I'd say it's fine to leave while they're changing groups - try not to do it when others are singing if you have to cross in front of other viewers. try to get an aisle seat :)

Etiquitte?  Etiquitte?  We don' need no STEENKIN etiquite!

(Actually, a pretty good question about a typical situation we all find ourselves in from time to time.)

OK to leave after your son performs...

I had this exact same question come up in our house this weekend.  We determined it is OK to leave if your child's age group is finished.  The exception is if the total program is going to be an hour or less.  This first came to light during a school spelling bee when my son was in the 2nd grade.  He won his grade, but got eliminated early in the school-wide portion.  i was not sticking around to see which 6th grader won.  Most teachers recognize this and do one of two things.  Either they provide a break for the younger kids and parents to leave.  Or, they have the younger kids go last in the program.  That is just evil if you ask me.

When I was little, somebody got snotty with my Mother for leaving during the middle of a group.  If you have to, leave when they are switching groups.

I have been admonished by more than one music teacher / principal that it is NOT OK to leave the gym/auditorium when your child is finished singing/dancing/spelling. 

I've also been one of the last parents remaining trying to hear my chidl's performance over slamming doors, hallway conversations, etc.  It's very frustrating.

I say stay or stay away.

nope..that does not work.

after 4 boys I think I have some of this down.

Get there early , Aisle seats are gone other wise.

Dress in layers , be ready to peel as it it usually 900 degrees or more.

get a real camera with a great lens and manually turn the flash off. The pix are much better 10 years later and your falsh only projects 10-20 feet. It is guaranteed you will be behind those folks who saked out territory yesterday and no where near the range of hte flash. Besides if you are an early exiter you dot want to be THAT close. OTOH ....dont be THAT guy when your kid is on stage. Stay out of the aisle and out of other camera ways.....yes those pants make your ass look fat.

Grab a program so you can start planning your exit strategy. Early on see how the transition from age groups works ....if it is a narrator be ready to bolt as soon as you see a little one walking toward the podium....dont wait till they start speaking lest you cross in front of mom trying to capture the all star and the 4 lines she is speaking.

If you ahve to stay because your kid is in deep and you are stuck ....make sure you have tune in radio or athensi.com/ radio link  and the windows media tuner ready to go on your smart phone. Just smile and let Russ and Rob keep you happy. When your kid is a BObcat then you have a real excuse to miss things

Organize your keys and stuff so that you are not dropping stuff or feeling your self up on the way out looking for things you might have lost or really need.

Pre arange the meeting place so your kid knows where to go and when. NOthing worse than being ready to bolt and you forget the most important part of leaving.

Be discreet ,,,,study old episodes of M*A*S*H and be like Col Flagg.

Probably forgot some stuff and have not even started to cove r the deal if you are a single parent but that may give you a bit of a leg up on the situation....good luck....and really ....enjoy everyminute with those kids because NOTHING is more improtant than being there in the moment and taking in every chance you get to be a dad. Too many folks forget that this stuff is fun and your kid needs feeeback and the knowledge that you actually watched and cared......THose days go by fast my friend. Don t hurry them and be proud of your kid every step of the way. Just showing up is good  but there is more to it than that ....being a parent and loving being there is its own reward.  Hope that helps.

Col. Flagg would have put his head through the wall or broken his own leg with a hammer.  Yeah, do one of those things, 'Squared.

I would either ask ahead of time or, if you're afraid you'll get the pat "Oh by all means you must stay" answer, look around to see what other people are doing.  If they leave, feel free.

And, yes, the opponent does matter.  You can miss the first part of a Marietta/NCAT/Kennesaw b'ball game or an Akron football game, but don't you dare miss any of a MACC/bowl/Fiami/Temps/any team with an RPI under 150 b'ball game.