Why are some people total jerks at concerts?

It seems to be happening more and more in New Jersey: you buy an expensive ticket to see your favorite rock band in concert, and when you get to your seat someone in front of you is standing and dancing up a storm non-stop for the entire show.

According to Rutgers University Sociology Professor Dr. Deborah Carr, this is happening for many reasons.

"If people are drinking and they get a little loose around the edges they may care less about what other people think, and some of these individuals may figure - I work hard all day, I worked hard for these tickets, this is my one chance to cut loose and I'm going to do it," Carr said.

In addition, she said "there are some people that are just selfish and belligerent and often-times we don't want to say anything because we're worried they'll get belligerent and they'll turn on us. That's the ill-fortune we may have if we go to any large event like a concert."

And then there are those who simply have no clue what they're doing.

"They view it as maybe different from the rest of their life. This is the one place at the rock concert where you can act the way you would have acted when you were 18," she said.  "It might be a little bit of reliving one's youth, cause we're seeing nostalgia bands, and part of nostalgia is trying to re-live the way we were when we were 18 or 20 years old."

Carr adds on one level, this behavior can be considered a form of bullying.

"I think some people who stand up at concerts are asserting their presence, they're bullying and anybody who asks them to sit might be putting themselves in harm's way. It's a rare person who will actually say something because they're afraid that the person standing up might retaliate somehow," Car said.

She also said this has been going on for years but as we get older, we're probably less tolerant of it.

"If you go to a Taylor Swift concert with a bunch of 18-year-olds, everyone might be standing," Carr said. "But if we go to a baby boomer concert more people are going to be sitting."

Our own Joe Voetruba asked people about their concert pet peeves, while staking out a plan for eliminating one of his own — those annoying cell phones. Here's some of the response he got in our comments section and on Facebook:

Mark Conradi: "Outdoor venues, smelling weed all night! sickening!"

Lynnda Padula: "Please who sing along with the performers. .. I paid (to) hear them not you!"

Monique Genanne: "The people who spend the whole concert going to buy beer, coming back, going to the bathroom, buy more beer, come back, REPEAT ... JUST STAY HOME and watch a DVD so the rest of us can enjoy the show!"

D SR Karen: "The whole room is sitting down but the 3 in front of you never do.

Lynnda Padula: "Please who sing along with the performers. ... I paid the hear them not you!"