Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[ErrantVenture]

How do you guys feel about the rules of courtesy in a mosh pit? I go to a lot of hardcore shows, sometimes people follow these rules zealously, other times they're completely ignored. Do you follow the rules when you're moshing and how do you feel about people who don't?

[ackblom12]

People who don't follow Mosh courtesy are dogshit assholes.

[Snuffletrout]

They should be followed religiously.

[David_Dovey]

I don't mosh anymore because even a "courteous" pit is far too distracting from actually watching a band play that it's not worth the bother. This might make me old or something but fuck it, I'd much rather actually be able to pay attention to the band than have to avoid getting knocked on my ass and trampled. Maybe other people are better at it than me, and it might have something to do with being smaller than the average mosher but when I'm in a pit I'm not focusing on the music, I'm focusing on remaining upright.

Seeing the Stooges at ATP was the worst example of this, and it really bummed me out because it basically meant I missed out on getting up on stage when that point in the show came. I still had a good time dancing (actually dancing) like a spastic towards the back of the crowd, while still being able to see what was going on onstage at the same time.

I'm not going to begrudge people who do enjoy moshing that enjoyment and I'm OK with standing behind or off to the side (it's better when venues have tiers or something) but one thing I do begrudge people is fucking stage diving. That shit can go fuck itself quick smart. Especially because it's usually the same three douchebags doing it for the entire show, over and over and over again, and the rampant egotism of the whole thing just makes me want to strangle the fucks. If you wanna be the star of the show, go get a guitar and learn to write a song. Otherwise, I don't wanna see yr drunk ass up on stage and I definitely don't want yr boots in my face, cunt.

[Jace]

Easy mode
>Drunk dude who still has beer in hand when he goes into the pit
Normal mode
>Shirtless dude who probably has sweat gland problems
Hard mode
>Drunk shirtless guy who doesn't really know what is going on in here, but I guess these kids want to fight
Final Destination
>Jackass who doesn't take his glasses off then fucks up the whole pit when they fall off and he has to find them

This message brought to you by the association for Taking Your Goddamn Glasses Off When You're In The Pit You Stupid Fucks.

[Melodic]

pits w/ultraviolent douchebags in em suck; pits w/happy people w/happy smiles on do not suck

[scarred]

The worst part of mosh pits is being a tall dude, because it seems like every mosh pit I'm in the vast majority of the participants are 5' tall girls. Being tall, that puts their face right at my elbow level, so I end up moshing with my arms bunched up in my chest, my elbows in my stomach.

[Snuffletrout]

The worst part of mosh pits is being a tall dude, because it seems like every mosh pit I'm in the vast majority of the participants are 5' tall girls. Being tall, that puts their face right at my elbow level, so I end up moshing with my arms bunched up in my chest, my elbows in my stomach.

Being one of those 5' tall girls, I think its considerably worse to be me. You get elbowed in the face a lot.
Plus the air really smells like old beer-farts down there.

[Aurjay]

i hate the 300lb skinhead that feels he owns the pit and anyone who gets in must be charged like a intruding animal on his territory. One rule that was left out is that pits should follow a circular motion. By doing this is it enables people to dance mosh a little bit more and lets smaller people be able to get in and out of it the pit if need be. Being a little bit older and still liking to pit that would be me as well.

[valley_parade]

I feel like pits really only need two rules:

1. No throwing punches/elbows/intentional tripping

2. Stop and help someone up if they fall (though..don't bite them, asshole)

I would put in "no piggybacking" as a 3rd, but I saw this happen a few weeks ago and it was AWESOME.

[scarred]

nah dude

[valley_parade]

Girls go to punk shows?

I'm obviously going to the wrong punk shows.


Edit: Honestly, the last time I remember seeing a girl at a punk show was when I made my girlfriend go see the Dopamines with me, and there wasn't really a pit, seeing that the crowd consisted of 3 opening bands, the two of us, the owner of the venue, and some random dude who was really tall.

tl;dr orgcore doesn't bring out the ladies

[Lunchbox]

The worst moshpit I have been at was the Black Lips. Dudes piggybacking and jumping over people and climbing on folks to hurl themselves on the stage over and over again. I believe I also copped a full-body feel which enraged my boyfriend but the other dude was pretty big and pretty drunk so I let it go. Such is the front of the pit.

[scarred]

Right, so girls should just stay in the kitchen

whoops

[Tom]

The worst moshpit I have been at was the Black Lips. Dudes piggybacking and jumping over people and climbing on folks to hurl themselves on the stage over and over again. I believe I also copped a full-body feel which enraged my boyfriend but the other dude was pretty big and pretty drunk so I let it go. Such is the front of the pit.

Black Lips tend to attract lot of immature guys who just heard about their on-stage 'antics' and take it as an invitation to behave like 12 year olds on a red cordial rush.

[Alex C]

Yeah, people know sexual abuse isn't OK. Some people just continue to do so anyway and we need to watch out for them 'cuz they're raging assholes and should be stopped. Simple.

[scarred]

my bad, it was a sarcastic response to an annoyed query about another sarcastic response. those jokes are pretty god damn lame but the idea that molestation needs a specific rule to make sure people know it's wrong sickens me to the core.

edit: yeah, what alex said

[Drill King]

As a pretty frequent moshing lady. I gotta say.


I am sick of getting my junk, breasts, and/or booty grabbed. Also, unless I look distressed. Please don't pull me out.

I get really frustrated at the fact that girls are still novelty in pits, and that drunk guys sometimes think it's okay to get grabby? Like, the fact that it's a written out rule makes a lot of sense to me because I don't know hardly any girls that do mosh pits that haven't had this happen at least once.

I have been pulled out of several pits having people ask me if I'm okay, and I look at them bewilderingly, and say I was having fun. I don't look distressed, and it's usually obvious that I can handle my own, if not handle guys a solid foot taller than me. I hate people assuming because I am female and in the pit that I somehow ended up there by accident. I enjoy moshing a lot and it's really disheartening when people assume I don't because I have a vagina.

I'm pretty religious about grabbing people and pulling them up. And while I'm annoyed by glasses in the pit, I have dived under people's feet to save them from stomping. I'm not too terribly fussed about being knocked in the face as long as it's not too rough, I consider it a successfully fun pit if I get a fat lip or bloody nose by accident(I totally accept that I am shorter than many guys at hardcore shows, i've only ever been hit in the face once without them immediately apologizing profusely so I don't mind as much).

Also where is this place where you've only ever seen one girl Shane? I don't understand, I mean normally there's not many girls, two or three in a pit. But what sort of shows are you going to?

[Barmymoo]

I quite like being in the kitchen, and there are rarely any boys in my kitchen (mostly because I am at a women's college).

Anyway.

Why do people mosh? What are the actual fun parts? I'm assuming there must be something about it that makes it worth doing. I have an inherent dislike of being surrounded by people in noisy, smelly environments so I guess I am not really the moshing type.

[Nodaisho]

How about a simple exception rule? Anyone caught groping (and it has to be actually groping, not bumping into) isn't protected by the rest of the rules?

I would find pits a lot more interesting that way.

Speaking as a tall guy, in conversation with other tall guys, we all hate the 5' moshers the most, because they are why we have to keep our arms strategically positioned to protect our junk at all times. Spinning around in circle with your arms out isn't okay when you are that short.

[scarred]

Yeah all the best pits are the ones where everyone is jumping into each other. There always tends to be a group of douchebags off to one side that try to push the entire pit over though. Fuck those guys.

Also, extremely overcrowded pits can be awful. I literally couldn't get out of the pit after Holy Fuck played, and I was stuck in there until halfway through MGMT's set when I finally got up to the front and got about ten people to help lift me out of there so security could grab me. I think I kicked some poor girl in the boob on my way out, too. But I literally couldn't get out any other way. It was horrible ;-;

[Lunchbox]

May - I am similar in that I am mostly a homebody, generally I prefer to stay in than go out and get drunk and waste money. But when it's a band that I really like, or I've heard have excellent shows, it's so worth it to get up the front amongst the throng of people all sharing the same excited energy about an awesome show. Even if you do end up squished against the sweaty back of a tall ugly dude, being so close to that many happy dancing people is the most fun ever. And I dunno, you feel like you have enjoyed it to the the best of your ability when you come out of a gig absolutely exhausted but totally buoyant from such a fun experience.

Also: Best moshpit I've ever been in is King Khan and the Shrines. Fuck yeah.

[Aurjay]

I don't think ive ever been to a show where their are no girls. Usually they are the ones doing the most damage. I had a friend that whenever she would pit she'd make it a point to single out the biggest guy there and hit him in the face. Yes i know its wrong but they didn't seem to care. Mostly cuz she was cute i guess.

[Lines]

The only time I was ever in a pit was accidental, as I was waiting rather close to the front for a show to start and as soon as it started, everyone just got shoved forward. Some dude tried to piggy back me though, so he got elbowed in the chest and stomach several times. As soon as this guy got the fuck off of me, I shoved my way out and enjoyed my show elsewhere in a drunken stupor. Other than that few minutes, it was a very good show, but then again I don't remember much of it, but I definitely know I had a good time. (Yay 21st birthdays!)

I generally do not like being jumped on or hit when I'm rocking out, so yeah. I will dance with other people, just not ones that dance like they're in a bar fight. Also I'm pretty sure if I got groped, I'm pretty sure I'd just start punching people, because that shit doesn't fly.

[tania]

i haven't been molested in a pit (yet?) but i have had a dude much bigger than me punch me in the face, as in he looked right at me and aimed and everything. despite the fact that pits are supposed to be kind of chaotic and rough, this was obviously a deliberate act of violence aimed specifically at me. maybe he would have punched me regardless of who i was, or maybe he did it because i was one of the only women there surrounded by a bunch of dudes. i guess i'll never know. either way i had a visible bruise on my face for days after and it really made me pretty unwelcome and afraid for the rest of the evening. not a good experience!

[Nodaisho]

I think any rule that requires people to pay attention to what everyone else in the pit is doing is too complicated - just don't do it!

Anyone that would obey a rule that is just someone asking nicely wouldn't do it in the first place.

I don't seriously endorse that exception rule, though. I don't trust drunks to have that kind of judgement.

[paintbrushesRmyweapons]

I am a 5 foot 1 girl who frequently goes into the pit and i have these following opinions about shows and mosh pits.

1. Piggybacking is awesome if it is a girl on the back or a smaller guy
2. Stage diving is fine with certain conditions. I always end up at the front of the stage so i suffer the most from the stage divers. If you are over 6 foot and are either muscular or fat, STAY ON THE GROUND. Smaller guys and females are fine.
3. Someone falls, yes, pick them up, however I don't feel this needs to be listed because it seems to be an unspoken rule that everyone seems to follow.
4. I am a female, I WANT to be in the pit if I am in it, and I am at the show to enjoy the music and the environment...not to get hit on by drunk ass guys or to be groped.
    A. Female molestation is a problem however I have never had an issue with it when I was stage diving. Men have a tendency to come up behind me when I am near the front of the stage and try to take advantage.
5. If you DON'T want to face the possibility of being hit into or touched, DO NOT STAND near the PIT!
6. SCREW JOCK MOSHING, circle pits are the way to go. (This includes no swinging, hitting or gay ass hardcore dancing) It messes up the flow
7. Above all, if you accidentally get hit,elbowed,tripped,ect. LET IT GO...you have to expect to get a little roughed up.

[Spluff]

Mosh pits are great fun, often ruined by dickheads who don't quite understand what it's all about. The aim of the pit isn't to hurt people. It's usually hardcore or metalcore kids who think that it's a great idea to start punching people from behind or kicking them, or people who just show up for a fight when you're at local gigs.

[KvP]

Best mosh pit I ever jumped into was an Iggy & The Stooges show in 2007. Lots of old mexican punks, and they knew how to run a mosh pit right.

[Buttfranklin]

One weird thing that happened to me at a live show (not a pit) was this girl kept rubbing up against me and then giving me these horrified looks like I molested her.  And I was like, "look, it's not like I'm molesting you, I'm just standing here and yr the one rubbing up against me.  I'm not doing anything.  It's all you."  She only spoke Italian, was really short, and was relatively hot.  It was really weird.  Not a mosh pit story, though.

Anyway, I'm not a fan of mosh pits, but I do enjoy it when the show gets somewhat rowdy.  Not moshing, but lots of energetic jumping and dancing.  That's good fun.

[Jace]

6. SCREW JOCK MOSHING, circle pits are the way to go. (This includes no swinging, hitting or gay ass hardcore dancing) It messes up the flow

Skank pits are better.
The hardcore dancing is hilarious if you imagine the people at the edge of the pit with their fists out as Green Lanterns trapping the dancers in bubbles and they are fighting to escape.

i haven't been molested in a pit (yet?) but i have had a dude much bigger than me punch me in the face, as in he looked right at me and aimed and everything.

Well, I mean, you have a really punchable face tania.

[KvP]

It takes a lot out of you, resisting the urge. The entire Tron2con trip was just one huge ordeal.

[Cartilage Head]

 I think moshing is pretty stupid in general, and this is from someone who moshed to the likes of The Sawtooth Grin and Opeth in my younger days. As Dovey stated, it is highly distracting from the music, and some people just don't understand when and where to knock it off. No, sweaty punk rock kid in Tony Hawk shoes, I don't want to be bumped around by you and your friends. When I go to lots of punk shows with small, intimate crowds it is especially annoying. At Andrew Jackson Jihad all a lot of us wanted to do was sing along and dance, but a bunch of teenagers were pushing the whole crowd around with their pit. I was at least able to move and get right next to the band though.

 If you're going to mosh, make sure it is where people who don't want to mosh can avoid it.

[scarred]

lots of punk shows with small, intimate crowds

How would you expect people not to mosh there?

[Aurjay]

  I go to lots of punk shows with small, intimate crowds

best shows to go to.

[KharBevNor]

Man, that video Jens posted reminded me. What the fuck is it with American bands (especially bad ones), ordering the crowd how to mosh? If we like your fucking band, we'll form a fucking pit. We'll form it wherever we want, and it may be a circle pit or it may be a normal pit. Fuck you, play some fucking music!

I have literally never seen a European band doing this.

I only mosh (and then occasionally) at Wacken these days. Nowhere I've been in the UK seemed safe or enjoyable since they bought the smoking ban in, making it difficult to smoke dope in Skindred pits. I've ranted before that it's basically over the last five-six years that almost all heavy gigs in the UK have been progressively ruined by 15 year old kids with bandanas who saw some 'hardcore dancing', probably in a live vid of Avenged Sevenfold on youtube or somewhere equally risible, and want to try it. What I'm trying to say is FUCKING YANKS. In the words of the immortal slogan of Deathlike Silence Productions:

NO MOSH! NO CORE! NO TRENDS! NO FUN!

[Dliessmgg]

Obviously stooges are srs bsns.

[StaedlerMars]

The worst moshpit I have been at was the Black Lips. Dudes piggybacking and jumping over people and climbing on folks to hurl themselves on the stage over and over again. I believe I also copped a full-body feel which enraged my boyfriend but the other dude was pretty big and pretty drunk so I let it go. Such is the front of the pit.

Funny, until last Friday I would have said the Black Lips were the best mosh I had been in.

But then on Friday I went to Balkanarama and the mosh was the best thing ever. It wasn't as much moshing as everyone just really dancing really hard, and not caring about bumping into other people. Most. Fun. At. Gig. Ever. Basically, Balkan music is the raddest to mosh to.

Also, if you're not living by those rules you're a dick.

[valley_parade]

Man, that video Jens posted reminded me. What the fuck is it with American bands (especially bad ones), ordering the crowd how to mosh?

The last time I saw this happen, the moshers ended up crashing into the bagpiper and taking out the drumkit.

Flatfoot 56. What a show.

[Gemmwah]

fuckfuckfuck i hate wall of death so much because i always end up in the fucking middle of it.

[Liz]

Moshing is gross because everyone is all sweaty and I end up with their sweat on me and that is just ick.

[KharBevNor]

When I saw Municipal Waste at Wacken 07, it was like 1 am and everyone was incredibly drunk, not least of all the band, who ended up just doing like two or three wall of deaths per song until the tent nearly fell over.

[David_Dovey]

Yes there is room in my heart for a good ole fashioned circle pit, but doing it for the entire show seems pretty dumb.

Also some of the other comments in this thread reminded me of another thing that bums me out about moshing, which is the way it is an automatic reaction to basically any energetic guitar-based music theses days (at least it is at shows I'm going to). It kinda feels like I'm regurgitating Fugazi stage banter here but fuck it 'cos they're right.

[scarred]

A couple shows I've been to it's been like that and the band has actually stopped playing and told everybody to cut it out.

Of course, it didn't work.

[Skibas_clavicle]

I dunno if people in other places besides here are just wangs but I've never gotten felt up in the fit. But man, do I hate hardcore shows. It's just a buncha jackasses flailing, doing the lawnmower and generally having little to no regard for those around them. I've found for some reason, that hardcore kids are like the worst people ever.

[sean]

as you guys know, i love hardcore, and i absolutely love moshing. however, i really only enjoy moshing to super loud fast pissed-off hardcore music. pretty much any other type of music is not for moshing (well okay you can mosh to metal but thats not my thing). and i really only like moshing at tiny diy basement/whatever shows, because everyone usually respects each other and the space (which is, in my mind, the only rule for moshing). but man, at a hardcore show, i usually am standing there itching to mosh or moshing my ass off. also, circle pits are only for certain points of music. like, not all songs are circle pitable.

okay thats enough on moshing

[Damnable Fiend]

the only thing that I would feel comfortable moshing to would be stuff like Discordance Axis.  Most metal and punk just feel too tame to me, to start jumping around and smashing into strangers.  I'd rather be standing against the stage and headbanging until my neck hurts.

In fact, most of the metal shows I've been to haven't had much of a mosh pit anyway.  The worst is the kind of crowd where everyone in the entire crowd pushes on the person in front of them, to the point where the air starts to get really stale (ie. every Opeth show I've seen)

[jackmort]

I have moshed and there is enjoyment to be had, but I tend to find that being repeatedly punched in the face distracts me from the music

Anyone who is willfully violent in the pit, is a cunt

[Ballard]

The last time I saw Anamanaguchi, the venue was so overcrowded that the entire room, wall-to-wall, was the pit, and the moshing consisted of the whole audience losing balance and tumbling into each other in one direction, and then pressure coming from the crushed end tilting the crowd back in the opposite direction. It was so hot I felt like I was melting and I had just chugged a 4Loko.

Fucking excellent time.

As for the rules, I vote "follow them religiously"

Where do you draw the line with non-creepy physical affection towards the opposite sex?

I'm a pretty non-threatening guy so often I'll develop a playful dynamic with a girl in a pit and we'll start shoving each other lightly as a way of flirting. The last time this happened I was pretty drunk and not thinking about hitting on anyone at all until I noticed that one girl kept pushing me more often than anyone else and whenever she would she'd grab on to my hips for just a moment, so I caught her eye and she flashed me a grin. I didn't want to make the wrong assumption and look like a jerk so I ignored it but things got pretty obvious when we started making out on stage five minutes later.

[Nodaisho]

Gene, you're the guy that everybody hates at shows. I don't care if you have to have sloppy makeouts with someone, but do it where it doesn't disrupt the show. You're like a less criminal version of that couple that started fucking to wilco at some outdoor show that I forget the name of.