Vince Gill Weighs in on Concert Etiquette and What He Wants from His Audience

Vince Gill has been performing in front of crowds of varying sizes for decades. He has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in country and bluegrass and played countless headlining solo shows. He and his wife, Amy Grant, also have an annual Christmas residency at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. More recently, Gill has been on the road with the Eagles. In short, he has played his share of shows and is a good judge of concert etiquette.

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Earlier this year, Gill sat down with the Oklahoma Hall of Fame to talk about his life, career, and more. During the conversation, they asked him if people should sit or stand during concerts. He revealed that the question doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer.

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Vince Gill Shares His Thoughts on Concert Etiquette

The Oklahoma Hall of Fame podcast host mentioned that Vince Gill had recently played a show in Tulsa and commented that most of the crowd stayed seated throughout the concert. “Well, they’re all old,” Gill said with a laugh. That sparked a conversation about concert etiquette.

“Sometimes it’s the artist that wants you to stay seated,” he said. “I think a lot of it is people pay so much money for those seats and the last thing they want to do is have somebody standing up in front of them and they can’t see the show,” Gill explained. That’s not always the case, though. “There’s times when everybody’s rocking and everybody gets up and it’s fine. But all those sweet little ballads and stuff, that’s not the time to do that,” he added.

Sometimes, Gill noted, the artist isn’t involved in the decision. “Some of it is the building. Sometimes the building doesn’t want people standing up. It’s a combination. I don’t really know if it’s us or them, to be honest,” he said.

Gill also explained that every crowd is different. “It’s interesting how crowds are in different parts of the country,” he revealed. “It’s indicative of what the people are like. People are more polite in the Midwest and not as rowdy. Some towns are all about roaring and partying and carrying on and all that. But some aren’t. Some are more reserved. You just never know,” he added.

Then, Gill revealed the most important thing an audience can do, in his opinion. “When you’re performing, all you want people to do is respond,” he said.

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