Mike and I went to see Lionel Richie and Mariah Carey in concert a few weeks ago.  It was a wonderful evening filled with great songs that brought back lots of memories.

One of my favorite things to do at these type events is people watch. Boy, did we see some sights at this concert. The outfits, bad dance moves, and drunks were something to behold.

I was sitting next to one of the drunk people.  She got very quiet, and I worried that she was going to be sick. The part that worried me was that she would get sick all over me!

The evening inspired me to write this post.  Hopefully it will help remind all of us how to make the most of tight seating arrangements.  The American Airlines Center is allowed to post this information, with the correct author citation (just in case they were wondering).

1.  Keep your comings and goings to a minimum. It is a concert (or sporting event, etc. ), not Burger King. Get a drink, sit down, enjoy the show.
2. Your seat is from handle to handle, ground to ceiling. The drunk lady next door was waiving her hands so violently that Mike got them in photos (I was sitting between them).  I kept thinking that she was going to hit me in the head. She was welcome to boogie her feet off, just not in my area.
3. Keep your things (purse, food, drink, etc.) in your dance space, and I will keep mine in my dance space. (Yes, this is a mangled quote from Dirty Dancing).  The point is to not only keep yourself in your area, but also keep your things in that space as well.  If you are going to the concession stand, go ahead and remove your empty containers and put them in the trash.  This keeps a small passage for others to pass by.
4. Filing out at the end of the concert can be a zoo. Everyone in attendance is in the same boat. Just know you will be standing in line, and be prepared to wait your turn. We all outgrew pushing and shoving in elementary school.
5. I don’t understand getting drunk at a concert. The tickets are so expensive, the concert is so brief, that who has time to get drunk and miss it?!?  Of course getting drunk at anytime is a faux pas, so sporting events and concerts are no different.
6. Standing. Hmm?  I get the desire to stand, if everyone else is standing. However, if you are the only one standing, you are being very rude to the folks who can’t see because you are in their line of sight.  Sit down!

Sitting in that tiny little seat with limited leg room is a challenge, but when several thousand people are gathered for an event, all attendees must be cognizant of their space.  I know this is going out into the great blogosphere never to be read again, but somewhere, someday, someone is going to wonder how to create a better event experience for thousands of attendees.  This, my friend, is the answer in six easy steps!

One extra tidbit:  If you are going to dress like the performer, try not to look better than the star.  A person in the audience had the exact same dress (a red dress) on as Mariah.  Sadly, the audience member may have looked better!