A lot has changed over the past few decades, but one thing has definitely not — the love we have for our favorite artists. Fandom is a concept as old as time (as old as sports and music, at least). Over time, fans may have looked different — tucked in shirts and mullets have given way to phone charger-carrying fanny packs and memes on graphic tees. With the internet and social media, it’s easier for us to organize and connect with fellow fans, so we can come out in droves at a moment’s notice to support our faves.
During any concert, the focus has most often been on those doing the performing, and the camera is seldom turned in the direction of the fans. Yet their passion and enthusiasm, when it comes to music and concerts, is truly half of the equation.
Many bands would hope to sell millions of albums, but their dreams are more-so filled with packed stadiums and the roar of thousands. The volume of screams, shouts, and claps are truly the barometer for success, and have been throughout history — from Beatlemania to the Beyhive. Science will tell you that we have our biology to thank for wanting to scream, cry or faint when we get excited. In the end, it’s all about our urge to let artists know that we care, and we’re there for them. Luckily, people have captured this magical feeling and kept it frozen in time.
Ahead, we dug through the archives and found snapshots in time of fandom through the decades, from the 1940s to today.
Every Friday this summer, Refinery29 explores at the passionate, rollicking world of fandom. We’ll take a look at how we organize, create, debate and show our passion for the things we love — the good, the bad, and the loud.
Unknown artist’s jazz concert, 1940
Harlem, New York
While bigger bands struggled during World War II, 52nd street in New York City (known as "Swing Street") was brimming with small combo groups. During this time, budding jazz musicians Art Tatum, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and more experimented and enriched the genre.
Photo: Arthur Fellig/ICP/Getty Images.
Elvis Presley, 1956
Location unkown
While Elvis’ hadn’t been crowned "King of Rock ‘n’ Roll" yet, he performed practically nonstop across the country in 1956. His setlist included "Heartbreak Hotel," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Don’t Be Cruel," and "Hound Dog." Colonel Tom Parker, who managed Elvis, encouraged fans to form "fan groups" to honor Elvis and saw their existence as "another grassroots opportunity for local promotion."
Photo: A. Y. Owen/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images.
The Beatles, 1964
Washington Coliseum, Washington D.C.
This photo was taken at the Beatles’ first U.S. concert in Washington, D.C., two days after their historic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The most hardcore fans of the Fab Four were known as the Apple Scruffs (named for waiting outside the Beatles’ London Apple headquarters in thick coats and sweaters). The band’s late press officer Derek Tayor once said that their fans in some way provided solace to the group: “In some strange way, the Scruffs helped the Beatles by becoming a sort of daily interface between them and the world.”
Photo: Stan Wayman/The LIFE Premium Collection/Getty Images.
David Cassidy, 1974
White City Stadium, White City, London, England
Ex- The Partridge Family star turned solo pop star David Cassidy played his penultimate show at White City Stadium, but that wasn’t the reason why this particular performance will go down in history. The 35,000 people in the crowd were so packed in that at one point, when the crowd surged forward as Cassidy came on stage, many fainted, and at least 750 people were injured. Fourteen-year-old fan Bernadette Whelan, who went unconscious after being crushed by the crowd, died a few days later and became the first death to occur at a British pop concert.
Photo: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Getty Images.
Twisted Sister, 1984
Stay Hungry Tour
Dee Snider, the lead singer and songwriter of heavy metal band Twisted Sister, testified in the Senate in 1985 about putting warning labels on albums with explicit lyrics, including his band’s third album, Stay Hungry. When asked the same of Twisted Sister’s fan club, Snider told the Senate, "the fan club is called the SMF Fans of Twisted Sister. It stands for the Sick Motherfucking Fans of Twisted Sister." And when asked if this was a Christian group, he replied, "I do not believe profanity has anything to do with Christianity."
Photo: Mark Weiss/Getty Images.
1990s
The ’90s were not only the peak era of chokers and platform flip-flops, but it was also an era of girl power. The Spice Girls brought women together across the pond, and Stateside female rock fans gathered to celebrate the emerging underground feminist punk movement of the time, called "Riot Grrrl" (bands included Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney). Then in 1997 came Lilith Fair, biggest all-woman festival ever and the highest grossing touring festival that year. The biggest fashion trends included shaggy bobs, floral slip dresses, and tiny sunglasses.
Photo: PYMCA/UIG/Getty Images.
Bon Jovi, 2001
McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England
While today you may hear "Livin’ On A Prayer" sung most often at karaoke bars, it was sung by 37,500 fans, or "Jovials," at McAlpine Stadium in West Yorkshire, England in 2001. The 2000s were also the last decade when bringing a point-and-shoot camera to a concert was standard — when smartphone cameras became more sophisticated starting in 2010, they made having a second camera largely redundant.
Photo: Staff/Mirrorpix/Getty Images.
Beychella, 2018
Coachella Music Festival, Indio, California
Beyoncé’s performance at Coachella Music Festival was such a historic event that the singer immortalized it during her Netflix Homecoming documentary. And her followers, known as the Beyhive, are some of the most ardent fans out there, especially thanks to their vocal social media presence.
But now that the 2010’s are almost over, a new decade begins, and with it a new era of fandom. But some things, of course, remain timeless.
Photo: KYLE GRILLOT/AFP/Getty Images.
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Source: Refinery29 – Natalie Morin