Browser
Guru
- Location
- Crowland, Lincolnshire, UK.
Went to see Michael McIntyre at the Nottingham Arena Saturday for mine & Mrs Browser's 15th wedding anniversary. Nice meal in an Italian restaurant beforehand, seats in the gods but there you go. Seat mix-up behind us mean that the three girls who were sat there had got in the wrong block and were replaced by three gents, varying in age from an estimated 25 to late thirties.
Now, when they approached all three were in 'were 'ere for a laff' cheeky-chappie mode, i.e. my guess was they'd had a couple or three before they got to their seats, and all three were toting two pints apiece. They sat chatting quietly, as did we all, and waited for the show to start.
After Mr M had been on for 10 or so minutes there then started a joke review behind us, i.e they discussed the last joke amongst themselves, loudly enough that I couldn't hear the next one from the stage, despite it being amplified well enough to carry everywhere.
After the fourth/fifth repeat I was getting annoyed, as were several other people who I could see turning around to look for the source of the noise. Turning myself I said "lads, can you please be quiet, I can't hear what he's (indicating the performer I'd paid to come and see) saying". "Sorry" says the youngest and as it turned out most agressive of them, "I didn't realise we were talkin' that loud". "Well you were, can you please stop".
This apparrently as it subsequently transpired during the interval, was 'bang out of order' as, according to said youngest/most agressive member of their party, I should expect to go to something like this, having paid £35 per ticket, and have to listen to three boozed-up individuals having a chat with each other rather than the person I paid to see as it's "***k-all to do with me if we do wanna talk".
I was very grateful that, during said interval, the bloke sat the other side of my wife turned around and attempted in the most civil manner possible to discuss the matter with them, sadly to no avail. We were both extraordinarily civil to them, despite possible urges to the contrary and despite verbal provocation questioning my/our sexual orientation, myself apparrently having been born of upper-class parents (I am a stuck-up snob it seems) when nothing could be further from the truth and several other choice phrases. They did offer handshakes when the more moderate of them tried to calm things but I was then invited to perform fellatio on the youngest one after I refused to apologise for my 'rudeness' in daring to ask them to be quiet and further questions regarding my parents upbringing of me were offered, by which time I was laughing at the absurdity of it all.
All of the above reinforced my opinion that the sale of alcohol at these events must have a direct correlation to the amount of audience/crowd trouble experienced by event staff, as I'm sure the chief gobshite of these three wouldn't have been 1/10th as brave/bolshy/agressive/unable to see reason sober.
To cap everything Mrs B had to go out near the end as she was feeling faint (big venue, no air movement, hot, has happaened many times before to he bless her) so I didn't get to (a) discretly thank the guy who'd supported me in trying to talk sense to them and (b) see what further threats/action would have resulted once we started to leave (probably best, that really would have put the cap on our anni!).
Final finisher for the night? Two obvioulsy drunk and very noisy parties of inconsiderate cretins coming back to the Holiday Inn we stayed at at 01:30 and 03:00 (I know 'cos I checked my watch) seemingly having a 'which individual in our party can make the most noise in the hotel corridor' match as they passed our room door.
Am I being too much of a puritan for expecting fellow Britons to exercise just a smigeon of resatraint when it comes to alcohol consumption, maintainance of basic behaviour when out with friends and the ability to see reason? Thoughts welcomed.
Now, when they approached all three were in 'were 'ere for a laff' cheeky-chappie mode, i.e. my guess was they'd had a couple or three before they got to their seats, and all three were toting two pints apiece. They sat chatting quietly, as did we all, and waited for the show to start.
After Mr M had been on for 10 or so minutes there then started a joke review behind us, i.e they discussed the last joke amongst themselves, loudly enough that I couldn't hear the next one from the stage, despite it being amplified well enough to carry everywhere.
After the fourth/fifth repeat I was getting annoyed, as were several other people who I could see turning around to look for the source of the noise. Turning myself I said "lads, can you please be quiet, I can't hear what he's (indicating the performer I'd paid to come and see) saying". "Sorry" says the youngest and as it turned out most agressive of them, "I didn't realise we were talkin' that loud". "Well you were, can you please stop".
This apparrently as it subsequently transpired during the interval, was 'bang out of order' as, according to said youngest/most agressive member of their party, I should expect to go to something like this, having paid £35 per ticket, and have to listen to three boozed-up individuals having a chat with each other rather than the person I paid to see as it's "***k-all to do with me if we do wanna talk".
I was very grateful that, during said interval, the bloke sat the other side of my wife turned around and attempted in the most civil manner possible to discuss the matter with them, sadly to no avail. We were both extraordinarily civil to them, despite possible urges to the contrary and despite verbal provocation questioning my/our sexual orientation, myself apparrently having been born of upper-class parents (I am a stuck-up snob it seems) when nothing could be further from the truth and several other choice phrases. They did offer handshakes when the more moderate of them tried to calm things but I was then invited to perform fellatio on the youngest one after I refused to apologise for my 'rudeness' in daring to ask them to be quiet and further questions regarding my parents upbringing of me were offered, by which time I was laughing at the absurdity of it all.
All of the above reinforced my opinion that the sale of alcohol at these events must have a direct correlation to the amount of audience/crowd trouble experienced by event staff, as I'm sure the chief gobshite of these three wouldn't have been 1/10th as brave/bolshy/agressive/unable to see reason sober.
To cap everything Mrs B had to go out near the end as she was feeling faint (big venue, no air movement, hot, has happaened many times before to he bless her) so I didn't get to (a) discretly thank the guy who'd supported me in trying to talk sense to them and (b) see what further threats/action would have resulted once we started to leave (probably best, that really would have put the cap on our anni!).
Final finisher for the night? Two obvioulsy drunk and very noisy parties of inconsiderate cretins coming back to the Holiday Inn we stayed at at 01:30 and 03:00 (I know 'cos I checked my watch) seemingly having a 'which individual in our party can make the most noise in the hotel corridor' match as they passed our room door.
Am I being too much of a puritan for expecting fellow Britons to exercise just a smigeon of resatraint when it comes to alcohol consumption, maintainance of basic behaviour when out with friends and the ability to see reason? Thoughts welcomed.
