After several years and more metal shows than I can count, I’ve come to the conclusion that several observations I’ve had regarding crowds at particular shows are quite valid. As I’m sure anyone who’s been to a variety of metal concerts can tell you, you can expect a different crowd dependent on which band or bands are playing. Sometimes it’s a refreshing change and sometimes it can make you feel like walking out in the middle of a show.
It really comes down to a level of respect for the fellow concert-goer. It doesn’t take someone with superior observational skills to see that some people are genuinely in the crowd to enjoy the music. Not to mosh, not to pointlessly shove, not to elbow people in the face, not to do that strange floor-punching dance that some genres of music evoke, and certainly not to start a fight. I suppose that some people just have a personality that’s completely selfish, or an ego that leads them to believe that what they’re doing is “just what you do at a metal show”. In all honesty, the vast majority of the metal heads who regularly attend shows, and shows from a variety of sub-genres, are not like this at all. Maybe it’s this fact that makes some of these idiots stand out even more at shows.
Which people stick out at shows? Well, there seems to be a few types who pop up again and again, usually at the shows of more well-known, more mainstream, metal bands:
The ‘kid’ who, because you are wearing a certain band shirt, claims that they own all of the merchandise from that band, know all of the band member’s names and are the biggest fan of that band EVER. While I suppose that’s cool, I never asked, nor do I likely care how big of a fan you are if that’s all you can talk about. If I didn’t like the band, I probably wouldn’t be at the show and I certainly wouldn’t be wearing their shirt. This is definitely something that comes up at bigger, more mainstream shows as opposed to the smaller, lesser known ones. This fan is generally seems to be in the younger teens, or a female that seems jealous of everyone and everything. Best course of action? Walk away.
The incredibly intoxicated woman who you figure would have a little more self respect than to be that drunk in a public place. Often she’s old enough that you wonder why she hasn’t clued into the idea that it’s never a good idea to be that drunk, no matter what your age is, what your gender is or where you are. I suppose it’s happened to almost everyone once, but not everyone can be seen crawling under tables and groping random people. At this point, this person cannot possibly be there to pay any attention to whatever band happens to be playing, and usually attempts to start a fight with someone even though they cannot stand straight. Best course of action? Hope that this person is with people who are perceptive enough to remove them from the situation, enabling you to continue to watch the show, or just find another place to watch from.
The overzealous fan who will do almost anything to get to the railing is another of those types often found at shows. While I understand why someone would want to be on the railing, the people who are already there are probably there because they enjoy the music as well. Kicking, hair-pulling, grinding elbows into someone’s hand or the back of their neck and generally being a huge nuisance isn’t going to get you anywhere. Best course of action: stay on the rail and show them that you have elbows too.
The people who attempt to start mosh pits, or throw random people into mosh pits are just as bad. There’s nothing wrong with a pit, but respect that if someone wants to be in the pit, they’ll join of their own accord. Stage diving always seems completely idiotic. Most bands don’t want you up the stage for a good reason. The fans in the front row don’t want to catch your feet in the face as you jump off the stage, nor do the people in the crowd want you to land on top of their heads. This one has always seemed stupid as the potential for injury is high. I suppose if you’re the one stage diving and get hurt, you have no one to blame but yourself. It’s the bystanders who didn’t want anything to do with it in the first place that usually end up getting hurt though. Best course of action: try to ignore it, find a new spot or hope that security removes the offending person.
Of course, this is probably a topic that could be argued over for all of eternity, and could be expanded on further. Whether these behaviours annoy you or not, I hope a bit of sarcasm doesn’t detract from whatever you want to take away from this. (Unless of course, you’d rather conclude that I can be a little sarcastic on occasion).
