I chose to observe the social situation at a Third Eye Blind concert at Summerfest. For those who may not be familiar with the band, they are alternative rock and have been a band since the early 1990's. Summerfest is one of the biggest music festivals in the world. It is a 10 day long event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that has different concerts all day long.
The concert took place at the Briggs & Straton Big Backyard Stage. There was about 40 rows of bleacher seats. The seating was surrounded by beer tents. A little bit further away was food stands from local restaurants. There was an audio stage in the middle of crowd for the audio technician. On the left side of the side there was a big TV screen to help those are far back in the audience get a nice view of the show. Behind large tv screen and on the right side of the stage there were wood panels that were about 2 stories high. The back of the seating arrangement had 3 large wood canopies, pinic benches, a gravel standing area, and it was home the vending stand for "The Charcoal Grill" restaurant. All of these stage details were to give the feeling of being in a big backyard, thus the The Big Backyard Stage.
There was a variety of actors in this situation. There was Summerfest employees to help with crowd control and beer vendors, the band had their own crew both on stage and in the audio deck, and most predominantly there was the audience. The Summerfest employees walk around in black shorts and red shirt with walkie-talkies and a small pouch that appears to hold another tool - I believe it might be mase. Their role is to be a presence to help eliminate any violence or drugs. The band's crew was there to make sure the stage was set up for them. They made sure the band member's multiple instrument were in right place, the drums were set at the right height, and the microphones were working properly.
The interesting group of actors was the audience. The show started at 10:00 but I arrived at about 9:15. The benches were full, and the crowded was beginning to gather in around the seating area. I managed to find a small open area and I had to ask if the seat was saved because that seemed to be the trend. Friends were waiting for friends who hadn't arrived yet. I found myself a seat. The fans ranged in ages from 15 to 30. Many of the fans in the twenties were there because they loved the bands hits from the 90's and they are also familiar with their new music. The younger fans didn't know all of their older music but they knew the new material. Throughout the crowd you mostly saw groups of college-aged men. People had empty beers cup towering in their hands. Many couples were there and once the music started, everyone was standing on the benches.
As I was waiting for the show to start, the first thing I noticed was when one person left the crowd, they came back with beer and food - not just for themselves, but for their friends. It's like their seat was valuable because they would lose it had their whole group of friends left, which is a fair statement for a concert event. For many of the couples, the man would hold the woman because the benches were crowded and sometimes you would feel like you were going to lose your balance.
During the show, the groups of men were the ones you could clearly tell they were having a great time. Yelling, singing, and fist-pumping (and spilling beer) were their signs of having a great time. The occasional groups of females and couples were still having a great time but they show their excited in a different way. Females would bob to the music and sing to each other, while being more careful with their beers. The couples were the calmest, but they had smiles across their faces the entire show.
On the way out of the concert, the men were pushing themselves through the crowd. The women on the other hands, were holding on to each others arms making sure they didn't get separated.
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