As live entertainment becomes an integral part of urban youth culture, concert-goers navigate the fine line between experiencing music, documenting it, and finding a sense of belonging. Live music does offer something rare. The anticipation before the first song, the collective energy of thousands of voices and the thrill of watching a favourite artist perform live, have made concerts more than just entertainment.
They have become spaces for connection, expression and, for many, emotional release.
According to the latest BookMyShow report, Live Season 25/26, Decoded, 44% of concert and festival-goers attend live shows hoping to feel emotionally healed, while 66% experience their biggest chills when an entire crowd sings a chorus together. Yet, as India's concert culture expands, audiences are divided over what it means to truly experience live music. For some, the experience is about losing themselves in the music. For others, it is about capturing the moment, sharing it online and being part of a larger cultural conversation.
Experience vs documentation
For Vismay, a Delhi University student, performances by lesser-known artists have greater appeal than large commercial concerts. “Well-known artists usually do lip-syncing," he says. At a concert, while he usually stays back and observes, occasionally recording the crowd's energy, he finds excessive cheering and disruptive behaviour frustrating. His pet peeve is people recording entire songs with their phones held up, screens at maximum brightness. "Enjoy the moment through your eyes, not your camera app," he says.
The sentiment shows the growing tension between experiencing an event and documenting it. In an age where every significant moment can become social media content, the impulse to record often competes with the simple pleasure of listening. "We are all caught in the trap of social media, driven by a constant fear of missing out and a performative need to prove that our lives are better than everyone else's. In an effort to outshine others online, we end up staging our lives rather than simply living them," he says.
For Aakash, a software engineer in Delhi, the concert is mostly about the music. He believes recording live performances on phones is a disservice to the music. “It is the same as capturing a picture of the Mona Lisa. That picture can never be the real Mona Lisa. This is not the way to enjoy or engage with art. It should be done with all your sensory organs.”
Aakash recalls attending an A R Rahman concert in Chennai, which he describes as one of the most poorly organised live events he has experienced. Yet, a charity concert organised by the Cancer Institute in Adyar remains a memorable experience for him. With multiple singers performing and proceeds from tickets and donations going towards cancer care, he remembers the event for its disciplined audience and courteous organisers.
How to listen
"Sit and listen, that's it," he says, summing up his idea of concert etiquette. For him, the unwritten rule is simple: do not disturb others who have come to listen to the music. But not everyone approaches concerts with the same restraint.
Though she has travelled to almost every major city for concerts. Ketki, a media professional, says she is also not opposed to people recording concerts on their phones. “Not everyone gets to attend every concert. If someone who cannot be there gets to experience a piece of it, why should that bother me?” she says. Having grown up attending college fest performances, she believes concert audiences have evolved, partly because of the changing lineup of artists. However, her golden rule is: “Come on time, stay in your space, and don't dance your way into mine.”
Or as another concert-goer puts it: "Do not disturb other people. Everyone is there to listen to songs by the artist, not to your hoots."
Kashish, a Delhi-based PR professional, describes herself as someone who dances, sings and records simultaneously. "I always go all out at concerts," she says. Though large crowds make her uncomfortable, she still attends concerts for the opportunity to unwind. Her relationship with concert culture, however, comes with mixed feelings. While she acknowledges that people attend shows for the music, she also sees social media and influencer culture playing a significant role in shaping the experience.
Crowd behaviour is her biggest concern. From people arriving intoxicated to those behaving in ways that disregard personal boundaries, she believes the atmosphere can sometimes become uncomfortable and unsafe. Crowd behaviour has become increasingly unruly over the years, notes Kashish.
Despite these frustrations, the emotional appeal of live music remains undeniable. For Kashish, the most memorable moment is watching her favourite singer perform right in front of her. The unexpected magic lies in witnessing the confidence and vocal ability of an artist performing live.
Across these different experiences, one sentiment emerges: live music is as much about the people in the audience as it is about the performer on stage. Whether one dances, sings, records or simply watches, the concert experience is shaped by a collective understanding of space and shared enjoyment.