In the Crowd

My age group, commonly referred to as, "the baby boomers," has been a crowd-loving generation. For many of us, some of our favorite memorable moments took place when we were in a crowd at an event. 

We grew up with our thinking being shaped by the same media -- LIFE Magazine and MAD Magazine and from watching the same cartoons on television. In our teens and twenties my generation poured into live music festivals in crazy large numbers. We baby boomers went to boot camp in crowds and we protested war in marching crowds. It was a thrill watching "Jaws" (1975) as part of a sell-out crowd. 

Now, as geezers, the remaining baby boomers are learning to avoid crowds. After going to nearly every VCU men's basketball game ever staged at the Siegel Center, the last Rams basketball game I attended was in March of 2020. 

Hey, everybody can see that people of all ages are getting shot in crowds. Especially young people who tend to be out and about. And those same young people, at least the smart ones, can see that crowds are an epidemic's best friend. Thus, in reaction to how dangerous being in a crowd seems to have recently become, isn't our society bound to change its ways, to adjust? To cope? 

After all, it's just math: The bigger the crowd, the more risk is presented. Some shooters are looking for big crowds. Germs prefer big crowds, too.

OK, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying anyone ought to avoid crowds. That's your business. However, I am saying that in 2022 the entertainment industry has not only taken a hit in the last couple of years, it is going to have to change with the times. For the foreseeable future, for some people, being jammed shoulder-to-shoulder for a couple of hours, with a lot of attendees you don't know, has somewhat less allure than it once did. 

Which has to mean this probably isn't the best time to borrow a bunch of money to build a new large sports arena. Or to build any sort of entertainment venue designed to accommodate big crowds. And, look on the bright side, some niche forms of entertainment actually work better in small rooms, anyway. 

Bottom line: If presenting over-produced rock n' roll shows in big-ass stadiums goes out of style, well, that won't necessarily be a bad thing.

-- 30 --