TivoliVredenburg
In collaboration with
RTV Utrecht
ANNOUNCEMENTS•
Since this week, posters have been hung in the TivoliVredenburg concert hall explaining the Utrecht U-call to artists during performances. Several performers were surprised by the screams because they believed they were being booed.
The U scream was originally used by FC Utrecht fans in the stadium to show they are proud of the city. The exclamation, accompanied by the hand gesture, has now also made its appearance at other events and in concert halls.
“It started about six years ago, but after the corona virus it increased considerably. There were concerts again and many visitors were very enthusiastic,” says a spokesman for TivoliVredenburg. RTV Utrecht.
Confusion
The U call usually starts when the performers drop the word Utrecht. The musicians then think they are dealing with a dissatisfied audience, but at the same time they see that everyone is happy. This creates confusion. “What are you booing about? I love your city!“, according to RTV Utrecht, the British punk singer Frank Carter recently reacted with surprise.
According to the spokesperson, other artists were also shocked, such as Merol, Eefje de Visser and Nations of Language. “UUU is mostly called by Dutch or hip-hop artists.”
The protest sparked controversy on social media. For example, one party thinks they don’t belong in a concert hall. TivoliVredenburg knows the discussion. “We don’t want to and we can’t ban it. It’s better to welcome it and explain it”.
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
This is what happens with the explanatory poster, which states that the artists are not booed, but that the shouts indicate that the inhabitants of Utrecht are proud of their city and that the public is happy that the artist is in Utrecht.
The manifesto has already taken effect, says the spokesman. “When artists heard it, now they say, ‘Oh yeah, that’s a good thing isn’t it?So it seems to work.”
