Why Ian Anderson is wrong about Brazilian and South American crowds

The Jethro Tull leader, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Ian Anderson talked a lot recently about the audience behavior nowadays and he doesn’t like especially when people use their phones during the shows or start to shout and whistle. He talked in an interview Laura Steele Media about that and complain about the audiences in some countries, like Brazil, for example.

Well, I am from Brazil and after you read what Anderson said, you will be able to read also my opinion about his comment and why I think he is not entirely right about what he said.

Ian Anderson talks about smartphones and about the Brazilian crowd

“Well, I think it’s always bad to stereotype audiences according to nationality, and I can give you an example of how in the London theater these days, I know many actors who are really upset. They walk on stage in a serious play, and there are people getting out their phones and trying to video it or taking selfies in the middle of a serious theatrical drama. And [the actors] get really upset, as I can well understand.”

“Anything goes in some people’s minds, but you’ve gotta have respect for the performers and the sensibility of the environment and what it’s about,” he continued. “So, sitting, eating popcorn during a Shakespeare play is really not a good thing to do, let alone getting your phone out and doing whatever. So it does happen, even in London and on the theater stage for serious, traditional and important drama. At concerts, it depends who the artist is and where it is.”

He continued:

“I tend to play seated audiences and I played in the [Royal] Albert Hall [in London] lots of times — I’ve never had people whistling or shouting or being obnoxious in the Albert Hall — but it changes with changing times and changing attitudes towards particularly the use of cell phones and particularly the degree to which people will make a noise of their own, especially in the quiet moments.

Brazil, where I was in Brazil last year, and I’ve forgotten just how noisy the Brazilians are and sometimes not in a nice way. They’ll whistle and hoot, and even if you play a song and somebody doesn’t — just one person in the audience thinks, ‘Oh, I don’t like that one,’ so they boo. But people will do that, and it’s really, really not a nice thing to do.”

“So I think having respect for the artist [is important],” Ian added. “If you go to see the very final BLACK SABBATH concert this summer where my old pal Tony Iommi will be playing, I expect the audience will be really noisy and loud and shouting, but that’s okay. It’s BLACK SABBATH, it’s heavy metal. That’s okay. But if you’re coming to a JETHRO TULL concert, I think you should probably leave the phone at home or at least in your pocket,” he said (Transcribed by Blabbermouth)

Rafael Polcaro’s opinion on Ian Anderson’s comment about the Brazilian audience

Well, I understand Ian Anderson’s point about the behavior of some audiences, but I don’t think he’s entirely right about the Brazilian audience. I also believe he doesn’t fully understand the spirit of the Brazilian and South American people.

First of all, we are extremely joyful, even though there are many social challenges in our country and many things that need to be fixed. We express our happiness through music—we want to sing along, dance, and show that we’re enjoying ourselves. It’s simply not part of Brazilian culture to go to a theater, sit down, and stay quiet while someone plays songs we love on stage. We need to sing along, we need to show that we’re thrilled by the performance.

Every time we watch concerts of rock bands overseas, and we see people just standing there staring at the band, doing nothing, we find it weird. To us, it feels like that audience has no soul and isn’t truly enjoying the moment. There’s a cultural difference in how we express joy and how we connect with music. It’s not something we keep inside—we have to let it out.

The second thing I want to say is that Brazil is not a wealthy country like the United States or most of Europe, so it’s quite expensive to see international bands like Jethro Tull here. The band hasn’t played that often in Brazil, so it’s rare to see one of their shows. The high ticket prices and the long gaps between their visits are also important factors that contribute to the energy and excitement of the crowd. Someone who paid a lot of money to see them—and hasn’t seen them in maybe 10 years—will be extremely excited and will want to sing along. Even though it’s a Progressive Rock show, it’s still Rock and Roll. It’s about energy and power—people shouldn’t behave like they’re watching an opera.

The use of smartphones is certainly an issue, not only for artists but also for other fans. Some people record entire shows with the flashlight on, and that can be really annoying. However, I believe Ian Anderson needs to consider that times have changed. If you’re American or European, you’ve probably had the chance to see Jethro Tull live almost every year for the past five decades.

Brazilian and South American fans have probably had the chance to see them no more than seven or eight times in those same five decades. So yes, the person is paying a lot of money, is extremely happy to be there, and wants to record a part of a song or two to keep the memory alive. They want to relive the moment later and, of course, share it with people they know—show that they love this band and are enjoying that moment.

South American audiences are nothing like American or European ones. Our connection with live music is completely different. So Ian Anderson shouldn’t come here expecting us to behave the same way or to connect with his music in the same way audiences in those countries do.