Saturday, October 22, 2005
The Mosh Pit Frenzy
By Allison Bloch, Staff Writer
Dark brown hair clings to his forehead. Sweat drips off him. He is now being chased by a security guard.
Earlier the teenage boy had been crashing into the bodies around him, his elbows slashing and bruising in time with the music. He tries to hide behind a big, black speaker that is vibrating in tune with the music playing on stage, but he is too slow.
The guard grabs him and pulls him toward the exit.
The boy escapes. He runs into the crowd, shirtless. The guard chases behind the boy, who is holding his shirt in his right hand.
It is a scene that could happen at any concert. But it's practically a necessity at punk shows, where the crowd and musicians alike have a penchant for extreme dancing.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, moshing is to engage in "uninhibited, often frenzied activities with others near the stage at a rock concert."
Moshing began as a type of dance, but has evolved into bodies crashing into one another and a sea of flailing arms, at times even leading to bruises and broken bones.
So why do it?
Since the early 1990s, moshing has been a way of life for fans who want to physically experience the music. But soon, that way of life may be lost.
Moshing enthusiasts are now left with fewer places to express themselves.
In the past couple of years, many venues in San Francisco have restricted moshing and other violent acts associated with hardcore rock/punk music. While there is no actual law in San Francisco or Oakland to restrict moshing, many clubs enforce this unwritten rule.
Larger venues, such as the Warfield, now post signs and kick people out for any signs of violence. Nationally, many venues began restricting moshing about ten years ago in response to lawsuits.
Early in the mosh scene, a young boy died in a club in New York. The family sued, and in 1996 Rockland County passed anti-moshing legislation.
Crowd Management Strategies, a Chicago-based organization that complies an annual injuries and deaths surveyed from news, police reports, lawsuits, industry sources, and public-information documents, reported 21 deaths, 4567 injuries, 2683 arrests, and about $524,000 in property damage at concerts and festivals in 2002 resulting from moshing.
I am a big music fan. Going to concerts is a way for me to relax and get lost in the music. I'm not one of the crazies who goes and beats people up in the pit, but I respect that some people like to go wild.
Being able to get crazy and lose yourself in the music is what makes the show. It is what creates the atmosphere and what keeps you coming back for more.
No moshing equals no fun. Even though I don't participate in the debauchery I still can sit back and watch, pointing and laughing with my friends. No harm is done.
Except when people take it too far.
I was talking to one of my teachers a while ago. She focuses on American culture, primarily with the trends of music. As we sat in her office, her Donnie Darko poster on the wall and her collection of CDs lining her bookcase, she just shook her head in sadness about the state of moshing.
She told me of a time when moshing wasn't about hitting and hurting people, but expressing yourself. This was true especially for the people who couldn't really dance.
It was a way to feel the music and experience what the musicians were feeling. More importantly, it was used to pump them up as well.
She let me borrow a Morrissey concert video she had, one that she treasured. She explained to me what was on the tape was hardcore moshing, the type of moshing that would get you kicked out of venues like the Warfield.
Watching tape made me laugh, just like how laugh when I watch the little 16-year-olds mosh at the punk shows.
Dark brown hair clings to his forehead. Sweat drips off him. He is now being chased by a security guard.
Earlier the teenage boy had been crashing into the bodies around him, his elbows slashing and bruising in time with the music. He tries to hide behind a big, black speaker that is vibrating in tune with the music playing on stage, but he is too slow.
The guard grabs him and pulls him toward the exit.
The boy escapes. He runs into the crowd, shirtless. The guard chases behind the boy, who is holding his shirt in his right hand.
It is a scene that could happen at any concert. But it's practically a necessity at punk shows, where the crowd and musicians alike have a penchant for extreme dancing.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, moshing is to engage in "uninhibited, often frenzied activities with others near the stage at a rock concert."
Moshing began as a type of dance, but has evolved into bodies crashing into one another and a sea of flailing arms, at times even leading to bruises and broken bones.
So why do it?
Since the early 1990s, moshing has been a way of life for fans who want to physically experience the music. But soon, that way of life may be lost.
Moshing enthusiasts are now left with fewer places to express themselves.
In the past couple of years, many venues in San Francisco have restricted moshing and other violent acts associated with hardcore rock/punk music. While there is no actual law in San Francisco or Oakland to restrict moshing, many clubs enforce this unwritten rule.
Larger venues, such as the Warfield, now post signs and kick people out for any signs of violence. Nationally, many venues began restricting moshing about ten years ago in response to lawsuits.
Early in the mosh scene, a young boy died in a club in New York. The family sued, and in 1996 Rockland County passed anti-moshing legislation.
Crowd Management Strategies, a Chicago-based organization that complies an annual injuries and deaths surveyed from news, police reports, lawsuits, industry sources, and public-information documents, reported 21 deaths, 4567 injuries, 2683 arrests, and about $524,000 in property damage at concerts and festivals in 2002 resulting from moshing.
I am a big music fan. Going to concerts is a way for me to relax and get lost in the music. I'm not one of the crazies who goes and beats people up in the pit, but I respect that some people like to go wild.
Being able to get crazy and lose yourself in the music is what makes the show. It is what creates the atmosphere and what keeps you coming back for more.
No moshing equals no fun. Even though I don't participate in the debauchery I still can sit back and watch, pointing and laughing with my friends. No harm is done.
Except when people take it too far.
I was talking to one of my teachers a while ago. She focuses on American culture, primarily with the trends of music. As we sat in her office, her Donnie Darko poster on the wall and her collection of CDs lining her bookcase, she just shook her head in sadness about the state of moshing.
She told me of a time when moshing wasn't about hitting and hurting people, but expressing yourself. This was true especially for the people who couldn't really dance.
It was a way to feel the music and experience what the musicians were feeling. More importantly, it was used to pump them up as well.
She let me borrow a Morrissey concert video she had, one that she treasured. She explained to me what was on the tape was hardcore moshing, the type of moshing that would get you kicked out of venues like the Warfield.
Watching tape made me laugh, just like how laugh when I watch the little 16-year-olds mosh at the punk shows.
# posted by Phil Deez @ 6:37 PM 