Malaysians are pushing back against concert gatekeeping as fans argue over who is “deserving” enough to attend shows.
AS concert culture becomes increasingly shaped by online fandoms, more Malaysians are questioning why enjoying an artist now seems to come with unofficial rules, loyalty tests and accusations of being a “fake fan”.
The latest debate emerged on Threads after user @deanzaid_pw criticised what they described as “cringe gatekeeping culture” among fans of The Weeknd ahead of his concert.
“Music is for everyone. There’s no such thing as being ‘too late’ to like an artist,” the user wrote, mocking fans who brag about listening to older albums such as Kiss Land as proof of superiority.
The user argued that longtime listeners were acting entitled by trying to decide who deserved to attend concerts based on how early they discovered the artist.
“Bragging about listening to his older songs doesn’t make you a die-hard fan or give you the entitlement to decide who gets to attend his concert. It just makes you look immature,” the post read.
The post quickly resonated with many Malaysians who said they had experienced similar judgement from online music fandoms, especially from fans who look down on people who only know mainstream songs.
User @syfkkh___ questioned why casual listeners were criticised for not knowing every song or following an artist from the very beginning, saying some fans always wanted to “act like the biggest fan”.
Others argued that concerts should simply be open to anyone willing and able to buy tickets.
User @niienaaziz said people should attend if they could afford it, while user @adrianaaarzk described concerts as potentially “once-in-a-lifetime” experiences regardless of how dedicated someone’s fandom was.
Several commenters also shared frustration over feeling excluded by fan communities.
User @fatin.rasul thanked the original poster, saying a recent post of theirs had been flooded with comments from fans acting “terpaling”, a slang term used to describe people behaving as though they are superior to others.
Others rejected the idea that longtime fans deserved ticket priority altogether.
User @digitalfootage.jpg argued that fans should compete for tickets normally instead of expecting others to “give up” seats for self-proclaimed die-hard supporters.
User @nrrmysrhh similarly said there was nothing wrong with attending concerts out of FOMO (fear of missing out), as long as people were spending their own money, adding that ticket sales were ultimately “first come, first served”.
