Aaron Lewis Berates Crowd For Not Being Quiet, Storms Off Stage
WARNING: Language
For the second time in as many months, Staind frontman turned Big Machine country music recording artist Aaron Lewis has hard cussed a crowd out for not being quiet enough during one of his acoustic concerts, and then stormed off stage, not finishing the full show. The most recent incident occurred Saturday night (3-9) at the Criterion in Oklahoma City near the end of his set, and was especially jarring.
“Shut the fuck up!” Aaron Lewis shouted at the crowd after he had unplugged his guitar, and stood at the edge of the stage to play his song “Thank You.” “Listen, I’m fucking good. I don’t have to do this.”
After waiting and strumming his guitar a bit to see if the crowd would calm down, Lewis then walked back to the microphone to say, “Listen, if you don’t shut the fuck up, you can’t even hear the guitar. I’ve got three more minutes. Three. Can you please for once, through the whole fucking evening. You guys have talked all fucking night. Shut the fuck up, or I’m done.”
Lewis then walked back out to the front of the stage, saying off the mic, “It’s so fucking ironic that this song is a thank you, and I can’t get you to shut the fuck up to hear it.” Shortly thereafter, he stormed off.
The incident is very similar to one that occurred at the Pharr Events Center Saturday, February 2nd when Lewis also walked off the stage, complaining the crowd was too loud. Some news outlets jumped on the story as one of racial insensitivity after one fan told Lewis he needed to tell people to be quiet “en Español.” Pharr is a Texas border town adjacent to McAllen that is 93% Hispanic. Lewis responded, “I’m sorry, I don’t know how to speak Spanish, I’m American.”
In both instances, the majority of noise from the crowd that can be heard on video is not heckling or booing, but other people in the crowd trying to quiet their fellow concert goers, ironically exacerbating the crowd noise. As annoying as concert talkers can be at any show, they’re especially caustic at a solo acoustic performance. Ultimately though, it’s often up to the performer to hush the crowd with their music.
Aaron Lewis has been performing at solo acoustic shows for many years in between tours with Staid and full band country shows. His next record, State I’m In, is scheduled to be released on Big Machine April 12th.
READ: Bebe Rexha Throws F-Bomb Tantrum After Crowd Won’t Sing “Meant To Be”
March 10, 2019 @ 6:24 pm
I think if Aarn wants to play acoustic with no mic he needs to start playng coffee houses.
August 27, 2021 @ 4:56 am
I agree! That was totally uncool what he did in my opinion! Jerk!
March 10, 2019 @ 6:25 pm
I don’t hate this.
March 10, 2019 @ 6:30 pm
Bloody Diva!!!
March 11, 2019 @ 8:47 am
How is he a diva? I spend good money I’ve worked hard for to listen to music. NOT some jerks yapping. Maybe more artist will start doing this.
November 23, 2019 @ 1:35 am
I’m with you that. Musics meant to be listened to and felt. Especially with beautiful lyrics from the heart. He just wants everybody to feel what he feels when he’s singing it, and to hear it clearly
November 23, 2019 @ 1:44 am
I love Aaron Lewis never been to his concert . And I’m with him if you can’t shut the fuck up and listen and feel his music then fuck off. Beautiful lyrics from the heart. You have drunk assholes screaming just wont shut the fuck up ,So other people can enjoy.
March 10, 2019 @ 6:37 pm
With no mic? That silly.
Sometimes crowds yell even during moments of silence, stupid? Yes but that is was you get with big crowds
March 15, 2019 @ 3:51 pm
Actually seen him do it 4 times..its usually the last song..and its chilling….awesome for sure.
March 10, 2019 @ 6:50 pm
TBH I’ve never listened to this guy’s music, but I can understand his frustration. I disagree that it’s “it’s often up to the performer to hush the crowd with their music” …the people who AREN’T TALKING are the ones who want to hear the music. Let’s be honest, everyone talking came to party. Not to listen to music. It happens all the time, even at small, intimate house shows with amazing artists… drunk fucks just love to yell. STFU!
March 10, 2019 @ 6:59 pm
“Ultimately though, it’s often up to the performer to hush the crowd with their music.”
Amen! Last summer I saw Chris Knight SILENCE a crowd with an acoustic performance of “Enough Rope” in the opening slot of a concert fucked by a Turnpike Troubadour cancellation. All you heard were crickets. I was so moved, I shed a tear.
I can be done, but not by Aaron Lewis.
March 10, 2019 @ 7:56 pm
I totally understand concertgoers and performers getting frustrated at people talking over the music. It happens all of the time, and seems to be getting worse. But ultimately there’s a reason they paid good money for a ticket and decided their time was better spent talking and cutting up with their buddies. I’ve been to too many shows where you couldn’t help but shut the hell up to think it’s all the crowds fault, especially when the vast majority of the noise being made on both videos is from people trying to sush other people. I think Aaron’s approach to solving the problem was a big part of making it worse. “Listen, I’m fucking good. I don’t have to do this,” smacks of the same entitlement Bebe Rexha displayed a while back. The crowd shouldn’t be piloting the plane. It should be the person at stage center.
The people talking at this show were being completely uncool, and there’s no excusing them. But the way Aaron Lewis handled it, he came down to their level as opposed to taking command.
When he walked off the stage in San Antonio, it appeared to be fair. Perhaps it was a rowdy, disrespectful crowd, and Lewis was tired of it. So he walked off. In this instance, he became just as disrespectful to the people trying to enjoy the show as the people talking over it.
In my opinion.
March 10, 2019 @ 10:54 pm
When reading “I’m good” in the article, I interpreted it as the Bebe type entitlement of “Look how great I am and you need to hear me.” However, after watching the video, the “I’m good” sounds more like like he is trying to say, “I’m ok either playing the song or not here” and the frustration is clear. Still, AL needs to get a little thicker skin and change his approach to not antagonize and make it worse. Keep up the good work Trig
March 11, 2019 @ 5:54 am
Good catch, after watching it myself I don’t think he meant “I’m good” literally, as in I’m talented, I’m awesome, I’m the best. From his tone, body language, and in context with his next statement I think he meant “I’m okay with leaving now if you’re done listening.”
I still don’t think he took the high road here, but I don’t think this particular statement was as ego-driven as it appears in print, either.
March 11, 2019 @ 8:49 am
You might be right. I took it differently, but I can see that interpretation.
March 11, 2019 @ 1:03 pm
I agree, I feel like he was saying “I’m good” as in, I’m done playing, I don’t have to play this last song.
Trigger– how should an artist handle this kind of audience? What are they supposed to do?
March 11, 2019 @ 1:38 pm
I think Lewis should have left out playing the last song unplugged, played “Thank You” from the stool, called it a night, and left his name absent from bad headlines all across media and entertainment bad mouthing him once again.
March 10, 2019 @ 7:00 pm
I don’t blame him. People are not respectful at shows now a days, even if it sucks.
The talkers don’t only only make it it bad for the artist, they make it for bad for the audience that actually wants to listen to the music.
March 10, 2019 @ 7:03 pm
I understand to a point. but speaking from a business standpoint, however, if I paid an artist to play at my venue, or if I were a promoter and paid for his appearance and he stormed off before finishing his show, he wouldn’t get paid. He’s in breach of contract.
March 10, 2019 @ 7:12 pm
What a whiny little bitch. He always has been.
March 11, 2019 @ 9:36 am
That’s exactly what I was thinking too Bill.
March 10, 2019 @ 7:41 pm
I’m not sure, but I think he wants everyone to shut the fuck up.
March 11, 2019 @ 7:19 pm
I don’t think so. I think if he wanted them to he would of said so.
March 10, 2019 @ 7:43 pm
Whenever you berate the crowd, you lose. When Don Williams was dealing with a noisy crowd, he’d start to play quieter. That’s a classy solution.
March 11, 2019 @ 6:43 am
My first thought was Roy Orbison opening in England for the more popular Beatles. Roy told his band to play very softly so the Beatles crowd had to be quiet to hear him. George Harrison: ‘He’d had so many hit songs and people could sit and listen to him all night. He didn’t have to do anything, he didn’t have to wiggle his legs, in fact he never even twitched, he was like marble. The only things that moved were his lips—even when he hit those high notes he never strained. He was quite a miracle, unique.’
My second thought was Don Williams in his later years, sitting in a chair on stage performing. Someone on YouTube said something like How cool do you have to be to be to be able to sit on a chair and still be able to completely entertain a crowd.
I guess the point is if you earn it they will listen. Until then be patient.
March 11, 2019 @ 6:45 am
I tripled my to bes. Sorry.
March 10, 2019 @ 7:43 pm
Reminds me of Bebe Rexha’s tantrum last month. The only difference is Bebe finished her set, and her fans didn’t even pay her to be there!
March 10, 2019 @ 9:36 pm
On *that* subject, it also doesnt help bebe rexhas song is boring and will be forgotten in coming years, take a famous song from Carrie like “jesus take the wheel” or mirandas “baggage claim, gunpowder and lead” and their fans will sing along.
Hell, take any Shania or Taylor hit and they’ve got crowds overpowering them. Trick is to make it memorable for *your* audience. Nobody will sing along to a snooze fest.
March 10, 2019 @ 7:51 pm
This guy is slightly above the level of a nobody, by showbiz standards. He’s just not good enough to care about.
He needs to go to Costco, load up on Puffs Plus With Lotion, and find a quiet place to just cry it out.
March 11, 2019 @ 7:18 am
I’d agree with you but he has close to 1,000,000 followers on social media, about double Jason Isbell and John Prine combined, which blows my mind.
March 11, 2019 @ 11:58 am
Go listen to his version of “Whiskey and You” and get back to me. It even puts Stapleton to shame
March 10, 2019 @ 7:55 pm
Aaron Lewis is kick ass and a great talent. The dumb fucks in the audience are probably a bunch of millennials. Listen to some of his new music. It’s incredible.
March 11, 2019 @ 9:01 am
Great talent? Seriously? I must be missing something
March 15, 2019 @ 3:57 pm
Agreed Rob… Ive seen him 4 times soon to be 5…met him once….
March 10, 2019 @ 8:54 pm
This is very unprofetional. A true entertainer could play through and not pay attention to what little noise there was in a full auditorium of people who pay for him to be there. I was never a fan and seeing the way he treated his audience and also his guitar was pretty heartbreaking. No class.
March 10, 2019 @ 8:56 pm
Let’s consider logistics for a moment. My point: maybe this was just the wrong song for this venue. I think the crowd proves he has fans thatl like his music. In the race to attract talent, some venues market themselves as “listening” rooms, while others host large, corporate (less intimate) environments. Both have their benefits. I think this venue was the latter based on the video; however, I’m not familiar with this venue. If I’m wrong, I’m certain the internet trolls will correct me. If I’m right, then maybe this song just wasn’t right for this venue or setting. Moreover, Aaron doesn’t seem to posses the “shut up and listen” reputation that others do (e.g., Chris Knight as mentioned above). And that’s fine. To each their own. But there is no doubt he could have handled this better.
March 11, 2019 @ 8:54 am
Now that Aaron Lewis has had two instances where he’s walked off stage to boos when trying to play unplugged, perhaps he needs to axe that part of his show, especially in a venue or in front of a crowd that is being loud. His job is to entertain people. And even if you had a good time for the most part, if the last thing you remember from a show is getting hard cussed by the entertainer and them walking off of stage to a rain of boos, you’re going to be disappointed.
March 10, 2019 @ 8:56 pm
I was friends with a regional band that had fairly good following and crowds – but as their music changed to less what the fans enjoyed, the background noise at the shows definitely went up.
The hard part was that as their crowds got louder, they didn’t engage them better, and instead took the same approach that Aaron Lewis did here: by criticizing and yelling at them to be quiet (and in some cases criticizing the openers for drawing better crowds! Holy crap!!). After seeing it happen at back to back shows, I was sick to my stomach they were treating their fans this way.
And the people I had brought with me to shows introduce to their music? Well, those people were even more turned off. Rather than “connecting”, they ended up losing loads of fans or potential future fans.
When a band is great and connecting with the crowd, the crowd listens. I’ve seen crowds of drunk rednecks go completely silent when Willie plays “blue eyes crying”. If a band or artist has to be argumentative and out of line with the audience, that just proves to me what a poor artist they are.
March 10, 2019 @ 9:21 pm
First off I’m probably one of the few on here that has been on Aaron’s side since he crossed over and I love both his albums and EP. He headlined a sold out full band show indoors @ Joe’s Live here to 1700 a couple of years ago and was incredible. Fast forward to last summer at our Smokeout and he came on with full band after Ashley McBryde but before Brett Eldredge in a noisy festival daytime/twilight atmosphere and I left afterward thinking “ahhhhh this outdoor fest thing is definitely not his forte, nor does this situation play to his strength”. Most people were yacking during his set (like they do at festival…lol) and not there to see him but he played on unabated albeit in my mind uninspired and robotic like but didn’t say a word about the noise.
A crowd mind you that Ashley totally SILENCED opening softly with Girl Goin’ Nowhere at 4:30 pm. Even I was in awe! Fast forward to this advertised “Acoustic tour of songs and stories” and with Dillon Carmichael opening I was going to pass on this 2000 seat theater show next week. Then he pulled the first walk off ignorantly saying “I’m sorry, I don’t know how to speak Spanish, I’m American.” which I thought Trig would lay into but didn’t and now this. I’d really have to see the whole show to see it all but it’s still not right to walk away from your fans. I don’t have the answer but I saw 2 Sarah Shook shows in 2 nights (1 to 600 and 1 to 50 of us) and the crowd was totally and eerily absolutely silent in between every song both nights!! She had the total respect of the crowd. I wanted so bad to yell out “We love you Sarah” but I didn’t want to be THAT guy. The silence out of respect for the artist was deafening but welcomed……………
March 11, 2019 @ 8:57 am
You can’t blame Aaron Lewis for getting angry over people talking at his acoustic show. You can blame him for the way he handles it. In San Antonio, he tried, appeared to be respectful, and perhaps it was an extra rowdy crowd. The media pounced on the whole ‘I’m an American” thing, and though it probably wasn’t Aaron’s greatest moment, I think you have to connect many dots that may or may not be there to make that some sort of racist statement. This situation in Oklahoma I feel was handled completely different, and quite poorly.
March 10, 2019 @ 9:44 pm
Folks just can not be quiet at shows these days. It’s been steadily getting worse for the last 10-15 years. I’ve been to Hank III shows where he has told the crowd to shut up. I’ve been to a Scott H. Biram show in Kansas City where he told a couple of young ladies in the front row multiple times to shut up until he finally told them to get the fuck out, and they did. If you want to talk over the music go to a bar with a juke box, Aaron, Shelton, me and others are tired of your loud mouths.
March 10, 2019 @ 10:02 pm
Who is Aaron Lewis?
March 11, 2019 @ 7:11 am
I’ll pretend you’re not kidding……..(Like the chode that came on here in the Aldean thread and asked who Trigger was)
He’s an artist and a very good songwriter that has had success in not one but 2 genre’s. Is he great! Nope, nor will he probably ever be but he’s good enough for his audience’s of 1-2000 nightly that buy his records, appreciate solid songwriting and go see him that sometimes don’t give him respect and shut the fuck up.
Who is Annb?
March 11, 2019 @ 10:51 am
Let’s be honest, 90% of those people who go see him just want him to play shitty Staind songs and wouldn’t give two shits about him if he came up organically as a country artist. His fanbase drinks Monster Energy drinks and has plastic testicles hanging from their cars.
March 11, 2019 @ 11:46 am
C’mon Boots I know you’re smarter than that. I’m part of his “fanbase” and I’ve never drank a Monster drink or seen plastic Testicles but I’m sure some do…so what. His Country fanbase that I saw was at least 75% there to hear his current music and knew every word to the songs. It’s fun to stereotype people though I get it. I’ll judge the new album on the songs themselves nothing more nothing less.
March 11, 2019 @ 11:51 am
We both know I’m not smarter than that.
No, seriously, though.. the monster and balls thing was a joke, but i do genuinely think they’re only there because he was in Staind, and had he not been, there’s no way what he’s producing country-wise would draw that many people. Just my 2 cents.
March 11, 2019 @ 12:07 pm
You can count me among the people who likes Aaron’s new music, but if I ever go to one of his shows, there are 5 songs I want to hear:
1. An acoustic version of “It’s Been Awhile.” It’s arguably the best song of the post-grunge era, so pardon me if I want to hear it.
2. His cover of “What Hurts the Most.” It’s excellent, no question.
3. Epiphany. Another great Staind song.
4. His cover of “Grandaddy’s Gun.”
5. And finally, “Folded Flag.” I have no idea if he wrote this song.
Honorable mention: his cover of “Whiskey and You.”
My point is, as much as I like his current music, if I go see Aaron Lewis live, it’s most important to me to hear 2 Staind songs, 3 covers, and one other song that might be an original, might be a cover.
You don’t go to Aaron Lewis without wanting to hear more than his current, original country songs.
March 11, 2019 @ 12:14 pm
“1. An acoustic version of “It’s Been Awhile.” It’s arguably the best song of the post-grunge era, so pardon me if I want to hear it.”
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOO no stop it. C’mon. Tell me you’re trolling? Bless your heart.
March 11, 2019 @ 1:48 pm
North Woods Country he’s just busting our balls…LOL I love hearing all those tunes too but don’t feel as deeply as you do about them. To each his own. Let’s get back on the topic of people shutting up and respecting any artist and the people around them which is really the point.
March 12, 2019 @ 10:43 am
I was at at city festival in South Lake, Texas years ago and walked over to a tent where Jewel was performing. There was a group of five or six women standing in a circle pretty close to the stage just talking away. It really was annoying and finally she stopped playing right in the middle of a song and called them out. I remember her comment to them was, “how would you like it if I came to your place of work and stood by your desk and talked while you were trying to do YOUR job?” She got a few boos but continued to perform.
March 10, 2019 @ 10:18 pm
I used to perform live professionally and this sort of thing drove me crazy. And we were an electric trio. I always took it as an indication that we weren’t engaging enough & lacked command of the audience. I never berated an audience though.
March 11, 2019 @ 2:39 am
The lead singer of Disturbed got on to a texter at one of their smaller shows. Why pay to go to a show if you are going to disrespect them? And why would someone who doesn’t speak English go to an Americano’s show anyway?
March 11, 2019 @ 4:13 am
This is unfortunate because I want to like Aaron Lewis, but he’s just not a natural fit for country, bless his heart. Staind had a great sound, I thought. I think he’s got a good voice for country, too. I like his slide player. And he actually seems to excel in acoustic settings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTsnKWJJ79A
This is just something that reminds me he’s always going to be on the outside looking in.
March 11, 2019 @ 4:36 am
I’ll offer a theory and I could well be wrong, but here goes: Maybe Aaron Lewis isn’t a big enough star to play clubs these sizes as a solo acoustic act. That is hard to do.
The Criterion has a capacity of 3,500, while the PEC holds 2,500. Sorry, but unless you’re a James Taylor, Neil Young, Paul Simon, Roseanne Cash or a handful of other acts, it is hard to play a venue that size as a solo acoustic act and command the audience’s attention from start to finish. And audiences being what they are, it only takes a couple of patrons to disrupt the show before things snowball.
That said, the argument could be made that Lewis might’ve handled it better.
I could be wrong, though.
March 11, 2019 @ 6:10 am
I don’t think it’s the artist’s popularity that’s the issue, it’s more the type of crowd he or she is likely to attract. The typical James Taylor attendee is going to be 50+ with his rowdy youth far behind him, thrilled to be able to sit quietly and sip a cocktail while enjoying some of the music of his youth. The typical Lewis fan is going to be a 25-45 year old that fashions himself as some sort of rebellious hell-raiser who doesn’t really get that it’s a quiet acoustic set, he’s just there to pound back some drinks and yell “Woo-woo!” at the end of the songs he likes and isn’t likely to politely sit and quietly listen to songs he’s not interested in or whose acoustic arrangements aren’t familiar.
March 11, 2019 @ 9:56 am
I’d buy that explanation. Plus, they see an acoustic guitar and mistake the venue for their living room and yak away.
March 11, 2019 @ 5:00 am
Though I certainly get his frustration, the way he did this he came off as kind of a diva. I just saw Cody Jinks and a fan threw a beer on stage while they were playing. Jinks was understandably slightly aggravated but half jokingly said “you fuckers quit throwing shit on the stage” and the crowd loved it. It was a rowdy outdoors crowd and he understood. By the way shout out to the other Rob on this comment thread for besmirching my good name I’ve accumulated over years on this site.
March 11, 2019 @ 5:22 am
Stupid fucker has probably spent years with Staind yelling at the crowd to make some noise, now he wants them to shut up. If you want to play acoustically with no mic, time to rethink the choice of venue. It is never going to work out in front of large audiences
March 11, 2019 @ 6:15 am
Don’t necessarily agree with the way he handled this but I am with him on people talking over the music or even worse holding their phone in the air taping the concert. Sucks to pay a lot of money for tickets and you can’t hear the music because of all the jabbering going on in the seat behind.
March 11, 2019 @ 6:36 am
Here’s the problem: Lewis is simply not entertaining enough to play anywhere but small bars and friends’ homes – if that. I’m not sure how he got where he is, wherever that is, with his rudimentary guitar skills and dime-a-dozen voice. If the audience would have been enjoying his music they would have paid attention. Not sure where he gets the idea he’s ‘good’. Too many trophies for showing up perhaps?
March 11, 2019 @ 6:42 am
Crowd noise can be annoying, especially if it’s unnecessary talking from rowdy drunks, rather than just overly excited fans.
But Lewis has a demonstrated an extremely bad way of dealing with it, especially for such an experienced performer. He comes off as arrogant and ungrateful to the people who have paid to see him. Surely there’s better ways to handle this situation, the most obvious of which is to scrap the gimmick of playing the final song unplugged.
March 11, 2019 @ 9:01 am
This week I will be attending SXSW down here in Austin, and 95% of the performances will be to crowds where over 50% of the audience is talking over the music. This is what bar and club bands deal with on a nightly basis, including, if not especially, acoustic performers. You suck it up, you hone your chops, you figure out how to engage the crowd, or you deal with it. Yes, it’s completely uncool to talk over music. But that’s part of the gig.
March 11, 2019 @ 9:15 am
I played many gigs, back in my touring years, where it felt like we were just the background music to conversations and billiards. It can be damn frustrating, but I never scolded the audience. I just tried to give them a reason to pay attention to what was happening onstage.
I can’t even imagine what a veteran like Lewis is thinking, behaving this way.
March 11, 2019 @ 7:12 am
People actually pay to see Aaron Lewis?…… In 2019?…….
March 11, 2019 @ 7:19 am
he owes his career to Fred Durst
March 11, 2019 @ 7:51 am
it’s increasingly becoming a problem at all concerts. loud talking and the annoying cellphone screen lights while filming shows or just messaging. people don’t know how to dim their screens or turn off the flashlight-on while filming feature. sadly, unless people wise up, the answer will be higher ticket prices to keep out people who just came to party and talk during the show.
March 11, 2019 @ 7:57 am
As a huge music fan, it has gotten worse with the background chatter and the phones in the air. Its my money and i but the ticket to enjoy and support the artist. Other ticket buyers might go to hang out and get to feel important posting it on their social media. No big deal, we spend our money in different ways. Solution is, i don’t go to as many concerts as i used to.
If this is the trend towards what concerts are going to be for an Aaron Lewis concert and he doesn’t like it, find another line of work or play smaller venues or something.
March 11, 2019 @ 8:12 am
I am pretty done with the concert talkers too. There are plenty of places you can go talk to your buddies and drink a beer. But when live music is playing, STFU or leave the room. Otherwise, you are being disrespectful to the artist and to everyone else in there who paid money to hear music.
March 11, 2019 @ 8:14 am
Dude was born and raised in an affluent family so we shouldn’t be surprised at actions like this.
March 11, 2019 @ 8:22 am
Prime example of someone who “talks the talk,” but can not “walk the walk.”
Let’s see him backpedal from this one…
March 11, 2019 @ 8:32 am
It’s crazy reading these comments about everyone else’s experiences with “talkers” at concerts. I got to 12-16 concerts a year and I can never recall having this problem. Grant it, I probably go to rowdier shows than most and stay clear of seated venues and acoustic shows. I recently passed on a Colter Wall show because I knew we were way too rowdy for his kind of concert. Maybe I’m just not bothered or can tune out talkers or the noise that comes naturally when you put a couple thousand people together and serve them alcohol.
March 11, 2019 @ 3:25 pm
If you don’t notice the talkers, chances are, you’re a talker.
March 11, 2019 @ 4:16 pm
I’m not a “talker” by nature… but I’m I stander, yeller, singer, dancer (when really lit) and thrower of my hat on the stage!
March 11, 2019 @ 5:24 pm
When I saw Cody Jinks in Athens, GA last November, there were two rows of men and women talking for most of it, to the point where I wondered why they even came because they had no clue what was being performed. The only thing they noticed was that Jinks was wearing a Sturgill Simpson t-shirt. I know this because he yelled it to everybody in the section. They ended up leaving early anyway. It was definitely noticeable. But, to part of your point, we were in the seated section higher up…we’re that age and I don’t care about admitting it. Maybe the seated sections have more of that, although I’ve not noticed it at some other shows where we are in the seats.
In any event, respect can never be demanded, it must be earned, and whether Lewis was justified or not, he should not have thrown a tantrum. You need to be better than that.
March 11, 2019 @ 9:16 am
Nothing turns me against a band/performer quite like when they develop an antagonistic relationship with the crowd mid-set – unless it’s punk or metal (which is sort of where this dude comes from), but if you play acoustic slow songs, just play. The audience already paid for the show. Power through. If the songs/singing are good, people will hush up. Win the crowd over with songs, not nagging.
That said, as a relatively recent country fan who’s previously been to hundreds of concerts in every conceivable genre, the loudest most talkative crowds, in my experience, are country crowds. Saw the Steelwoods open for Cody Jinks last year and the crowd loudly talked during their entire set. Just saw Whiskey Myers headline the other night and same thing. Even thought this was a Whiskey Myers crowd, it seemed to take a couple songs for a lot of the crowd to just focus on the band instead of talk among themselves. Like, whole groups of people with their backs the stage talking to each other, especially on the edges of the room near the bars. I’m not sure why this is the case, other than people come to drink, party, and socialize – band and music be damned.
March 11, 2019 @ 9:42 am
On behalf of every musician (pro or not) who has ever shouldered an acoustic guitar in front of a crowd, I THANK HIM…
March 11, 2019 @ 9:56 am
Reminds me of a Reverend Horton Heat show I attended a few years back. The women in front of me had no intention of watching or listening to the show, but instead were chatting away, laughing at the top of their lungs and constantly taking selfies and immediately posting to Facebook. A couple nearby finally asked them to politely STFU and put their phones away.
I mean hey, I’m all for everyone having a great time. But why where they even at a concert in the first place? The dive bar down the street would have sufficed.
March 11, 2019 @ 9:56 am
As an aside, when I saw Colter Wall live last year, you could’ve heard a pin drop in the room despite the quiet parts of his set. It was chilling. Why? The guy commands undivided attention through his voice and songs. That’s it. That’s all it takes. This Aaron Lewis guy doesn’t have anywhere near that kind of vocal or songwriting depth to command that kind of respect from a crowd.
March 11, 2019 @ 10:43 am
It’s still rude to be yapping all through a performance. Not just for the performers, but for other people trying to listen. And it doesn’t just happen during concerts. I’ve been to large gatherings where young people in the back would. not. shut. up. At full volume, talking through the whole thing. If it just pissed me off, I wouldn’t worry. I’m just some alfalfa dude from the fields. But it’s hard not to see it as part of the overall breakdown of (I’ll say it) good manners. The golden rule and all that. Some people weren’t brought up that way, and that’s sad.
But they shouldn’t ruin public events for everybody else.
March 11, 2019 @ 10:55 am
Me? I’m sick and fucking tired of paying $30 for ticket only to end up sitting next to people who came for the event, NOT for the music. I’d move but there’s no where else to sit. I’ve left a lot of shows after the first set because it was only going to get worse.
My all-time worst experience: Went to see Special Consensus (bluegrass) at the Station Inn in Nashville. It was packed with beer-drinking tourists who were literally yelling from one table to the next. It only got worse as the night wore on.
Adding to me frustration: The Station Inn staff did nothing.
March 11, 2019 @ 10:56 am
I’m not a big fan, but concert goers suck. Plain and simple. If they’re not talking about some stupid shit all night, they’re just playing with their dumb-ass phones. Been that way for years. I don’t even bother anymore. Hell, Hank Sr. coming back to life couldn’t get me to a show at this point.
And also…it’s pretty obvious he didn’t mean I’m good the way you took it. Think about it…
March 11, 2019 @ 12:52 pm
Eh, hes successful enough that I think he has a reason to be upset. His country stuff may not be the most well known material, but Staind was a POWERHOUSE in the late 90s to 2000s. The way hes going about it here, and the stupid (albeit slightly true and understandable) Spanish remark that happened awhile ago, totally warrant a little bit of backlash.
From a musicians standpoint, I actually find it a little strange that he would wanna play that large of a venue totally acoustic. Its gonna come to the point that either people will listen when he unplugs cause they know he will just leave, or people are gonna fuck with him hardcore just to see if they can piss him off.
March 11, 2019 @ 2:11 pm
Talking over the performer in a setting like that is a jerk move. Heck, it’s a jerk move in a coffee shop, too. But taking it out on the entire audience is not a good solution.
The Spanish comment (the comment itself) was ignorant and prejudiced. However, it’s one comment in a short video captured on a phone without much context. Maybe that person was the loudest talker that night and he was trying to be funny in an unfortunate way?
Frankly, I was stunned he was trying to play and sing with no microphone at all. That’s just plain stupid in front of a couple thousand or so people, especially when he knows damn well what kind of audience he attracts and all the alcohol in the room (and at the end of the set?). So, yes, the way he handled the situation was wrong, but he created it with an ill-conceived all-acoustic “moment”. Heck, I wouldn’t even advise performing in a coffee shop without a mic.
March 11, 2019 @ 3:34 pm
Not everyone can handle these situations as gracefully as Mike Cooley. Maybe AL needs an option to closing with an acoustic song called “Thank you”. I recommend he write a song called “Shut the fuck up” and perform it as is necessary. It couldn’t be worse than the little bit I heard of “Thank you”.
March 11, 2019 @ 4:02 pm
Two very short observations. #1) I hate crowds like this, small venue with loads of alcohol and d-bags #2) I see it both ways. I think Aaron needs to choose theaters if he wants to do acoustic sets and feel more intimate with the crowd.
Don’t expect the Four Seasons treatment if you have a Best Western crowd.
March 12, 2019 @ 4:12 pm
“Don’t expect the Four Seasons treatment if you have a Best Western crowd“
Love that line! Most artists use agencies to book venues with very little thought about the makeup of the venue.
March 12, 2019 @ 1:55 pm
I know people didn’t like this but I can see why he’s irritated. First off, I’ve been to The Criterion to see Turnpike Troubadors and people do talk throughout the whole thing. So just that alone makes it hard to hear the band. Also, they pack people in like sardines, it’s a big multi-story building with concrete floors that bounce sound around horribly. I couldn’t understand much of what the Troubadors were singing other than the songs I knew by heart. It’s just not a good place to see a show. No seats, bad acoustics and people that will talk/scream over the music the entire show.
March 12, 2019 @ 8:17 pm
the fake redneck quit playing cause everyone was drunk and rowdy? lol go back to the whiny metal crying about your dad
March 13, 2019 @ 7:52 am
Give me a team of Nashville songwriters, round up the best studio musicians in the biz, a good photographer who can dress me up in somebody else’s old carhartt and agro ball cap, pose me next to the farm I bought with my millions to give me some country cred, and now I’m blue collar country!!
March 13, 2019 @ 2:02 pm
Never mind this quiet shit, Moonpies are here tonight and Monday at very small intimate venues and I’m so excited I’m gonna hoot and holler!!! Mike And The fuckin Moonpies!!!! 🙂
I’m kidding of course but I hope we can all at least be respectful when need be and muster up a polite enthusiastic “golf clap”?……LOL I’ll let you know how it goes………….
March 15, 2019 @ 9:37 am
So I’ll try to stay with what the topic actually is ie: Aaron Lewis’ demeanor vs disrespectful people in small venue. Here’s how it went down Wednesday night at The Law Office Pub & Music Hall (nice name for a very classy shot & beer joint in Bumfuck, IL) for Mike And The Moonpies + Tim Gleason (acoustic set).
There was between 50-70 of us drinking and chatting when Tim acoustically took the stage and he played loud enough so that most everyone could and did keep talking while he was playing and did so in between songs as well. He was unfazed like a true pro. After the set was over I go outside to have a cigarette and just Moonpie Mike and his guitar player were out there and my first words were “Moonpies! I love the album so much, without Trigger & Saving Country Music I wouldn’t even know you guys or be here”. Mike smiled and said “yeah Trigger’s been very good to us” They were very cool and we chatted. Said he was “about ready for a new one”. I told him “someday when you’re big, I’m going to tell people I saw you in a small place like this…lol” He laughed. They played a great set over an hour and a half people talking in between songs but not annoyingly loud or anything. Said the new album was already “in the can”, played 2 new tunes I think one was called “Looked Good In Neon” and he mumbled the other one “Danger”? maybe. Both were great!
I’d told him even though the Chicago show (suburban Berwyn) is a Monday night there will be more people in a classic venue closer to the city. I’ll be there for sure. I know there’s many different scenarios for artist/crowd noise relationships but it’s really a night by night venue by venue thing. Common sense isn’t so common anymore but on this night everyone had it.
One more unbelievable night I wouldn’t of had without this site.
March 15, 2019 @ 1:39 pm
Glad you enjoyed yourself JB.
March 13, 2019 @ 7:15 pm
That’s why I like Aaron Lewis. He sings true country music and speaks his mind. That comment about not speaking spanish made me like him even more. He is a true country artist.
March 13, 2019 @ 7:21 pm
…After watching the second video I have to say he acted way more mature during the first incident then the second.
March 13, 2019 @ 9:49 pm
Never thought i’d see a “country singer” that I’d dislike more than Billy Ray Cyrus. But Aaron Lewis is just that and is far below BRC. At least Billy Ray Cyrus has some talent and his songs were sort of catchy, and he respected people.
Aaron Lewis, go back to singing watered down nu metal and standing in Fred Durst’s shadow. effing egotist.
March 14, 2019 @ 3:51 pm
We saw Aaron Lewis @ Buffalo Chip 2018… I’ve always liked his music but after seeing him live I’m no longer a fan! Dude has a serious attitude problem! What an ass!!!