Concerts are a war zone.
Battle formation? A mosh pit. Soldiers? Groupies who are lovestruck by the captivating lyrics that leave the lead singer’s lips. Weapons? Hands that push and shove, bodies that nudge their way closer and closer to the front of the crowd.
Many teens go to concerts thinking that this will be the night that the band whose posters fill their bedroom walls will notice them, and only them, in a crowd full of other fans that have come with the same purpose. They come wearing home-made t-shirts sporting the name of the band, they spend the entire car-ride quoting YouTube interviews from the band, and they squeal in delight every mile they get closer to the concert.
Entering the concert, they all flock to the front. They stand, pressed against the gate separating the crowd from the stage, and wait for hours just to ensure that they will keep their spot in the front row. They provoke security guards, they try to crowd surf over the gate and get onto the stage, and they push limits for their (unlikely) five seconds of attention from the band.
Inside this ever-moving mass of human bodies, one is trapped for the duration of the concert. The only way to get out is by overheating and passing out. There is no personal space; people stand shoulder to shoulder, packed in like sardines.
Hearing shrill screams of “OH MY GOSH THIS IS MY SONG!” and “THE LEAD SINGER MADE EYE CONTACT WITH ME!”, having to be tossed around in a crowd because hundreds of people are all trying to make their way to the front, trying to look past girls perched on strangers’ shoulders in order to see the band perform, and watching the chaos of mosh pits and crowd surfing takes away from what is happening on stage. Rather than simply listening to music, one has to fight to merely stay alive in the crowd.
For those who have just now come to the realization that their concert experiences have been too chaotic, here are some rules to follow at the next concert you go to in order to actually enjoy the music and band:
- Being in the front just gets you closer to the band. If you are willing to risk being slammed against a gate and being trapped for three or more hours, this rule probably does not mean much to you. Keep in mind, there are thousands of other spots with just as good of a view that are not the front row.
- There is no need for head banging, crowd surfing, or mosh pitting. Sing along to the words and cheer when the songs are over, just make sure you are listening to the music you came to hear.
- If you are a real fan, you will want to hear the funny jokes and entertaining comments musicians make in between songs. Screaming over them ruins it for other fans who actually want to hear what they have to say.
- Pushing through the crowd just makes people annoyed. Do not doubt for a second that people will not turn violent. Crazy stuff happens at concerts.
- Nobody cares if the song being performed is you and your significant other’s “song”. People go to concerts to listen to music, not to watch people passionately kiss one another.
- You will be lucky to be crowd-surfed out if you pass out from overheating and dehydration, but it is more likely that your unconscious body will be trampled on by concert-goers that are too engulfed by the performance. Sounds fun, right? It all can be avoided by drinking water.
- At concerts, think before you act. If your mother would not approve of a choice you are going to make, you probably should not do it.
Next time you are at a concert, follow these rules and you will surely enjoy your concert experience more than if you had spent the whole time head-banging, mosh-pitting, crowd surfing, or ruining the concert experience for everyone else around you.