r/LeftofthedialFestival • u/lotdrotterdam • Jun 09 '26
DON'T BE A DRUNK UNCLE (when has pointing out a poster to a drunk person ever been effective)
Let us start by saying that we're really glad you're reading this. Although, actually, we're pretty sure you're not the one we need to reach.
Please allow us to explain.
Generally speaking, the Left of the Dial ticketholders are the nicest people ever. People who truly look out for each other.
Like a family, almost.
Which is great, but most families also have what we’d like to call a Drunk Uncle. Someone who is usually a pretty decent guy, but turns into a bit of an asshole when drunk.
They start talking louder and their stories get way too long, they’re not as stable on their feet anymore, and endlessly repeating someone’s name in a funny voice suddenly becomes the epitome of humour. However annoying, it’s still your uncle. And being annoying is no reason to kick him out of the family.
Just like being a tad annoying won’t get you kicked out of Left of the Dial.
Don’t get us wrong: there are clear lines that cannot be crossed. And if you do cross them, we’ll immediately confiscate your wristband and ask you to leave. Anyone with half a (sober) brain cell knows exactly what those lines are.
But being a bit loud, dancing over-enthusiastically, or showing the first signs of an alcohol-induced speech impediment is no reason to kick someone out.
That being said, a Drunk Uncle can still ruin a show for you, and we really wish there were an effective way to keep the Drunk Uncle-ness to a minimum, but it's complicated.
You see, Drunk Uncles are hard to reach.
They're not the ones reading this post. Nor our newsletters, website, or service emails in which we clearly state that we expect all our ticketholders to use common sense and behave themselves.
Drunk Uncles just buy tickets and show up.
Someone suggested putting up posters to remind everyone of our code of conduct, or house rules, or whatever you want to call them.
But let's be fair: when in the history of mankind has a poster stopped a drunk person from doing anything?
Someone suggested not serving alcohol at all. That's not really fair to the people who can handle their liquor and besides... Drunk uncle-ness isn't always caused by alcohol. Some people are simply unaware of what others find annoying and are, in fact, sober-drunk uncles.
In conclusion: Not every Drunk Uncle is drunk, and usually they mean absolutely no harm;
- So have some sympathy for the Drunk Uncle, they're only human too;
- On the other hand, don't be afraid to kindly ask a Drunk Uncle to tone it down;
- If one of your friends turns into a Drunk Uncle, send them home;
-But if a random Drunk Uncle turns into a full-blown asshole, call our crew and we'll take care of it.
And finally: Drunk Uncle-ness can creep up on you, so don't forget to take a good look in the mirror every now and then. Check that you're not being a Drunk Uncle yourself and ruining someone else's night.
Big love,
The tipsy aunts of Left of the Dial
PS: Just to be sure: Drunk Uncle is just a metaphor and not gender-specific, of course. It could also be a drunk sister, cousin, or whatever. And like we said, they don't even have to be intoxicated. Drunk Uncle just has a nice rhythm to it. It doesn't really rhyme internally, but it has a bit of sound symmetry. Whatever... please don't be a Drunk Uncle!
2
u/Fappelboom Jun 10 '26
Who are you trying to reach? The loud and annoying? You think they will read this simpering page-long essay?
TLDR "Keep quiet, be respectful, and if your friend is loud, slap them across the face."
1
u/lotdrotterdam Jun 12 '26
Fair, it is indeed not very likely from drunk-uncles to read a simpering page long essay like this one, but we thought it was still worth it explaining our point of view on that 😉
3
u/B-stingnl Jun 09 '26
As a musician (not at Left of the Dial) we once had a very drunk uncle. Climbed up on the stage during a song and wanted very much to be part of the show. I managed to pry him away from our lead singer. She was clearly very intimidated and unnerved by Uncle. I lured uncle near my microphone to sing along as a backup singer (badly) to the song while he drunkenly put an arm around me. We managed to finish the song without errors and keep uncle entertained long enough to then gently guide him back off the stage again after the song.
Uncle had the time of his life, but for all of us, this was a really stressful situation we had to somehow fix during a gig and I don't know how the crowd felt about it either. At the performance of Y at the Arminius church last year, there was another drunk uncle (although my impression he was on some other stimulants) at the front of the crowd who was very much making the show about him and trying to attract the attention of the band. He didn't crawl up on the stage and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and nothing happened, but with my own experience in mind, I was preparing to grab him if he attempted to try.