3 Rock Concert Clichés That We Secretly Love (And You Might, Too)

It’s easy to roll your eyes at some of the clichés that come out at rock concerts. From flashlight moments to fake encores, there is certainly a rulebook for the “perfect” show. But despite how kitschy the three conventions below seem, we can’t help but love them. It wouldn’t be a true rock concert without these things.

“How Ya Doing, [Insert City Name]?”

Is it painfully obvious that someone whispered the city name into a rock star’s ear just before they go out on stage, only for them to give the audience a shoutout like it’s their favorite city ever? Sometimes, yes. But it’s nice to feel addressed, even if it sometimes reads like an obligation.

A show doesn’t truly start until a frontman or woman asks the audience how they are in that one familiar, near-scream cadence. It gets the crowd amped up and makes them feel like the show is truly one of a kind.

The A Cappella Sing-Along

We all know the moment. The band is playing their biggest hit, and they use the final chorus to let the audience have a moment. It’s a “pinch-me” feeling for both the band and the crowd. Before you even go to the concert, you can usually guess which songs will get the a cappella treatment, but it’s still exciting when it happens.

Sometimes crowd participation can feel a tad cheesy, especially with how by-the-book it has become. But that’s what live shows are all about. The crowd wants that feeling of being in on the action. Otherwise, they could’ve just listened to these same songs from the comfort of their home.

The Fake Encore

This is perhaps the silliest part of a concert. Once, encores were earned rights of passage. The crowd had to beg for more before the house lights would turn back up and the band would come out for just one more song. For decades now, the encore has been less of a spur-of-the-moment thing and more a planned fake-out. It’s expected that the main set will be followed by a few moments of waiting with the lights out and a few final numbers.

[RELATED: How the Encore Went From Audience Demand To Rock Setlist Tradition]

It’s a little silly to imagine our favorite bands just in a holding period for a few seconds waiting to come back on, but it’s a tradition nevertheless. It’s such a convention these days that in the odd moments it doesn’t happen, the audience feels cheated.

(Photo by David Lefranc/Kipa/Sygma via Getty Images)