There Are No Rules In Rock 'N' Roll

by: Kitty White

There are no rules in rock. The whole point of rock 'n’ roll is that there are no rules. It’s pure rebellion and to slap some unwritten laws on that kind of kills the entire vibe. This goes for not only the musicians themselves but for the fans as well. Especially with lists being a big trend on the internet as of late, too often do manifestos of the do’s and don’ts of concert going and being a rock band pop up on popular websites and social networks.
But what good does this do? What are these so called rules accomplishing but discouraging people from doing what they please when it comes to music? When these “rules” are spread to millions world wide young, up and coming musicians may encounter them and feel like they are doing wrong by having a drum solo in their song or being in a band with their boyfriend/girlfriend because your silly list was shared by their best friend on facebook. Why pigeonhole people from doing what they want in their songs or on stage because of these fundamental rules some unknown face has apparently set? No matter how cliché or overdone you think something is, it’s new and fun to someone else and why take that joy from them? Music is meant to be enjoyable and if the person on stage isn’t having fun, the audience will not have a lot of fun either.

And maybe you came up with one of your rules to help budding musicians save face. No matter how good your intentions may be, everyone is different and sometimes (most of the time) it’s better for others to discover these issues themselves and learn from their own mistakes. That’s how you grow as both an artist and a person.  So often these rules of rock 'n’ roll aren’t even written or thought up by professionals or famous classic rock musicians. Just your average joes who worship Jimmy Page a little too much and have a buzzfeed account.

As for the concert going rules that’s a whole other breed of jerk. Sure everyone has their own concert rituals but to think those apply to everyone just makes you an unlikeable elitist. To enforce these ideas and judge others when they don’t abide by your thoughts makes you something even worse that cannot be stated in polite conversation. Music brings people together and when you pretend you are better than other patrons at a Pearl Jam concert cause they are wearing Pearl Jam shirts you lose a chance of getting to know some really great people who obviously have a similar taste in music as you.

When you’re at a concert, especially one that is general admission, everyone is equal. Each and every person paid money to go see a band they enjoy and to squeeze in between hundreds of people and get covered in strangers’ sweat. You are not smarter than the guy down in the middle of the pit because you decided to stand on the balcony instead. Stop worrying about what others are doing or wearing at a concert and watch the musicians do what they love. After all, you paid to watch them not the people next to you. Music in general is a very free art form that offers something for everyone and you can’t tailor everything to your needs. Just worry about yourself while other musicians and music fans do their own thing.

Once you stop being pretentious about music, or anything for that matter, you’ll be happier and more people will like you.