Back in 2009, music journalist Marc Hirsh wrote a piece titled "The Worst Music Trend Of The Decade: Yahoos Waving Giant Signs At Concerts." He called concertgoers with fan signs "pure evil" and "the worst development" of the 2000s. Where is this hatred coming from, you ask? He argues that showing up to a concert with a fan sign is selfish and, plainly put, not worth it.

"Signs provide nothing but arm fatigue and a misbegotten way of proving true fandom for the people holding them up," he writes. "And a deep, fuming rage for everyone else who paid upwards of $50 for the privilege of staring at the back of white posterboard for two hours."

I personally love fan signs at concerts. I think they can be a great way to enhance a concert experience not just for yourself but for others too. Humor is subjective, of course, but when they're done with taste and respect and not just for social media clout, they can make other concertgoers and the artists laugh. As long as you don't annoyingly wave it around for the entire two hours, of course.

What's an inappropriate concert sign? One that makes the artist uncomfortable and forces them to draw a line. Like this incident at a Reneé Rapp concert a few months back, where the singer had to establish some boundaries when she saw quite a vulgar sign. While she interacts with some of the signs with funny and lewd language, others can make her uncomfortable.

"Sometimes signs are funny and other times they make me feel like a piece of meat!", she wrote on Instagram. "I get that the intention is to be funny, I really do understand it, I just feel a little weird about it recently."

Almost a year ago, a TikTok of a fan snatching another's sign away from their hands mid-concert sparked debate about sign etiquette. In a now-viral video, taken at The Weeknd concert, the user who did the deed captioned it with "No signs blocking our view here." People started debating: is this person just being a jerk, or are people with signs really ruining other concertgoers' experience?

Most music outlets and journalists agree that you need to be mindful of your sign. Rolling Stone, for example, names large signs that block the view as a "don't" in proper concert etiquette. "Keep your sign to yourself and be considerate of everyone around and behind you. Hold it at chest level if at all possible and if you wanna raise it high, do so briefly so the folks behind you don't miss a moment," they advise.

Concert venues are increasing their security measures every year. Up until attending my first arena concert in 2022, I didn't know about the transparent bag rule. It was quite different from my experience at a Muse gig in 2016, where I rocked out to their hits sporting a full backpack. The list of prohibited items expands often, and large banners, flags, or signs are prohibited in most venues. 

"Fan signs and flags are allowed, but they must not be raised in the air in front of the stage or anywhere else where they can hinder the visibility of others," Live Nation warns their customers. "Event personnel/security may ask you to lower your sign. You should leave the poles and sticks of flags and banners at home, as they are prohibited from being brought into the venue for safety reasons."

Concert etiquette has been a hot issue for the last couple of years since the pandemic. Many people on social media claim that after spending so much time at home for COVID-19, some folks forgot how to act in public. There's that fan throwing their mother's ashes on stage at a Pink concert, Bebe Rexha getting hit by a phone and needing three stitches, and Cardi B throwing a microphone at a fan who splashed her with a drink while she was performing on the stage.

While throwing things at your favorite artists while they're on stage should be a no-no for anyone with at least a bit of common sense, there are other concert etiquette guidelines experts recommend to ensure a smooth experience. Shrieking with all the might of your lungs is one thing fans should refrain from. For some, it's another way to get noticed, and others just might be a tad overexcited. Whichever you may be, think about the people around you and spare their eardrums.

If I had a nickel for every time I've seen the sarcastic comment "Everyone just living in the moment, no phones in sight" under a video from some concert, I'd probably have a few dollars. It isn't a lot, but that's quite a few times if you do the math. People who have their phones glued to their hands for the entirety of the concert are another pet peeve for concertgoers. "You're paying for a live concert, not a streaming special, so put your phone away and live in the moment!" Rolling Stone writes.

United By Pop has some useful advice for those who want to make good-quality concert signs. The three basic rules to keep in mind are: the letters have to be big, use high-contrast colors, and keep it simple. If you're trying to get the attention of your favorite artist, you have to make your sign legible. Tiny and plain lettering just won't do the job. So, grab a light-colored poster board, a Sharpie, and maybe even some battery-operated fairy lights, and let your favorite band know how much you appreciate them!