Mosh Pits: Are They Really Worth It?
Mosh pits. Chances are, that if you have attended a concert in your life, you'll know exactly what a mosh pit is. And, if you're like me, you want to be right at the very front, as close to the performer as possible, making the experience that bit more enjoyable.
However, after attending my most recent concert, a Paramore one in Cardiff, the experience was, to say the least, violent. The Cardiff International Arena can easily contain a few thousand people, and is pretty wide, so you have a good opportunity of being near the front, or rather, the mosh pit. Usually the 'moshing' doesn't start until the final act comes onto stage for their performance.
For those who don't know, a mosh pit is when a space in the crowd is created, normally a circle, and people run into each other. It's a marmite thing; some people love it, some people hate it. Myself being part of the latter group.
The few thousand people in the arena all seemed very keen to be at the front; blatantly this can not happen. So the people at the back pushed forwards, which pushed the next person forwards, which pushed the next person forwards etc.. A scream was heard at the back of the room, and as the scream increased in volume, you knew that you were soon to be pushed. Unfortunately it wasn't a little 'playground' push, this was several hundred people squeezing the air out of you. If you weren't tall enough or didn't have a good positioning with your feet, you would be squashed entirely and suffocated.
Why people couldn't just stay still and accept the fact they hadn't got to the arena early enough to be close, confounds me. For some people, this was all too much and they had to be lifted from the crowd towards the bodyguards, so they could be taken to the very back and have some breathing space (these people are called 'criers'). The crowd continued pushing, essentially creating one huge mosh pit, still before any music had been played. I would estimate one hundred people were pulled out, a few people surrounding me fainting due to lack of oxygen.
Strangely, as the first act came on, the crowd seemed to calm down, and the pushing stopped. It had also helped that the roadies had said that, "If you don't take three steps back, Paramore will not play." These three steps soon turned out not to matter, as the pushing continued.
It seemed to mellow out again, until Josh Franceshci of You Me At Six, demanded that he see "A f**king mosh pit in the middle of the room!" I had moved from the front to the middle to create a little more breathing room, which turned out to be a waste of time. The crowd parted and the 'proper' moshing began. People slammed into each other at great speed, paying no attention to the music whatsoever. Personally, if I was the act playing, I'd want people to enjoy the music, rather than being so ignorant as to ignore it entirely. Each to their own, I suppose.
I'd lost all the people I'd come with as it was impossible to keep track of yourself, let alone anybody else. One of my friends, who happened to be a keen mosher herself, had become a 'crier' and went right to the back as You Me At Six finished. During the interlude I forced my way through the mass of sweaty bodies to get some water, as I (foolishly) had eaten and drunk very little that day, as I had queued for hours to get to the front.
Paramore finally came on, Hayley Williams singing her heart out to the screaming fans. I hadn't quite reached my position prior to their playing, so I wasn't as close as I had first set out to be. Although, I had room to breathe and enjoy the concert without having to keep one eye on the people around me. Paramore were my favorite act of the line up and I would say that by far it was the most enjoyable, as I didn't have to fear for being suffocated or thwacked in the face by a rogue flying, moshing arm.
Around 400 people were lifted out of the crowd that night, 25 of them fainting, 10 being sent to hospital. That only leaves me with one question; why on earth do people mosh?
