Spontaneous Crowd Chorus
Leaving the Paul McCartney concert — fantastic show, BTW — at CitiField (NYC), the oddest thing happened: I was heading to the trains, shuffling along with this immense post show crowd. To get to my train, I have to go up a long wide flight of stairs, then thru an enclosed above ground elevated subway station where the 7 line runs. The multitudes were slowly moving thru the mass transit walkways like cows being led to slaughter.
In the midst of this, a small group of people began singing “Can’t Buy Me Love.”
Just 3 or 4 at first. Then a few others joined them, then a few more. In a matter of seconds — less than a full verse — 100s were singing. Next thing you know THE ENTIRE CROWD IS SINGING TOGETHER.
It was surreal, like in a movie where people spontaneously break out into song.
Damnedest thing you ever saw…
~~~
UPDATE: July 20, 2009 5:20pm
Here is a clip of the moment, via John Mauldin
July 18th, 2009 at 12:17 am
I love that. I absolutely love just the thought of that.
July 18th, 2009 at 12:26 am
If you had your camera phone with you and happened to see any GS people in the crowd you could have snapped their picture and probably blackmailed them…
Singing something like that would be equivalent to flag burning…
July 18th, 2009 at 12:35 am
Given our current economy, that choice was obvious.
July 18th, 2009 at 1:18 am
Had something similar happen to me on the way home from a UO Ducks football game. There is a spot where the wide footpath away from the south stadium exits (like 10 – 15 feet across) is constricted onto a footbridge that crosses the Willamette River. The bridge is really only wide enough for four or five people to walk abreast- maybe half as wide as the path. So everyone slows down, the crowd bunches up, people (who have all been out in the sun and drinking lots of beer for the last 3 hours) start to push and get a bit grumpy…
There is a guy with a guitar sitting at the bottleneck, playing stuff and hoping that folks toss a couple of bucks in the case. He starts to play and sing, “Imagine me and you, and you and me … ”
in the space of 20 seconds, there are like five thousand people singing “SO HAPPY TOGETHER! BA BA BA BAAAAAA, BA BA BA BAAAAAAA” and grinning like a bunch of fools as we walk across the bridge…
July 18th, 2009 at 1:21 am
1) Has anything like this ever happened to anyone else?
2) Was any reader there?
July 18th, 2009 at 1:49 am
Actually it happened tonight. Earth Angel was the song. How that came out from the past is kind of weird, and an interesting story. But not here.
About the only times I can recall are in bars late at night where the peeps are well-lubed. But it takes a special kind of bar.
Good for you. When it happens it’s the antithesis of GS. Even if it is ephemeral.
July 18th, 2009 at 1:51 am
I can believe the U of Oregon story. Happens on most every corner or front yard.
Welcome to Eugene. Makes Salsalito (sp?) look like kindergarten.
July 18th, 2009 at 1:54 am
Reminds me of the one big concert I went to with my son. Pink Floyd at Soldier’s Field in Chicago.
Just breathing and not partaking, I probably would have failed a drug test for about two weeks afterward. I could taste it for three days.
July 18th, 2009 at 3:09 am
Crowds are freaky. When I was an EE undergrad they let a group of people, none of whom individually knew how to, fly a simulated helicopter. You would think the inputs would just be noise. At first it looked like it would crash and then it suddenly stabilized.
July 18th, 2009 at 8:02 am
Musick has Charms to sooth a savage Breast,
To soften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak.
The phrase was coined by William Congreve, in The mourning bride, 1697:
July 18th, 2009 at 8:10 am
…I don’t suppose my “wheels on the bus” story from my 3rd grade field trip holds any court here?
July 18th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Sorta, I rode the Ragbri (bike ride across IOWA). It is sorta like a traveling circus, with all kinds of bikes from uni-cycles to four ups and everything in between. About 10,000 people go from west to east across IOWA. Camping in the little IOWA towns where they block off the main squares, put up bands, all kinds of food and lots of beer tents. It makes for a merry time.
Well we were waiting in line in the rain to get into the local church to partake of the local church womens’ food . It is generally a happy mellow bunch, so everyone’s in a good mood even in the rain. This dude waiting in line breaks out his trumpet (a shortened version of most trumpets you see) and starts playing Singing in the Rain. A couple knew all the words and pretty soon the entire crowd was singing and jumping around like fools in the rain………..
The good times in life often just happen…….
July 18th, 2009 at 9:15 am
BR,
that is a Great Story..
seems fitting it was “Can’t Buy Me Love”, that has to be NYC’s unofficial Theme Song, no?
July 18th, 2009 at 9:29 am
This video of flash mob crowd behavior has been making the rounds for the past few months. You can search on “Sasquatch Music Festival 2009 Dancing Guy” or click the link below.
Flash mob…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA8z7f7a2Pk
Since watching this video a few weeks ago I’ve found myself pondering how this flash mob relates to the Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Had something like that happen to me after coming from a Milli Vanilli concert. Only, I don’t recall hearing any actual singing.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Had something like that happen to me after coming from a Milli Vanilli concert. Only, I don’t recall hearing any actual singing.
LOL! Everybody just lip syncing huh?
July 18th, 2009 at 10:50 am
July 18th, 2009 at 11:13 am
A few years back, it was quite common in the Boston area to hear crowds break into “Yankees S*ck” — not just at baseball games but at pretty much any sort of event or activity that drew a crowd. Haven’t heard it much lately.
July 18th, 2009 at 11:30 am
I did have the same experience –back in the 80’s–at a U2 concert (Joshua Tree tour) in Atlanta. Everyone got on the Marta train headed east and someone started singing–I think it was–”I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and suddenly everyone was singing. We were packed into the train like sardines and you could tell it wasn’t just our car that was singing..you could see people as they got off from other cars singing away…We were getting off at the last stop and people kept it up all they way out. It was very surreal and a lot of fun too.
July 18th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Can’t say I ever heard something like that waiting for a train, but that type of stuff happened all the time at Dead shows. And, actually, deadheads, when crammed together (like when waiting for a train after an MSG show) would spontaneously start “mooing”.
July 18th, 2009 at 11:46 am
The theme from Rawhide would have probably been more appropriate. Often when exiting the Hollywood Bowl, my friend and I sing Rawhide to the delight of those around us. Move ‘em out, head ‘em up, Rawhide!
July 18th, 2009 at 11:49 am
BR,
I was back in State College at PSU a few months ago for a bachelor party. Was at basement bar Zeno’s and it was packed but kind of quiet in there. Some CCR came on the and by the second chorus the entire bar was signing Have You Ever Seen the Rain. Not exactly the subway, and this happens a lot at PSU but it’s still pretty cool. After the song was over it just went back to normal like nothing happened. Like some others had happen at sporting events, I’ve also been to many games at Beaver Stadium where you had basically 100k people singing along to the same song.
That was probably a good show last night, I picked up Pearl Jam tickets yesterday for October in Philly.
July 18th, 2009 at 11:50 am
oh also, speaking of the cattle comment, I went to a Bills game when I was a little kid and I remember on the way into the stadium a few hundred people moo-ing as we went through the gates.
July 18th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Does anyone know if this Concert series is being recorded for resale? I have one of his old concerts on tape. The guy puts on one hell of a show. You talk about passion…..his drummer is totally awesome.
I think I am going to Amazon right now. This guy ROCKS!!!
July 18th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
We experienced multiple “crowd sing-alongs” at and after a Paul McCartney concert in the D.C. area when my wife was pregnant with our daughter.
She (my wife) still remembers this experience vividly and fondly.
She (our daughter) is starting her second year in college.
July 18th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/07/18/arts/0718-MCCARTNEY_13.html
Barry – Thought you might enjoy the pics….
July 18th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
What, no video? Didn’t get the new iPhone, huh?
July 21st, 2009 at 7:00 pm
[...] may remember the Spontaneous Crowd Chorus I mentioned last week after the McCartney [...]
July 21st, 2009 at 8:05 pm
This actually gives me goose bumps.
July 21st, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Herding behavior manifests itself in many ways….it’s “pre-rational”….and I love it.
July 21st, 2009 at 9:16 pm
WaveCatcher.
Love that video man. That’s great stuff….and I might add it seem to have started with the following sequence of dancers…
1, 1 , 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21…..bwhahahahahah
July 21st, 2009 at 11:52 pm
I was in Ireland on business sometime in ‘01/’02 and in a very small, middle-of-no-where town; Carrick-on-Shannon. Naturally, we found ourselves at a pub and on one particularly festive evening, everyone started singing “Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie”. All it took was one drunk to start mumbling the lyrics and nobody could resist. It was moving since I was so far away from home but then again, these people will sing through an entire soccer (excuse me, football) match. Ah, those folks know how to have a good time!
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:04 am
[...] 22 July 2009 · Leave a Comment http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/07/spontaneous-crowd-chorus/ [...]
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:10 am
Very cool, I knew somebody had to have video’d it. Thanks for posting!
Sorry about the prior snark, your comment thingie left out my *grin*