Gen Zs lack of concert etiquette is more dangerous than you think

If you’re a millennial or above, chances are you’ve said something along the lines of “Gen Z just doesn’t understand concert etiquette” recently.I’m a Gen Z-er myself, and I know I’ve definitely said it.We live in a time where if you didn’t film it to post on your Instagram stories, it didn’t happen, and if you’re not in the pit, you may as well stay at home.But, there comes a point where this desperation to be front and centre crosses the line into dangerous territory, and in the wake of a disaster which cost the lives of many, it’s clear the time has come to set things straight.With the release of the new documentary Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy, we’ve all received a harsh reminder of what can happen when concerts go wrong.The annual festival, headlined by Travis Scott, tragically led to the deaths of 10 concertgoers in a crowd crush back in 2021.Though many parties have been blamed, including Scott and his tendency to encourage aggressive, riled up crowds, a recent show in Sydney has proven that it can truly happen anywhere.Last week, Central Cee took to the Qudos Bank Arena stage as part of his ‘”Can’t Rush Greatness” tour.The British rapper, who you probably don’t know, but who your teens likely would from his songs ‘Doja’ and “Sprinter” – or from his very public online drama with ex-girlfriend Madeline Argy and Ice Spice – is known to have a young audience, debuting in the TikTok era.But, what shocked some concertgoers last Wednesday was the behaviour from fans – even before Central Cee was on stage.Attendee Jen Hoang shared a video of the pit on TikTok, showing just this.“No please no,” she wrote in the video.“Central Cee [isn’t] even out yet, I’m concerned…”In the video, you can see waves forming at the front of the pit, as young fans push one another to be as close to the barricade as possible.Commenters on the post agreed that the environment felt unsafe as a result of the actions of...