Moshing and local venues

[azaghal1981]

Lightning Bolt's crowd also didn't disappoint.

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

can't agree with you there.  moshing is a form of interacting with the band, and the moshers want to show the band their enthusiasm/energy/etc. 

Or, it's a form of latent homosexual bonding, since most of the chix get chased away from the front while guys get into rubbing against each other.

and some bands want to see moshing

Just more proof of how lame it is... originating in the 70s as an expression of rebellion, it is now so rote and hackneyed that bands actually expect it. 

[MonkeyPants]

If someone shoves themselves into me at a show like that expect to be shoved back in the face.

or, you could alert the nearest door staph member.

Easier said than done, especially if you are short and not directly against the barricade. 

I agree that the rules at each show are different, but I think the staph may tolerate a little more than the audience members would.  Sometimes the masses of people who don't want to be rubbed against by a sweaty "dancing" person try to regulate themselves and get yelled at by said inappropriate "dancing" drunk person about how she'll do what she wants because this is a GA show and why aren't YOU dancing, jerk???  Even if it means she elbows and bruises everyone around her.

As for crowd-surfing, it is stupid and dangerous. And I hope everyone who does it gets seriously injured and learns his/her lesson.  It's something I can't stand about VFest.  Too much of that nonsense. 

[thatguy]

Anyway at virgin a couple of years ago they had some wooden structure not to far back from the stage.  Some kids started jumping off it and having me catch them so they could crowd surf during Bloc Party.  I had a huge line of people waiting for me to catch them and put them on there way.  I think I lifted about 75 people or so people up or caught them..  Then the 930 security guards came out and put two security personal around the structure so that people couldn't do that anymore.  I don't see what the big deal was in that situation.  As they weren't hurting anyone. 

a conversation with our insurance company and a representative from pimlico lead to that decision.  it was a combination of not wanting people to hurt themselves and not wanting people to damage the property.

[thatguy]

i believe the intent of that statement is that women, being smaller/not as strong/shorter/etc are intimidated by the aggressive nature of mosh pits.  fearing for their own comfort & safety, they need to keep their distance, thus they find themselves excluded from the front section of the floor where mosh pits usually take place.

i understand that.  i don't understand how that constitutes sexism on our part.

there is plenty of room, and often plenty of room near the front, that will be absolutely mosh pit free at the VAST majority of shows.

that said, some of the most inappropriately aggressive people i've ever dealt with in pits have been women.

[thatguy]

As for crowd-surfing, it is stupid and dangerous. And I hope everyone who does it gets seriously injured and learns his/her lesson. 

the issue of crowd surfing is totally different from moshing.   while you can reasonably avoid mosh pits, crowd surfing is difficult to keep away from.  if someone that crowd surfs gets injured, that's on them for taking part in a risky activity.  the problem with crowd surfing is that the great majority of injuries related to it are to people other than the surfer. in a mosh pit, it's the mosher that gets injured.  with crowd surfers, it's the unsuspecting patron that gets stepped on, or the girl that gets crushed under them, or the staph member that gets kicked in the head countless times over the last 15 years.

[sweetcell]

can't agree with you there.  moshing is a form of interacting with the band, and the moshers want to show the band their enthusiasm/energy/etc. 

Or, it's a form of latent homosexual bonding, since most of the chix get chased away from the front while guys get into rubbing against each other.

what sort of mosh pits have you witnessed?  the ones i've seen don't involve much rubbing.  they do involve collisions, thrown elbows, violent shoving, pushing people around, etc.  that constitutes something homosexual for you?  hey, whatever floats your boat ;-)

and some bands want to see moshing

Just more proof of how lame it is... originating in the 70s as an expression of rebellion, it is now so rote and hackneyed that bands actually expect it. 

right.  just like bands expect applause, or dancing, or even the crowd to listen to them.  how contrived!  if you ever react to a show in any way that's been done before, you're sheeple.

who knew it - those people that talk all the way through a show: they're rebels.  they're flying their own flag of non-conformity.  all customs and expectations are slavery.

[Relaxer]

there is plenty of room, and often plenty of room near the front, that will be absolutely mosh pit free at the VAST majority of shows.

lol
if the club is sold out, the only place there's plenty of room is outside the club or backstage

[Bags]

I can attest that the club staph does an amazing job monitoring these situations and controlling them for those on the edges, but letting it go on in a contained manner.  That may sound uptight, but it works really well.  Can't remember what show, but I was at a show where it made sense (like Social D, or Dropkick Murphys or something), but the 'pit' stayed at a very tight circle and really didn't impinge on folks who did not want to mosh.  I noticed a staff person right there on the edge of the circle making sure no one was involved who didn't want to be.

the club has no signs that say "absolutely no moshing." 

if the band does not make any requests regarding moshing, our policy is on a sliding scale.  if a pit breaks out at a show, we will monitor the area.  there are some behaviors that are always unacceptable, but the crowd determines the acceptability of others.  what is ok at a metal or hardcore show would not be ok at a pop punk show.  it's a subjective decision, but the staph has many years of experience and we do our best to determine the appropriateness of any moshing activity at any show.  if the participants aren't out to hurt anyone and the crowd is ok with it, moshing will be allowed at some shows.

there are plenty of spots in the club that patrons can watch the show from if they do not want to be in the vicinity of a mosh pit.
    

[MindCage]

  I noticed a staff person right there on the edge of the circle making sure no one was involved who didn't want to be.

Why is it always the short guys too? LOL

Ross...

Tim... RIP

[Mr.Whippy]

One time that I think a mosh pit broke out at an inappropriate time was the Muse show at the Patriot Center in 07.  There were a few drunken idiots that seemed to really get out of hand and were bothering all the people around them that just wanted to watch the show.  I watched Josh handle the situation from the seats and gained alot of respect for how good he is at his job.

[wml7]

One time that I think a mosh pit broke out at an inappropriate time was the Muse show at the Patriot Center in 07.  There were a few drunken idiots that seemed to really get out of hand and were bothering all the people around them that just wanted to watch the show.  I watched Josh handle the situation from the seats and gained alot of respect for how good he is at his job.

details, what did josh do??  give the eye? 

[ggw]

Does nobody remember the moshing at the Cranberries show on the Mall?

[nkotb]

Remember it? I STARTED IT!!!!! 

"my dreams, it's never quite as it seems, Never quite as it seems"  ROOOOOOAAAAARRR!

Does nobody remember the moshing at the Cranberries show on the Mall?

[Mr.Whippy]

One time that I think a mosh pit broke out at an inappropriate time was the Muse show at the Patriot Center in 07.  There were a few drunken idiots that seemed to really get out of hand and were bothering all the people around them that just wanted to watch the show.  I watched Josh handle the situation from the seats and gained alot of respect for how good he is at his job.

details, what did josh do??  give the eye? 

I saw the whole thing from a distance, so I don't know exactly, but he seemed to get right in the face of the few moshing idiots and tell them to cool it.  Maybe Josh can elaborate if he remembers.