There are three kinds of coughers at concerts:
First there is the Unfortunate Throat Tickler. This person is visited by the sudden uninvited tickle that can turn a healthy, calm listener into a spasm-ridden one in a matter of seconds. Who hasn’t been there (and in the middle of a long row) at least once before? I’m deeply sympathetic.
Then there is the Virally Afflicted. This person is ill. Maybe what was only a runny nose or sore throat has just now decided to turn into a cough. Maybe that cold wasn’t as mild as thought or the concert is too enticing or important to miss. It’s an awful place to be in. Perhaps they should have stayed away, but again, I’m sympathetic.
Finally there is the Common Throat Clearer. Indulging a nervous, habitual and largely unnecessary reaction that thoughtlessly intrudes, usually between movements and in the quietest passages. To these people I say just one thing: Please, do it during the loud bits!
I’m not the first person to complain about coughing in concerts. And I’m certainly not the first person to hazard the theory that most of the coughing, or rather throat-clearing, heard in concerts is psychologically rather than physically motivated. But recent performances make this an especially topical theme.