There was a pretty intense mosh pit at Mastodon last night, but I didn't partake in it.

What's paradoxical about them is that despite the massive levels of testerone involved, there is an odd level of courtesy among the moshers. If anyone falls, they are instantly picked up by the surrounding people. Last night someone dropped their cell phone during it, and the biggest lump of a guy picked it up and moshed for 5 minutes, all the while holding it up in the air until someone saw it and claimed it.

That said, I don't go to shows to be assaulted. Plus, they distract me when I'm watching the band. I've probably been in two in my life, both when I was 17 or so. They both hurt.

Crap!

stewie wrote:What's paradoxical about them is that despite the massive levels of testerone involved, there is an odd level of courtesy among the moshers. If anyone falls, they are instantly picked up by the surrounding people. Last night someone dropped their cell phone during it, and the biggest lump of a guy picked it up and moshed for 5 minutes, all the while holding it up in the air until someone saw it and claimed it.

That said, I don't go to shows to be assaulted. Plus, they distract me when I'm watching the band. I've probably been in two in my life, both when I was 17 or so. They both hurt.

Crap!

In this same vein, I fell to the ground and could've been trampled to death when I saw Metallica (17 at the time) if it weren't for some friendly fellows who helped me to my feet. Such a strange courtesy, considering the people involved- but still a crap. Maybe I'm just getting old.

Done wrong, very crap. It needs to be clear that there is an inside, an edge, and an outside. And the people on the inside and the edge need to be okay with what's going on. People who fall need to be picked up. Elbows should not be thrown. Etc. Too often I see two or three kids who think it's just hilarious to start slamming into each other and everyone around them, and that's Crap. I went to a show a while ago where there were 3 or 4 doing it, and eventually they all got embarrassed and stopped except one stupid drunk high school kid. There was a whole ring around him, and he'd keep slamming into the people that formed the ring (who were all just trying to enjoy the music). A lot of us were looking for an opening to tackle him, but he was flailing his fists around. Eventually one guy gave him an exxxtreme jump kick to the midsection that laid him out. I and another dude each grabbed an arm and hoisted him to his feet. We dragged him out of the place and tossed him outside. His friends were complaining that the cops might pick him up out there, but we said fuck it.

So yeah, sometimes crap.

But my vote is Not Crap. (I don't agree with either of the poll options, obviously, so I'm going to pretend they read "Crap" and "Not Crap".)

And as far as the courtesy goes - I remember this well from when I was of moshing age, but I don't see it so much anymore. What's the matter with kids these days?!

Linus Van Pelt wrote:And as far as the courtesy goes - I remember this well from when I was of moshing age, but I don't see it so much anymore. What's the matter with kids these days?!

Interesting argument. That Metallica show was in Europe- so at the time, I thought "Hmm. Maybe European kids are just more courteous than American folks." Then those kids died in Denmark at the Pearl Jam show.

I vote Crap purely for selfish reasons. It's very rare that I see a band that would have a moshpit, but a few people will try to start them anyway.

I always get stuck behind the one cunt who insists on dancing to Mogwai by himself, knocking into me and spilling my drink. I remember seeing live footage of RATM in Mexico where the moshpit was at the back. That makes more sense, since these people aren't paying an awful lot of attention to the music anyway.

In my hometown, "hardcore*" is currently very much in vogue. People at these shows are NOT friendly at all, and hurting others and yourself is quite a badge of honor. Assholes at these shows like to do high kicks and throw punches and all manner of violent bullshit.

*Hardcore in this context means (mostly) christian death metal bands comprised of fat meatheads and/or fashionable emo cuties.

Being a young person I can say that I do enjoy the occasional pit, however, I agree with several things said here. Such as; that mosh pit is mostly populated by drunken assholes who enjoy hitting people for no reason what-so-ever. Also, moshing does interfere with watching the band's performance, and most moshers with which I have had experiences don't really care about the music, just another drunken show and people to hit.

i still like the mosh pit, though i won't go in anymore. i don't think it takes away from the enjoyment of the show, being in it (voluntarily) or staying out of it. i think it adds to the show.

i know from experience that when i used to go to metal shows in the late 80's, first off i wouldn't go to a show unless it was a band whose music i really liked. and if the music wasn't kicking ass, being full of energy and aggression and all that, there wouldn't have been a pit.

if you're getting hit too much by assholes, then, uh, stand on the edge of the pit, or get away from it entirely.

now that i'm all old and stuff, i enjoy being on the edge of the pit. i'm pit-savvy enough to know how to effectively be the barrier between the pit and the folks who don't want to be in the pit. i will catch you and shove you back in if you've flailed slightly off course, or if the pit starts to bulge too close to the edge on one side. if you want to get out, i will let you out and maybe even block somebody who's headed toward you. i really enjoy being on the edge now. i really enjoy being the guy who is helping protect the people who like to stand a few feet beyond the edge, who will only get so close...

the pit is great. the kids like it, the band likes being able to move people like that, and as a growed-up, i like the feeling of standing at the edge of the whirlwind rather than jumping in.

NOT CRAP

I lost my shoe ones when i was in the middle of a mosh pit. Sick of it all was playing (i was 16 years old). I went back, moshing my way in, to find it and i did but it was very very scary

The pit at Anthrax last week was pretty cool. Plenty of pit etiquette in evidence. However it will probably be one of my last - I definitely felt that I'm getting too old for that shit. Pits at shows where bands/fans take themselves more seriously look frightening to me. At Sick Of It All last year Lou suggested something called 'The Braveheart' where people from Glasgow lined up on one side of the room, people from Edinburgh lined up on the other, and when the band started to play the two sides ran full tilt into each other. Shit like that, and circle pits just seems kind of stupid to me.

But as previously described, as long as you don't fuck up anyone else's enjoyment of the show, do what ever you want.
NOT CRAP.