Mosh pits

[Requiem]

are the stupidest fucking thing ever. Honestly, why do people do this shit? It's stupid, and really inconsiderate to the people around you who don't want to deal with that crap. Went to a concert once, and this fucking mosh pit formed right behind me and people kept pushing us forward constantly because of it. I don't fucking understand what the purpose is. You go to a concert to see a band play music, not to get pushed around in a circle and try to hurt people. That's stupid, and if anyone here takes part in mosh pits, you are stupid.

[thedamndest]

Mosh pit etiquette says that once a clearly defined perimeter has been established you should not push anybody into the pit, though that is not always the case. Sometimes you are doing your duty as a perimeter man, pushing the moshers away and you push too far and you wind up in the pit, and you can't get out because the people on the perimeter won't let you out. You just have to mosh it out until the pit dies of its own accord.

I hate the huge guy in the pit that is just there to hurt people. He doesn't even mosh. He throws elbows, he punches. He's usually some skinhead gorilla, late 20's early 30's. Depending on how early on in the show you catch him he may have taken off his shirt. It's either him or the long-haired fat guy. The long-haired fat guy I'm not convinced is out to intentionally hurt anybody, but will just because he's a mammoth.

[ron the dial]

i used to enjoy mosh pits. i still don't have an issue with them, i just avoid them. it used to bother me for a while when i first stopped enjoying them but still wanted to be front row. even if you weren't moshing the crowd would ebb and flow and you'd get crushed on the guard rail and fuck that. nowadays i usually go up on the balcony (if there is one) and watch the show from there.

[ron the dial]

You go to a concert to see a band play music, not to get pushed around in a circle and try to hurt people. That's stupid, and if anyone here takes part in mosh pits, you are stupid.
also that is a large assumption. i know plenty of people who go for the pit and the music is secondary.

[D Mac]

Mosh pit etiquette

:lol:

[ron the dial]

you laugh but there is a mosh pit etiquette and if you don't recognize it you are a fucking douche

[D Mac]

Most drunk people have no etiquette.

[thedamndest]

Another part of mosh pit etiquette is that if somebody falls you need to stop and pick them up. This is usually done within seconds and if you are the person on the ground you are grabbed by six or seven arms, and the person closest to you may ask you if you're okay to continue moshing. If you say no you will usually be permitted to leave the pit peacefully.

[El Vaquero de Infierno]

if you don't want to find yourself in the pit then stay to the sides and back. Anybody who has ever been to a metal gig knows this. You go to the front and you'll be crushed, go to the middle and somebody is likely to fuck your shit up. I always stick to the sides.

[Requiem]

why would someone pay just to go mosh though if the band is secondary? that is dumb. why not just go pick a fight with someone for free? and why do people insist on moshing toward the front? seems like the people who stand in line the longest are probably there because they want to see the band, so they shouldn't have to deal with idiots pushing into them. that seems like -real- etiquette if they want people to not think they're just huge assholes.

went to a concert once and was like 3rd from the front because I really liked the band and had waited for like 6 hours in line, and a mosh pit formed right behind me and my friends.. like, right behind us to where I was part of the edge and it pissed me off because people kept like mashing into me and elbowing me and shit. Finally, this girl next to me got shoved down and we had to help her up and she was so mad that when she got up she kicked the guy as hard as she could in the shins and then walked off through the crowd. fuck, it wasn't even a metal concert.. it was just 'hard rock'.

like I guess cool, if it's a really big area or something outside where the 'mosh pit' is pretty well designated because of a huge circle of people or something, cause that's pretty easy to avoid getting nailed by an elbow. but i can not agree with any sort of etiquette where mosh pits just form randomly from some idiot thrashing around bumping into people in a crowded area. my only real experience with a mosh pit was only one time, and it was a kind of small indoor venue (not tiny, but it wasn't huge) and it made me angry because I paid money to go there and stood in line for a really long time and had to watch two shitty bands open for the band I wanted to see. instead, I got elbowed multiple times, and pushed forward CONSTANTLY.

[CSL]

Always thought people in mosh pits are pretty retarded but I've never been 'into' it so I would think that. I can see the attraction of just going fucking ape but honestly, I wanna see and hear the band. The one's that annoy me are the little shits that seem to pop up in clubs I go to and there's like 4 of 'em, all apparently 18, looking about 12, running into each other and generally being annoying.

As for gigs, I have no qualms launching cunts that come out of the pit. I mean, it's not so bad for me 'cause me and the guy I go to most gigs with are big fuckers but quite often there's gonna be younger people/women/pussies etc around the outside and some of 'em will literally hide behind you, holding on for dear life. Myself and said friend spent most of a Stone Sour gig a year or 2 ago playing Human Skittles/Bowling with the idiots that spilled into us. Twas fun.

[ron the dial]

yeah the exact reason i liked doing it when i did was because it was an excuse to just go nuts and hit people and get hit by other people and all of it was in good fun (most of the time). especially at a lot of the smaller punk shows that i went to. no better way to bond with the punks than to jump in the pit with them. and it's not like you can't still listen to the band when you're moshing. you might catch less of it, but it's not like you miss the show because of it.

[Juan]

Thed and WeX are absolutely right.

[RGWhat316]

I was just officially involved in my first one tonight during a show headlining Black Label Society. Dope was with them, and I'm a big fan so even though I didnt really want to mosh, I wanted to be near the front. I didnt necesarily try to get myself involved, but when theres people pushing, I had to push back. At least the people behind me knew that I didnt want to be directly involved, so they just kinda stopped me when I got shoved, and didnt shove back. One of my biggest problems is that i'm not all that big, so when there is 250-300 lb guys shoving, its kinda hard to shove them back. But after Dope's set was over, I decided to stay out for the rest of the show.

[LuigiD]

Always annoying.
I only went into a mosh pit once. It was at a Testament concert and it was more for "I did it" value. I thought it was dumb and got out after like 2 minutes.

[Blitz]

Fact is it happens. I go in every now and then. It's fun to just throw yourself around. If you don't want to deal with it, don't go on the floor, or just go a little back.

Seriously, few things piss me off more than people who get mad when they get bumped into at a concert. It's bound to happen. If you don't like it, go elsewhere. My buddy got grabbed at a Flogging Molly show when he got pushed into some guy's kids. Maybe don't bring your kids on the floor at a punk show, you fucking jackass.

[El Vaquero de Infierno]

Also, you have to remember that some bands will actually instigate a mosh pit. When I went to see Soulfy back in Feb, both Max and the vocalist from the shitty support band were directing the audience to back up and make an empty space in the middle of the venue, and then fuck shit up.

Some bands like and see the mosh pit as part of the experience and want you to do it, and of course people are happy to oblige. Though, obviously, the bands don't want you to kill one another.

Ha, saying that though, when I was at soulfly somebody got their ass handed to them and had to be carried out by the security guy. He was totally out it, kinda like how Sami Kapinan (sp?) was after Darcy Tucker owned his ass in the 2003 stanley cup playoffs.

[St. Jimmy]

It's fun.

[Hornicane]

The point of a mosh pit isn't to hurt someone, it's just to work out pent up energy and just go ape shit. If you're seeing your favourite band play, a lot of people will get mad excited and want to go nuts. There is mosh pit etiquette, and it's a priority to make sure no-one gets seriously hurt. People will help you up, people will ask if you're ok, people will get you out of there if you're not doing so good. The bigger guys will look out for the smaller guys and the females in the pit, and everyone just wants to make sure everyone is having a good time. After having a rough week, I've found few things that will let me get my aggression out better than being in a pit. :y:

[El Vaquero de Infierno]

But you will get skin heads who do want to fuck people up as much as possible.

[ron the dial]

you've got to be prepared to go to war

[Hornicane]

But you will get skin heads who do want to fuck people up as much as possible.

Honestly, I've almost never had experiences like that in the pit. My first concert was seeing Kittie, and everyone in the pit was super-cool and I was hooked after that. The only time I've encountered assholes in the pit was when I took my girlfriend at the time to see Good Charlotte, and the fucking brats in the punks were trying to prove that they were legitimate punks by being dicks in the pit. :mad:

[ron the dial]

only had one two run ins with major assholes in a mosh pit. 1) skinhead at the local skate park where they had shows just tried to fuck everybody up who came near the pit because it was "sissy pop punk" so my buddy picked him up by his shirt and headbutted him which lead to a large brawl with his skinhead pals. a few people were banned from the venue. 2) big fat dick at a lamb of god show just trying to intentionally fuck up the little guys in the pit so i kicked him square in the chest as he was circling the pit. that was pretty awesome as i was expecting an ass beating but did not receive one.

[St. Jimmy]

are the stupidest fucking thing ever. Honestly, why do people do this shit? It's stupid, and really inconsiderate to the people around you who don't want to deal with that crap. Went to a concert once, and this fucking mosh pit formed right behind me and people kept pushing us forward constantly because of it. I don't fucking understand what the purpose is. You go to a concert to see a band play music, not to get pushed around in a circle and try to hurt people. That's stupid, and if anyone here takes part in mosh pits, you are stupid.

Go sit in the balcony and sip your cup of tea while you're at it you fucking pansy. Imagine if everyone had the mentality you had of just sitting/standing there and watching the band play... how piss boring is that?

[CSL]

Honestly, I've almost never had experiences like that in the pit. My first concert was seeing Kittie, and everyone in the pit was super-cool and I was hooked after that. The only time I've encountered assholes in the pit was when I took my girlfriend at the time to see Good Charlotte, and the fucking brats in the punks were trying to prove that they were legitimate punks by being dicks in the pit. :mad:


The thought of a pit at a Good Charlotte gig is...strange

[Ogen]

I think mosh pits are why I think most metal fans are fucking idiots tbh.

[Juan]

Yeah because ALL metal fans mosh.

[Hornicane]

The thought of a pit at a Good Charlotte gig is...strange

Yeah, it was pretty wierd and out of place.

[Requiem]

Go sit in the balcony and sip your cup of tea while you're at it you fucking pansy. Imagine if everyone had the mentality you had of just sitting/standing there and watching the band play... how piss boring is that?

posts like this are why i hate mosh pits. st jimmy is probably one of those guys who doesn't have any courtesy for the people around him. he is probably one of the guys in the pit who doesn't give a shit who is around him, or if he pushes someone down.. he would probably be that guy like i described in an earlier post who shoves a girl down and doesn't give a shit as long as he's going nuts elbowing people and pushing the other guys.

if the only reason you go to shows is to mosh, then your opinion means shit to me. i go to concerts because i want to experience a band i like playing awesome music live. even more, i like waiting in line to get the best possible view and be mere feet away from the stage. that in itself is the experience

i know you guys have said there is an etiquette about this sort of thing, but why does that 'etiquette' give you priority over the vast majority of other people who -aren't- moshing? some of you (not all) are acting like you guys deserve to be front and center, while the people who came PRIMARILY for the band, have to be pushed off to the sides or back. what the fuck kind of logic as that? someone even stated that a lot of people go primarily for the mosh, and secondarily for the band, so why do you need to be at the front? let the more dedicated people who came for the band, watch the fucking band, without having the unfortunate experience of getting elbowed or shoved into for three fucking hours.

i am not saying at all that I don't expect to be pushed around or elbowed every once in a while at a concert. the place is gonna be crowded, and it's gonna be nuts. at some points, i wouldn't care if the whole fucking crowd, myself included, is jumping up and down like crazy and singing along. but it is mad annoying to have a group of people suddenly decide that you get to be on the edge of their mosh pit just because they wanna thrash around.

fuck that.. why don't -you- go to the sides or back? why do I have to?

[ron the dial]

i don't get how not moshing makes you more dedicated to the show. you don't have to stand and watch to be dedicated. there are lots of ways to enjoy live music. why should they have to be relegated to the back and sides? i see where you're coming from in not liking to get elbowed, but that's part of going to a show. not going to avoid it if you want to be close.

[Requiem]

what i am saying is that it is dumb that this has become such an accepted thing that people no longer have common courtesy for people who want to enjoy the show for the music. st jimmy is a prime example of this. i have said i really don't care if people mosh, as long as they're not complete dicks about it, and my experience with a mosh pit involved people who were dicks about it. so far, people are saying not to go to the front if you don't want to be around a mosh, but why is that the accepted way of things? why does the minority get priority over people who JUST want to enjoy the music (which is, IMO, the reason to go to concerts)

I understand the logic. Sometimes you just want to let loose, and certain types of music tend to attract this sort of behavior. I even understand that people are saying there is etiquette.. but how is there any degree of etiquette in expecting people to either 'put up with it or don't go to the front'? that doesn't seem like etiquette at all.

i am trying to go half-way here. not saying at all that I don't want people to mosh. i am saying that moshing right in the front, where i am, is disrespectful and ruins my experience because i have to worry about getting hit in the fucking kidneys every few seconds, and that it is dumb to expect me to either deal with it or get out of the way.

[Requiem]

i am not even saying that those people can't pay attention to the music.. but what good is it doing them being 10 feet from the front if they're not paying attention to the -band-, which is why people like me want to be in the front in the first place

[Requiem]

also, i don't listen to like thrash metal or anything, but if I did i would go to a show -expecting- there to be a lot of moshing. but why do people do this at just rock concerts and shit?

[thedamndest]

i am not even saying that those people can't pay attention to the music.. but what good is it doing them being 10 feet from the front if they're not paying attention to the -band-, which is why people like me want to be in the front in the first place

I know this is "moshing can be done anywhere" answer, but that's not always the case. In a lot of the smaller music venues around me it's set up so that you have your tables/standing area/beer sales off to the sides. Then there are your outdoor venues, but those are usually on hills, so moshing is usually stopped by security if it is done anywhere but right in front of the stage.

[Requiem]

honestly, this is up there on my list of pet peeves right next to people talking really loudly constantly during concerts (this happens at local shows a lot) about the most random shit not even related to the band, and people talking during movies.

[RGWhat316]

also, i don't listen to like thrash metal or anything, but if I did i would go to a show -expecting- there to be a lot of moshing. but why do people do this at just rock concerts and shit?

I say cus rock is the most aggressive music there is, hence the moshing. I surely wouldnt expect a pit at Good Charlotte, Fall Out Boy, or most rap shows. Just a combination of guitars, drums, and screaming vocals seems to generate the most energy and cause people to have more energy.

So even though I dont usually encourage moshing, I do think people that just stand still, or even worse sit at rock concerts, dont really belong there. And I believe bands feel the same way, Ive heard numerous bands call out to people to stop sitting and stand up.

[Requiem]

also dunno why people think i am just sitting/standing when i go to concerts.. yeah, at local shows i will sit down and have a drink cause i am in a bar, but when the band i want to see is on, i will go stand at the front with other people, but at big concerts i like to be front row pumping my fist and singing along when the time calls for it along with every other person up there.

[Impact!]

It depends on what band/s you're going to see. If you went, for example, to a Slayer or Lamb Of God concert and you got pissed that there was a mosh, that would be plain stupid. Now if you went to see something like Dream Theatre or Jet I would understand (the anger towards a mosh, not why you're going to see Dream Theatre or Jet)

[Blitz]

Every pit I've ever been in has been incredibly friendly and supportive. Never seen anyone go down and not get pulled up immediately. Yeah there's the occasional dickhead who just wants to swing at people, but that's life, and in my experience they are pretty few and far between.

You're gonna get pushed at a concert. Big fucking deal. Don't like it, move elsewhere.

[Requiem]

You're gonna get pushed at a concert. Big fucking deal. Don't like it, move elsewhere.

That's not what I'm complaining about though. :mad: I said I expect some degree of pushing. There's GOING to be pushing. That's to be expected... moshing right behind me and -crushing- me against the people there, is NOT something I expected after waiting in line for 6 hours and paid $40 for or however much a ticket cost.

Nobody has answered me yet.. why does the 'etiquette' dictate that mosh pits happen right in the front and center? Why is it expected of me, the average concert goer, to move off to the sides if I don't want to deal with that? Why does the minority get priority over the vast majority of people who are not moshing, and why do people think it's ok to force people to 'deal with it or move'? Why can't the moshers have a little more respect for people and not force themselves right there? It only sounds like etiquette for other moshers, and not for the other people at the concert.

[ct2k]

I've been punched in a pit before, twice, by the same guy, I was 16, he was about 28. I cracked him round the back of his head with a full bottle of beer:y:

Now, in hindsight this could've actually killed him but still, I hope he realised the error of his ways:)

[IC Champion]

I've been punched in a pit before, twice, by the same guy, I was 16, he was about 28. I cracked him round the back of his head with a full bottle of beer:y:

Now, in hindsight this could've actually killed him but still, I hope he realised the error of his ways:)

LOL, I'd hate to see you at a soccer match.

[Blitz]

That's not what I'm complaining about though. :mad: I said I expect some degree of pushing. There's GOING to be pushing. That's to be expected... moshing right behind me and -crushing- me against the people there, is NOT something I expected after waiting in line for 6 hours and paid $40 for or however much a ticket cost.

Nobody has answered me yet.. why does the 'etiquette' dictate that mosh pits happen right in the front and center? Why is it expected of me, the average concert goer, to move off to the sides if I don't want to deal with that? Why does the minority get priority over the vast majority of people who are not moshing, and why do people think it's ok to force people to 'deal with it or move'? Why can't the moshers have a little more respect for people and not force themselves right there? It only sounds like etiquette for other moshers, and not for the other people at the concert.
The people who are moshing all waited as long as you and paid as much as you. You're not owed anything special. I don't know what to tell you about the front and center thing. Most every pit I've seen has been near dead center of the crowd. Front's been pretty safe for me. There are the odd shows where the entire crowd's been crazy, but I've found the pits to be pretty well defined and easy to stay out of if you don't wanna be in there.

[Requiem]

Yeah, but they shouldn't get special treatment either. Some people posting in this thread act like -the moshers- should get special treatment, saying that other people should learn to deal with it.

Maybe the concert I was at was an isolated case of some moshers just being douches, but that experience certainly rubbed me the wrong way and doesn't say anything positive for the people who were involved in it.

And some people here have said if I don't want to be around it, to go toward the sides or back, which certainly indicates that they think the pit should be right up in the front center (which is where this one was at the concert I went to).

If the pit is in the middle of the crowd, then I really don't give a fuck about it and I have no issue with it at all because I'm out of the way.

But it stands to reason that people moshing are going to be paying less attention to the band than the people not moshing, and in WeX's words might have come there primarily for the mosh and second for the music. I really think that people who are moshing are not going to be able to pay attention as much as people who aren't. To me, that is a pretty reasonable assumption. Therefore, there is no reason at all for them to be so close to the front.

I am agreeing with what you are saying here, but only if the pit happens to not be in the front. If it forms in the front, that's when I start to have problems with it, because there is no reason for them to be in the front.

[ron the dial]

I really think that people who are moshing are not going to be able to pay attention as much as people who aren't. To me, that is a pretty reasonable assumption. Therefore, there is no reason at all for them to be so close to the front.
definitely wrong. i can hear just fine even when i'm not looking at the stage. don't have to look to be paying attention to music.

and most pits don't go up to the front row. it's in the middle, like blitz said. of course there is the shockwave that stems from the pit, but oh well. its' rare that a most pit goes anywhere near the first 10-15 rows of people tbh (at least at the shows i go to).

[Requiem]

i am not even saying that those people can't pay attention to the music.. but what good is it doing them being 10 feet from the front if they're not paying attention to the -band-, which is why people like me want to be in the front in the first place

[ron the dial]

because most people dont' give a fuck about other people and the reasons that they are doing anything?

[Requiem]

don't even know what i'm really arguing, but i suppose 'that^' is what I am getting at.. this thread got kinda off track, but basically the point of all of it i guess is that my experience has been with dickheads, and a lot of people here are confirming some of my thoughts on it, as well as giving me new insight on it.

ie - i could not picture some of you guys being dicks to people at a concert, but i imagine people like st jimmy just saying fuck it and not caring about the people around them at all