What about mosh pits?

[Youko_o 51]

I think there isn't already a topic about it, at least I didn't find... 

 

Whatever:

 

Mosh pit is a very common thing at metal shows in some places, and there are people who enjoy it a lot and people who think it's stupid (and I get why). Personally I enjoy joining mosh pits (in my country it's often called "roda punk" (something like "punk circle" lulz)), for me it's a funny thing.

 

What do you guys think about it?

 

 

[Guest MollyMouse]

I've never been to a concert heavy enough for an actual moshput xD I've only ever been in wotagei pits LMAO but I really think moshpits look super fun~

Some friends of mine want to drag me to a metal concet , so I'll be sure to try out any moshpits there...if one will start up :w:......maybe I'll sneak fakeblood in and spit it out on anyone who hots me lol

Now though , moshpits can be dangerous depending on the concert you go to , but I don't think they would even compare to anything like a wall of death

[The Bread Wolf 231]

I don't think moshpits are stupid, but let's say they ain't for me. 

 

I've reluctantly attended one back in 2007 (?) when D'espairsRay played in Finland, in Tuska metal festival. Back then I was such a hardcore fan. I went with my ex who told me we should already get in the audience of the band that was playing before Despa, so that we could assure ourselves good spots in the front row once the "true metalheads" left.

 

And well, a moshipit broke out. I've always been kinda scared of huge masses of people, and having huge masses of people jump around me and bump into me was super distressing. Glad my ex noticed it and also glad she knew some guys behind us and we were only in the second row at that point. So basically she asked the bigger metalheads to protect me from the moshpitting people and also guided me to take a hold of the fence in front of the first row so that I wouldn't collapse from the stress and the people bumping into me. She also held me against her pretty tight and a few times she had to yell the guys in the moshpit to be a bit more careful, when they didn't notice I was severely afraid. Maybe it was my fault, but around the halfway of Despa's gig I was pretty glad to be in the first row and not scared of my life anymore. 

 

So if you're comfortable with being tossed around and toss around other people, go ahead and join in the moshpit. You'll make great friends. Nothing bonds people better than having a little skin-on-skin contact. But if you're scared of people, like me, don't go there. No. Stay away from them. You'll have a panic attack at worst case and then you'll be one of the sorry ones being kept away from the gig by the medics. 

[Justacyborg 8]

They can definitely be fun--depending on the show and location and type of music. I've only see Dir En Grey live when they were in LA and Seatlle and those were some pretty annoying pits. It might have been the fans, the "jrock" fans or whatever. The american bands that I've seen live had a better crowd tbh. A lot nicer. Not to say all of them were great, but most all were. 

[doombox 4421]

I love mosh pits. But I'm not big enough or strong enough to hang with most of the guys here. Our pits can be very violent (it's common to see 2-3 people leave with bloody faces through out the night) so I hang right at the outside to help pick people up with they fall or push people back in when they spin out of control. Japanese bands coming here don't usually have mosh pits. Only maybe Crossfaith (because their music is more western influenced) have had a nice sized pit so far for me. Dir en grey here is all female crowd usually who don't pit much, or it's very mild. But I hear in other cities they have crazy pits so maybe it's just my town is not too into them like other places. But most of my Japanese concert experience has been at anime conventions and no one ever pits at those things.

[digi 192]

Mosh pits are a big no for me.

 

I'm sure they can be a lot of fun for people who are into that, but I'm just not too keen on having a bunch of people jumping around me, being extremely aggressive, and touching me every which way. Not to mention all the sweat or what have you, being involved too

 

If I were to ever get in a mosh pit, it surely wouldn't end well. Panic attacks and tears would certainly be coming from my end, lol. 

[Nyasagi 259]

I totally hate mosh pits, crowds of people pushing each others around to get to the front row, etc. Crowd surfing is the biggest nightmare for me (but it doesn't happen on vk lives).

 

I go to a concert to listen to the music and watch the performance, not to be thrown around like a rag. It scares me and I can't focus on the live at all, because I only think how to survive in that crowd and what hurts me at the moment, or whose elbow is stabbing me. I'm very short, so I can be either in the first row, or completely in the back. It sucks I can't just sit down somewhere in the back and watch everything, though. All venues should have some seats on a higher platform in the back, so people could just watch the live from there without getting interrupted or tired (standing for too long is a painful problem for me, because of the health problems).

[Bear 1817]

People enjoy music in different ways, and in an ideal world it shouldn't be a problem. But every single time I've been to a show where it happens it gets a problem because the moshers, karate dancers and the rest of the mongers does it right where people want to stand and enjoy the show. They don't go to the sides or back where there's empty, no, every single time they do it right in front of the stage so that the people who are there to see the band has to go to the sides or back. They don't give a single fuck about the rest of the audience.

E X E C U T E !

[miyuu 40]

ok my experience

i used to go to underground shows years ago often ,(even in random local bands ,not only more famous) (now not anymore,i stopped). there were  always  mosh pits.  i didn't want to participate in the mosh pit. but it was in front of me. and nothing ever happened to me. because people above said it scared them.
but it was so fun to go to shows like this because fans were kinda crazy doing whatever the fuck they want and it was so amusing.
back then  i prefered it than shows that have rules. now i don't care. maybe i would prefer even rules.
although i  think i don't like having  specific seats. it seems so strange to not be able to go whenever you want in a show.

i mean it depends on the audience. different audiences in different music genres i imagine. some people do not give a fuck how pretty the singer is or do not care to pay close attention to the members all the time. just go to shows to have fun and party.and jump all over the place and crowd surf. to be honest when i went to shows like this i didn't care about the members at all either ,most of the times.i only cared about the music like 90% of the times i didn't even know how the members looked with few exceptions.
when i discovered visual kei i started paying attention to members and how pretty they are.and wanting to watch how they play or how they express themselves.
back then it was like going to a party xD  when i went to shows
 

[relentless 254]

I guess it depends on the show and the crowd. On one hand you have hardcore shows where the focus is the pit, and on the other you have VK / Dir en grey shows where the crowd reacts in HORROR at the sign of a mosh pit. At VK and mainly the Dir en grey shows I have witnessed, people are there to get as close to the band as they can, want as little movement as they can, and want to focus on what the members are doing on stage. I have seen a few mosh pits at Dir en grey shows in years past; but they're either extremely small, or have people that don't know how to mosh in the first place (one guy was throwing punches at people and hit several in the face). At hardcore shows, there is more often than not a big crowd up front climbing over each other and screaming while a huge wall of death goes on behind them. They're two very different atmospheres that I feel have to be gauged accordingly.

 

 

I won't mosh at a hardcore show for the reason that there's a bit too much chaos for my liking. There's a venue nearby that is in a basement, and features a balcony that hangs over the floor. Well, during high energy shows, not only will people crowd surf; but people will launch themselves from the balcony onto the crowd below. It's a total joy to watch; but it can be rough being apart of it when you don't know what to expect.

 

 

 

I'm fine with moshing, and will take part in it; but it has to be the right show for it, has to have the right crowd for it, and you have to be in the right mood for it. Sometimes I want to hang by the bar and enjoy a band's set, other times I want to dive head first into the assault and see what happens.

[God 264]

It really depends on what band I'm seeing.  If it's a band I'm interested in for instrumentation aspects, then I'll probably watch what's going on from the side.  But, if it's like, a band where the music is really heavy and gets you kinda pumped, I'll probably mosh.  At first, I wasn't a big fan of it, when I was like,, maybe 15-16.  I didn't actually come to enjoy it for a while after that.  But, when I finally decided I'd give it a try and not be worried I'll get hit in the eye or something, I realized that it was one of the only times I've ever felt that kind of freedom.

 

You can feel the energy of everyone around you.  It's sort of an unbeatable feeling.  Daresay I found peace in moshing?

[JukaForever 758]

This idea always horrified me and I have seen it happen on some of the tamest bands to ever play. This is why I avoid most rock concerts unless it is held in a theatre. I am too frail for that stuff, I much rather prefer synchronized headbanging.

[Lestat 2167]

Moshpits are fun depending on the audience. Those at J-concerts are not enjoyable. Sixteen year old, hormonal girls do not understand the concept of a moshpit when their eyes are fastened on their favourite bandman. It is not meant to be severely violent, yet during J-concerts there are always the girls deliberately pulling hair, throwing out elbows, kicking shins, etc. 

 

I've been attending extreme metal concerts since about 2007, and those are the most enjoyable. Everything is in good fun, regardless of how rough it looks. You'll never be trampled because the moment you fall, it only takes about a few seconds until there are at least five pairs of hands reaching for you. I think the heaviest one I've been in was this year during a live from Carcass — although I think I could somewhat compare it to the Pestilence gig I attended a few years ago. One time I've got my arm pierced by someone wearing an enormous spike gauntlet (not those silly ones you buy at H&M, but the actual black metal version). That's the only time I've bled so far.

[Youko_o 51]

Yeah, mosh pits at extreme metal events are nice. It seems most of the guys going to these events are used to mosh pits, so it feels they know how not to be douches while in the mosh. 

[Ito 2438]

I am kind of in between. I can't say I am a fan of all out moshing...I feel like it really takes away from the music and that's the reason I'm there. That said, if the song if full of energy I want to be jumping around and feeding back into that. If the band if playing a heavy song, I'm gunna be head banging. It drives me nuts when I am at a show and everyone is standing still (unless the show calls for that).

Worst mosh ever? When douchey guys try to start a circle pit at a Boris concert.

[Sakura Seven 593]

Is there an in-between? I was at a show in Austin a few weeks back and it was PACKED - people were sort-of dancing/swaying/jumping around and leaning all over each other, but not like, outright pushing or shoving like I see in crazier shows. I joined in. It was fun, like being one with everyone around you. It was a groovy psych-band. 

[Nisimaldar 153]

Moshpits are fun depending on the audience. Those at J-concerts are not enjoyable. Sixteen year old, hormonal girls do not understand the concept of a moshpit when their eyes are fastened on their favourite bandman. It is not meant to be severely violent, yet during J-concerts there are always the girls deliberately pulling hair, throwing out elbows, kicking shins, etc.

Amen man.

So annoyed with the people who just stand there and... look straight ahead without doing anything. Some of them are still very nice and don't care when you accidentally stumble into them but others throw a ridiculous hissy fit... I always wonder why they don't just buy the DVD and be done with it.

For me, the J-Rock crowd technically would make the perfect moshpit crowd because of their height/weight average.. on 'proper' metal concerts with those 2metre x 2metre dudes, to me, it feels more like a Wall of Death and not 'just' a moshpit. But unfortunately the J-Rock crowd is not as amazing and the people outside supporting the pit 'catch' you with their elbows and shit like that.

[Mr Bacon 106]

I have nothing against moshpits. When I go to a concert to see musicians do their thing, I leave the moshing to others so I can just watch the band. However, if I go to a concert just to have fun, I have no problem jumping in. I had one of the best moshpits ever during a Reel Big Fish show, it was great fun. Oh and when at a festival and the mood is right, I love me a pit.

 

That said, I agree with Rocketeer about J-rock concerts and moshpits. I also dislike hardcore dancing. A guy wearing spikes on his boots was kicking them all over the place and someone got it in his arm(just like in Rocketeer's case), but the guy didn't apologize and didn't seem to care whatsoever.

 

If you don't want to be in a pit, move to the side. It's simple as that. As long as it's all good fun, who the hell cares.

Also I've never seen a pit form in the first 2 or 3 rows, so the remark about losing your good spot does not apply.