Dick Hagerty: Bad manners diminish Gallo Center experience

Our Gallo Center for the Arts is such a joyful place, full of great music and world-class entertainers providing wonderful entertainment for our communities.

So, why do some of the Gallo Center’s patrons fail to conduct themselves in a proper, respectful manner, thus tainting enjoyment by the great majority of attendees?

Lynn Dickerson, CEO of the Gallo Center, asks much the same in her remarks column included in the latest Gallo monthly magazine. She was responding to patrons’ questions about cellphone and video recording, shouts from the audience and other related poor behavior. Even as the center’s CEO, she admits she has no solutions for such rudeness. She said the same in a conversation with me.

We agreed, sadly, that culture has changed and civility no longer is a priority for many people.

I can add a lot more questions than those posed, none with ready answers.

Why do some patrons come in long after the show has started? Come late to the San Francisco Opera and you are required to stand in the back until the end of the act. I know the Gallo Center policy is to wait to seat late-arrivals until a song is finished, but this can be such a brief time. Better yet, folks should just arrive on time so they don’t have to stomp over those of us who make the effort to be prompt.

Why do some insensitive souls approach the stage or, worse yet, dance in front of the orchestra seats blocking the views of those down front? Attend a major sporting event and the signs say “Anyone going on the field or disrupting the game will be expelled and subject to arrest.”

Lynn assured me the policy will be strengthened and that steps are in motion to try to eliminate these problems.

Then there are the “sing-alongs,” who insist on performing all evening right along with the featured artist. At the recent Gloria Trevi show, two women next to us and three behind us sang every single word of every single song. Loudly and poorly. It got so bad my wife got up and left before the show was over.

“I paid to hear the singer, not to hear bad singing all around me,” she said.

The Trevi show was especially rowdy. The ushers fought a losing battle in keeping patrons from rushing the stage and interrupting the performance.

One particularly obnoxious character, wearing a big, white cowboy hat, was up and down all evening and very insistent that Trevi bend down and give him physical contact and recognition. The situation always deteriorates quickly when one person is successful gaining a toehold in front of the stage. The floodgates open, and many more follow in the footsteps of the first trespasser.

Which brings us to yet another topic, and that is the proper attire for an event at the Gallo. Admittedly, Modesto is not the hot spot for fashions, but some of the outfits border on sheer disrespect. Wearing a cowboy hat to an indoor event is a good place to start. It might make the wearer feel important, but pity the folks sitting behind this inconsiderate soul, as they wonder how much of the visuals they missed as they tried to peer around the brim of his hat.

Cellphones are a real puzzler. First, generally the performer has strict copyright rules forbidding photography, or having the act recorded. Second, sitting next to a persistent cellphone user is most annoying. Finally, it is totally perplexing why someone would pay premium dollars to watch a live show and then view it only through the tiny screen of the cellphone.

And what in the world happens to these amateurish video clips after the performance has ended?

Before wrapping up this lament, let me make it clear that our Gallo Center team is first rate, and the shows brought to us are top notch. From the volunteer ushering staff all the way to top management, it is a great organization.

Perhaps it is time to enforce the rules already in place and frequently announced. At worst, the disciplined offenders will simply not return – and that would be a win for those of us who play by the rules.

This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 10:42 AM with the headline "Dick Hagerty: Bad manners diminish Gallo Center experience."