I have been following this thread for the last two days and planned on contributing my thoughts on this unfortunate phenomenon today Sunday. Detlof, you have expressed my thoughts on this perfectly. I can only add that unfortunately, this behavior is not found only in "high brow" concert halls; I say "high brow" because that is the shallow realm that the experience of attending a fine performance stays in, for some individuals. We find the same behavior, and worse, at Jazz clubs where so many in the "audience" are clearly there not for the music, but to socialize at a "hip" night spot, and think nothing wrong of talking incessantly.
But please, let's not give up on or become cynical about the live music experience as a result of this annoyance. No experience is perfect, and in a way, this is a reminder of some of the things that make the live experience so great: the unpredictability and energy, good and bad, that goes with the territory. Live, feeling, human beings making art on a stage for an audience will touch us in a way so deep, that as Detlof points out, is just too much for some to handle.
But please, let's not give up on or become cynical about the live music experience as a result of this annoyance. No experience is perfect, and in a way, this is a reminder of some of the things that make the live experience so great: the unpredictability and energy, good and bad, that goes with the territory. Live, feeling, human beings making art on a stage for an audience will touch us in a way so deep, that as Detlof points out, is just too much for some to handle.