Metallica....in the Mosh, will there be a mosh, not in the mosh?

[jeffie]

Actully mate I enjoy a gig and express myself how I like doing, im not worried if its `on trend` or not and really if you act a certain way based n `whats cool` then its me that feels sorry for you because you obviously have no life of your own. you think metal fans give a fuck if what they are doing is `the in thing` or not?

And yes I want to watch the band and I do so from the pit, dont pin your narrow minded view on how an audience should behave on me fella because ill just laugh at your as I am doing, at any metal gig in the present day, some enjoy moshing some enjoy being a bit more chilled each to there own but I certainly dont worry about how `80s` idiots like you think a moshpit is when im going into one no!

You are A13, and I claim my £5

[Swine_Glasto2014]

People sat down with chairs and blankets are more annoying than a mosh!

[jeffie]

But you dont see people threatening to elbow them in the head for doing so do you? wonder why?

You do, you know!!

[The Nal]

they will be small and fun and those in them will look out for themsleves and those around them, all the more so when we know potentially a lot of people dont want to actully be forced into the pit.

All great in theory until a pit breaks out behind someone, so these people cant see whats going on, and a girl gets smashed in the back from some dickhead who gets pushed by another dickhead.

Not all pits start in the actual pit. I've seen them at the front, the middle, the sides, the back.

Seen it countless times. Girl gets hurt, starts crying, understandably wants to leave. Gig over for her and her mates/boyfriend etc.

Is that ok then in your opinion? Unwilling fellow gig goers getting bashed into from behind by people twice their size?

[Swine_Glasto2014]

My missus doesn't want to get by the front just incase she gets involved in a mosh against her will...

We are going to stand at the front just incase we get involved in a mosh pit against our will

[DeanoL]

I cannot imagine how boring you must be to watch a band with `stand up straight, eyes forward, no emotion or reaction` god I bet your the kind of fan bands hate eh?

You'd be surprised. I moshed a bit when I was younger, though when doing so I made sure I was only involved with people in the pit. I never ran at people outside or in the 'wall', and I never through anyone at people standing their either. That attitude has changed now, at least where I've seen pits break out.

It's essentially about consideration for other people. I was at a gig last night, quite wanted to have a bit of a dance and jump around, but where I was stood I was surrounded by people smaller than me and some older people. They weren't jumping around, and I was quite aware that me doing that would negatively effect their enjoyment of the show. So I didn't. Simple as that. I don't act in a way that will negatively effect the enjoyment of the people around me. My enjoyment of the show is not more important than theirs is. We are all equal. Increasing my enjoyment at the show at their expense is just plain wrong to me.

That's why I stick moshers in the same segment as people who set up camp with chairs in the middle of the field, or people who shout loudly at their friends through the entire show until the band play the one song they know, or folks with flags. It's all people deciding that enjoying the band how they want to is more important than everyone else.

As someone else suggested earlier, why not start your moshpit at the back of the crowd where there is space (and there will plenty for Metallica let's face it). You don't have to involve other people then.

And I'm not going to stand on the edge of a moshpit on purpose in order to be a dick about it (I'm not even going to go watch Metallica so it's all fucking academic). But if one forms around me. And then someone runs in to me once, demonstrating that they clearly can't keep to themselves, then I'll position my body in such a way that it's a bit more dangerous. It's a defense mechanism, primarily, to make sure I don't get hurt. But equally there's no way I'd ever go out of the way to punch someone in a mosh, or even running at me. I'm just not going to enable it by creating a soft target. Like I said, if a guy runs face first at the elbow I have out to protect myself, I did not elbow him. He head-butted my elbow. If you're going to start a mosh pit, you have to take responsibility for your own safety. That meas not running at people who don't want to be involved, or you risk hurting yourself.

My opinion on this is quite straightfowards:

1) don't value your enjoyment of anything over any one else

2) if you do, don't expect me to enable your behaviour, be that by navigating around your picnic blanket so it doesn't get muddy, or by pushing you back in to a mosh pit. Or by holding your drink for you while you put your flag up. Or by making space for your mate to get through so you can resume yelling at each other.

Glastonbury is about togetherness, friendliness, about getting on and enjoying things as one. But that doesn't mean we need to enable dickheads. Being friendly doesn't mean sacrificing your own enjoyment for the fun of others. Being nice: letting someone shorter than you stand in front of you so they can see. Being stupid: letting someone taller than you push in front of you so they can see better and you can't see at all.

[DeanoL]

But you dont see people threatening to elbow them in the head for doing so do you? wonder why?

No, but you do see people who will happily walk through the middle of a camp of chairs and blankets, and not worry about muddying someone blanket. As it should be. Your picnic blanket does not give you right of way over that swathe of the grounds, just as your mosh does not give you the right to assault me by running at me.

[DeanoL]

There's also probably a tipping point, y'know, where the moshers have a point - if there's more of them than everyone else then my argument flips around, and if you're not moshing you're ruining the fun. And that's what you get at some gigs, it's expected and it's fine and everyone is in to it.

But in most cases, when the number of people forming the wall (that don't want to be involved) exceeds the number of people moshing then it stays the way I said. Which is likely what will be the case at Glastonbury.

To me it's about behaving in such a way that maximises the enjoyment of everyone in the crowd.

[The Nal]

there's a big 'space' between what you're suggesting, and throwing yourself around like a lunatic without a thought for who might be near you

No no Tony. Hes guaranteeing that not one single person will be adversely affected by it. Not one!

Their spacial awareness is higher than any other human on the planet. He will guarantee that when the pit breaks out, people who don't want to be involved won't be touched in the slightest. It will be a completely seemless transition.

In that given area theres a few hundred people packed in like sardines. But they can somehow create a huge space within that said area and no one else will have to move to accommodate this new empty space. Its quite the talent.

Applying the exact amount of pressure with their bumps and shoves so no one else gets touched too.

He said so himself earlier. I'm fine with that. I'm fascinated to see it happen on a purely scientific level.

[Ted Dansons Wig]

Im unclear how people can move out of the way if they dont want to be involved in a mosh when it breaks out in the area in front of the metal dividing fence? Normally there isnt enough space to scratch your own arse never mind move back. Once your in your in at headliner time. Anything kicks off you cant help feeling the affect.

[russycarps]

Im unclear how people can move out of the way if they dont want to be involved in a mosh when it breaks out in the area in front of the metal dividing fence? Normally there isnt enough space to scratch your own arse never mind move back. Once your in your in at headliner time. Anything kicks off you cant help feeling the affect.

exactly. Imagine people trying this in the rolling stones crowd last year? It would have been absolutely terrifying.

Let's just hope it all goes off without incident, but if there are even a hundred cretins like this penguin fellow then things could get very very dangerous.

[Gnomicide]

I'm still annoyed.

[Ruwise]

People sat down with chairs and blankets are more annoying than a mosh!

I agree that particularly in a busy crowd and near the front they are annoying and entitled and eventually have to stand up anyway as they won't be able to see but they aren't hurting people physically whilst people who run into other people are potentially doing that and by trying to create a large circle where there wasn't one previously they could be causing issues for people like my husband who doesn't feel comfortable in enclosed spaces.

[Ted Dansons Wig]

I agree that particularly in a busy crowd and near the front they are annoying and entitled and eventually have to stand up anyway as they won't be able to see but they aren't hurting people physically whilst people who run into other people are potentially doing that and by trying to create a large circle where there wasn't one previously they could be causing issues for people like my husband who doesn't feel comfortable in enclosed spaces.

Love your posts RUWise. You're always a breath of reasonableness. Yr photo is so fitting (I assume you arent really a koala).

See if you can calm Gnomicide.

[Ted Dansons Wig]

Chairs, blankets, teenagers holding hands so they don't lose each other, people who take drugs, people who don't drugs, kids in onesies, ...some people will always be pissed off with something.

If I want to stay at one place for 2 or 3 bands (Robert Plant followed by Jack White probably this year), I'll probably have a fold up chair or blanket with me. I can't stand up for 4 hours with out some part of my body starting to ache. Why shouldn't I put a blanket on the (possibly) damp and covered in food space that I want to stand up in? I might even want to give my aching back a rest during a set (by having a sit down). Is that allowed?

Must say I was surprised that putting blankets down was annoying to people. Tend to carry one around with me during the day at least - for the reasons you mention. If its busy people just stand or sit on any vacant bits in any case.

[Ruwise]

Love your posts RUWise. You're always a breath of reasonableness. Yr photo is so fitting (I assume you arent really a koala).

See if you can calm Gnomicide.

I'm not really a koala probably just as well they sleep 20 hours a day and would probably never be able to handle Glastonbury.

I have been known to get quite angry at inconsiderate behaviour at gigs. Just last week I had a woman who seemed to be working her way through my list of annoyances and then added a whole new level of inconsiderate when she sprayed some deodorant right into my mouth. She was so hammered that I don't think she knew what she was doing and sadly I think a lot of bad behaviour does come down to people being drunk and not having the same level of self awareness that they would perhaps have when sober.

[The Nal]

Why shouldn't I put a blanket on the (possibly) damp and covered in food space that I want to stand up in?

I can't stand these moaners either Tony.

I mean, do they expect us to spoon our beluga caviar onto the blini while standing up?! Were they raised in a barn?

A mother-of-pearl spoon is difficult enough to negotiate at the best of times but when you add in a load of commoner vermin walking around you it can get extra tricky.

[jeffie]

I can't stand these moaners either Tony.

I mean, do they expect us to spoon our beluga caviar onto the blini while standing up?! Were they raised in a barn?

A mother-of-pearl spoon is difficult enough to negotiate at the best of times but when you add in a load of commoner vermin walking around you it can get extra tricky.

What the hell else are you going to put the coke on?

[Gnomicide]

Just last week I had a woman who seemed to be working her way through my list of annoyances and then added a whole new level of inconsiderate when she sprayed some deodorant right into my mouth. She was so hammered that I don't think she knew what she was doing and sadly I think a lot of bad behaviour does come down to people being drunk and not having the same level of self awareness that they would perhaps have when sober.

Annoying.

[Keithy]

People keep saying they're really into Metal and huge metal fans and love a pit but they've not said what metal and what pit.

My favourite metal is Tin and I love the Kalgoorlie Super Pit in Australia

There seems to be an awful lot of people recently who see Glastonbury as their festival rather than a collective experience and feel want they want to do overides everyone else. Which is a shame.

If you want to mosh at Metallica then you're probably better off going to Sonisphere. There will be hardly any moshing (if any) at a Glastonbury headliner regardless of the band. The make-up of the crowd simply isn't conducive to it.

[jeffie]

If I see anyone moshing I'm going to be ticking them off severely!

[Keithy]

If I see anyone moshing I'm going to be ticking them off severely!

I hope that will be coupled with some good British 'tutting' and 'heavy frowning' :-)

[jeffie]

I hope that will be coupled with some good British 'tutting' and 'heavy frowning' :-)

I may have to fold my arms in an intimidating manner!

[A Guy Called Matt]

I hope that will be coupled with some good British 'tutting' and 'heavy frowning' :-)

There certainly will be if I spill my Pimms.

[Stokesy10]

I may have to fold my arms in an intimidating manner!

I will certainly defer to them. And explain to the heathen's that their activities are preposterous!