Hey you! Yeah, you with the giant backpack, the one flailing around in the chill section of the audience. Knock it off. We're at ACL to have a good time, to listen to bands big and small—not to constantly be pissed at our fellow fest-goers. So leave your comically large backpack at home (it's probably not allowed anyway), check your manners and brush up on these 10 ways to not be an asshole at ACL.
1. Put your goddamn phone down. Yes, you can take some pictures of your idol—maybe even a short video during your favorite song—but if you're recording the entire show, blindly thrusting your phone into the air and watching the screen while the entire thing is playing out right in front of you, then you're an asshole. Not only are you not really watching the concert, but you're making the crowd behind you crane their necks around your glowing iPhone.
2. Don't try to sneak a ton of banned items through security. C'mon, man. You read the rules. You're just holding up the line at this point while the guards are making you empty every single bottle of water/vodka. This isn't their first rodeo. Don't be a jerk.
3. Want to dance like no one's watching? That's totally cool, just be respectful of other people's space. We get that you're feeling A$AP Ferg right now and want to throw your limbs around, but that's no excuse for continuously whacking someone in the face because you're just really into it.
4. And if you don't want to get continuously whacked in the face? Head to the back of the crowd and let those dancers do their thing. You can't be at the front, not dancing, and complain about being jostled around. Know your place.
5. Are you one of those people who hold hands with five of your friends and forcibly push your way to the front of the stage through hundreds of people, and then once you're there, you discover you've lost Kim, so you scream out "Kim! Kim! We're over here! Just come here! No, just come here! It's totally fine, we have space for you!"? Yeah, you're an asshole.
6. Knock before you enter a Porta Potty. People get drunk, they forget to lock the door, embarassment on all ends will ensue, and there are things you can't un-see.
7. Is Solange putting you and your boo in the mood? You know what mood I'm talking about. The one that makes you think it's OK for the two of you to start grinding on the park lawn in the name of love, tongues flying, clothes ripping, the whole shebang. Get that shit outta here, we're trying to listen to Solange's sweet, sweet jams.
8. So you got a VIP pass. Cool, dude. Don't keep loudly announcing to anyone who'll listen how all the food in VIP is free, and there's shade and shit, and thank god for real bathrooms.
9. ACL has placed plenty of trash cans around Zilker Park for a reason. Is the one closest to you full? Put in a little bit of effort and walk to the next one. There's a special kind of karma for people who throw garbage on the ground.
10. Don't kill someone else's vibe. We're all here to have a good time. If you're watching a quiet set, now isn't the time to talk loudly about politics or how Steve is soooo fucked up right now. Be respectful. Be kind. Don't be an asshole.
Check out our complete guide to ACL 2017 here.