At Lollapalooza and Noah Kahan Shows, Concert Etiquette Gets a Fresh Rebuke as 2026 Tours From Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo and Bad Bunny Fill Arenas
BOSTON, MA — Concert etiquette may be blurry, but fans know bad behavior when they see it. A recent WBUR segment focused on the crowded realities of live music, from messy general-admission floor habits to people treating a concert like content first and a shared experience second.
The conversation was prompted by a string of eye-catching examples, including a bag of liquid that looked like urine being passed around at Lollapalooza in Chicago and a separate incident at a Noah Kahan concert in June, when someone soiled themselves and tried to act as if nothing had happened.
Why floor spots have become such a flash point
The biggest pressure point is the fight to keep a prime place near the stage. According to the segment, some concertgoers in general admission sections are wearing adult diapers so they do not have to leave their spots during long sets or festival days.
Others are filming entire shows or livestreaming them in hopes of building followers and social clout. The result, the report suggested, is a crowd dynamic that can make the experience worse for the people standing nearby, even when the music itself is excellent.
What Rolling Stone’s Andy Greene says has changed
To sort through the etiquette breakdown, the segment turned to Andy Greene, senior writer at Rolling Stone. His perspective framed the problem as bigger than one gross incident or one overzealous phone camera. It is about how audiences now behave when access to a hot ticket feels precious.
Greene and the host discussed how concertgoers can still enjoy a show without becoming the person everyone around them remembers for the wrong reason. The focus was less on strict rules than on basic consideration, especially in tight spaces where one person’s choices can affect an entire section.
A packed 2026 touring year raises the stakes
The timing matters because 2026 is shaping up to be a huge touring year. The segment pointed to upcoming runs from Ariana Grande, Noah Kahan, Olivia Rodrigo and Bad Bunny, a lineup that will send large crowds back into arenas and festival grounds all year long.
This WBUR piece aired on August 18, 2026, and its message was simple: the more in-demand the show, the more important it becomes to think about the people standing, singing and sweating next to you. In other words, the best concert move may still be the oldest one — act like you are not alone.
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