Before we get started, lets define moshing. Moshing is a style of dance where participants push or slam into each other; usually done to live music. Let’s paint a mental picture portrait, it’s a dark room with about 500 people here for the band, jumping up and down, flailing arms and heads while you are shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers. Variations include pogoing (jumping up and down), crowd surfing (which sounds exactly like what it reads), circle pits (a lot of people running around in a circle), or the wall of death (people separating into groups and running into one another). With the wall of death being the most dangerous out of the styles and pogoing being the least, the real question at hand is, did you choose to participate and was it safe?
Moshing is very dangerous, injuries can be foreseen when you look into the mosh pit. Smashing Pumpkins, a well known band from the ‘90’s, has been public about being against the act. In 1996, a 17 year old girl in Dublin was killed from being crushed by other moshing members and again in 2007 a young man from Vancouver. In recent events, the most popular punk-rock traveling music festival Vans Warped Tour had signs at every stage saying:
Police action has even been taken place, in 2012 at the Boston House of Blues, Boston Police banned moshing at concerts in the area after witnessing a Flogging Molly show.
The act of moshing was first seen in the 1980’s in Washington D.C. with the thrash metal music scene. In the 1990’s it snowballed into mainstream success after punk music split off into sub-genres like grunge or heavy-metal. Moshing is seen as a positive feedback from the fans to the artist. From experience, participating in pogoing or crowd surfing helps me enjoy the live music a whole lot more.When you listen to your favorite artist, your favorite song that you have an indescribable feeling for, you want to cut loose. Letting out what I feel makes me feel more connected to the artist and I feed off of the people around me. I fully support the act of the mosh and other variations but I also fully support safety and and precautions people need to take.
Recently, I went to a concert where I made barricade, meaning I was face-to-face with the security crew at the front. I was pushed on, kicked, and elbowed by strangers, but I also did the same thing back. The difference between danger and safety in this type of situation is common sense and courtesy. If you are going to crowd surf, keep your body still- don’t spaz and flail. You want to keep yourself, and the strangers you decided to trust, safe. Pushing and shoving is normal but when you do it to be annoying or “keep your seat” at a concert where it’s general admission, that is when you cross a fine line. If you see a face close to your elbow, keep some sort of awareness you don’t give the poor person a black eye or bloody nose. If you see a person fall, stop what you are doing and help them. If you see a person call for security because they are uncomfortable with the pushing and shoving, help that person out and flag the security or even pull them closer to safety, be smart people.
In reality, you are in charge of your self; if you go to a punk-rock concert expect nothing less than moshing. Take care of yourself and be conscious of others, moshing is half the experience, it does not need to be banned, it just needs smarter people in the pit.
