Etiquette of hollering "Wooo" at concerts

[jdsmith]

I'm listening to a Gillian Welch concert right now, and I notice that there's this one guy who always hollers "Wooo" about three seconds too early in each guitar solo. (You can tell when a guitar solo is about to end, so you can either get ready to holler "Wooo" or, in this guy's case, holler "Wooo" early.) So, of course, a lot of other people figure they have to holler "Wooo" as a result, and the musical climax gets sort of swamped.

A few years ago, I couldn't make it all the way through Neil Young's _Unplugged_ CD because there was what amounted to a contest to see who could holler "Wooo" earliest in each song. The point was clear from each "Wooo"-er: I know what this song is and you newbies don't. In the beginning, people would wait till they had heard at least three notes before they hollered "Wooo." But they ended up hollering "Wooo" after the first note, meaning that they had not recognized the song at all but were just hollering "Wooo" to holler "Wooo."

I understand that these problems would disappear if I would simply stick with electric music (volume drowns out the "Wooos"). But I'd prefer to explore a wider variety of musical options. So are there any codes of behavior governing when one should and shouldn't holler "Wooo"?

[wtmusic]

1. Etiquette for dealing with Wooers

Premature Woo = three strikes to the head with a rolled up concert program

[bowens43]

2. Personally, I have no control over it.

My 'wooos' are completely spontaneous and beyond my control. Being a very reserved person I am often shocked that the 'wooo' that I just heard came from me!! There have been times that I have been so moved by a piece of music that I have lost touch with reality (as of late it happens even with out hallucinogenics).

[tsakshaug]

3. Or

Should we all yell "Freebird" between songs?

[TrogL]

4. Don't

Simply don't.

I'm a musician. I have never understood the "woo" thing. If you're gonna "woo" at least "woo" in pitch.

Better yet, clap.

[jdsmith]

11. I was at a Replacements concert

And they were doing one of their slow songs--"Skyway," or "Here Comes a Regular"--i.e., Paul Westerberg solo. One of those that the real fans like. But about half the audience noticed that the joint wasn't rockin', so they started to clap rhythmically. Sometimes that seems all right--"Let's help the guy with the guitar." But sometimes it's a way of saying, "Get on with it. We PAID for this!!"

So after putting up with it for a minute, Westerberg just trailed off. He stopped playing and the band reappeared. "Sorry," he said. "I just can't finish that one. My rhythm was off. Yours, on the other hand," and he stared at the audience, "was fucking impeccable."

[tjwash]

5. It's inexcusable to holler "Wooooooo" at any time...

...past the age of twelve.:silly:

[Screaming Lord Byron]

6. I don't care what the audience do,

so long as it doesn't involve projectiles.

[bif]

7. Or RPGs at concerts.

I hate those things. A real turn off.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

8. Too true.

[bif]

9. I actually saw this at a concert

Some guy was lighting sparklers and dropping them down on the crowd from a balcony. Just as my brother and I were going to go over and nail the guy, a security guard nabbed him and threw him out. What the hell was he thinking?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

10. Yeah, playing AD&D during a concert is quite disrespectful (nt)

[Screaming Lord Byron]

12. MERP is worse.

[arwalden]

13. If The Audience Knows IN ADVANCE That The Concert Is Being Recorded...

... does this influence and contribute to bad-behavior? So that when the HBO special (or CD) is released... some jerk can listen for his own special poorly time and obtrusive "Whoo", then brag to all his friends "THAT'S ME, THAT'S ME"*

-- Allen

*not realizing that he ought to be saying "THAT IS I"

[jdsmith]

14. Then again, some live recordings benefit from spantaneous "Wooo"oids

I am thinking of "Midnight Rambler" on _Get Your YaYas Out_. There's this guy that hollers "God DAMN!" during a quiet section. Then Jagger sniffs prissily (but in killer-rapist character) and it's like so cool.