fear responses

You are right that it's less safe than being seated, and you do need to watch out for your surroundings and be ready to get yourself out if you think it's too much. It is a problem that we know how to handle for the most part without banning all standing areas, though

4
Mike Huntreply
lemmy.ml

Standing because i have only ever been to one concert 11 years ago and it was in the cheap seats and i do enjoy the music as does my wife but I'm just a very reserved person and i felt like being in a crowd id be the sore thumb but as others have said i doubt anyone is going to be looking at me

2

You'll be fine! Especially since you're there with your wife, you've got good company to distract you from whatever anyone else is doing if the show isn't already doing that. All sorts of people show up at concerts, even if they don't always show up in the photos and videos of those concerts as much

I went to a Heilung gig a few years back (incredible experience, by the way) and it was really funny in a lovely way to look at the crowd. It was like a straight 50/50 split of people that looked like the very stereotype of 60s hippies and equally stereotypical metalheads. Flower crowns and corpse paint right next to each other. We all had a great time together

I'm quite a tall guy and not the most outgoing a lot of the time, so I do understand how it's easy to feel like you're sticking out in a crowd. Thing is though, everyone is there to see the act, not to people-watch the audience

1

With that said why on earth did you get standing tickets? That just sounds miserable and I didn’t think those were even allowed anymore

I've literally never been to a concert that had seating.

Actually, that's not true... But it's only like maybe two out of hundreds that had seating.

2