![]() At its core, the essence of moshing is not violence, but a sense of community and belonging. Performers who encourage violence in the audience from the security of their stage must understand the risk they are putting their fans in. While moshing culture can be risky for concertgoers, there are a host of other factors that can create unsafe concert environments, from a lack of safety measures and restrictions in concert venues to a lack of diligence from artists and producers. “The mosh pit went from raging to communal aid in a matter of seconds.” “Once, in a NOBRO concert in Montreal, someone fell down in the mosh pit and everyone stopped moving until the person was safe,” Masseau said. ![]() The people who stand in between the pit and the crowd have the moral obligation to make sure no one outside the pit gets hurt.”įor Masseau, both the audience and the performers must take on the responsibility of making sure the pit remains safe, as the audience are the ones physically creating the flow and dynamic of the pit, and the performers have the authority to step in if they notice something wrong in their audience. And there are certain responsibilities too, that come with where you are in the pit. “Like if you see someone that doesn’t seem too down for it, you can help them out of the pit. “With moshing, there are some kind of unwritten rules,” said Masseau in an interview with the Tribune. In Montrealer Zacharie Masseau’s experience, there is a certain etiquette for mosh pit participants that prioritizes the safety of those both in and out of the pit. “There’s really nothing like being in a crowd of bodies moving together and against each other.” “Mosh pits are some of the places I’ve felt the most alive,” said Montreal-born concertgoer Fanny Blanchet in an interview with The McGill Tribune. For many, the experience of communally moving against a sway of fellow fans is a cathartic experience, where the adrenaline of a high-stress situation mixes with the oxytocin of close human contact. Many fans of moshing, however, disagree with the idea that the practice is too dangerous. In 2014, the punk-rock festival Warped Tour banned moshing from their events, with a banner that read, “You Mosh, You Crowd Surf, You Get Hurt, We Get Sued, No More Warped Tour.” After two concert deaths due to moshing-one in 1996 in Dublin and one in 2007 in Vancouver-Billy Corgan, the lead singer of American rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, outright banned moshing and any other violence at his shows. Mosh pits are often considered hazardous, both to the concertgoers who can get injured and to the concert producers who can get sued for permitting them. May it be at a rock or a hip hop concert, a pit of people moving as a large sweaty mass can often be spotted against the stage.Ĭriticism of moshing has been around for decades. Moshing involves pushing and slamming-or sometimes just vigorously dancing with-fellow concertgoers in a space near the stage called the “pit.” Emerging in the late 1980s from the American hardcore punk scene, moshing has since transcended music genres. Kurt smiled: It was reverse psychology at its finest.The Travis Scott Astroworld Festival tragedy, which left 10 concertgoers dead and hundreds injured, has renewed discussions on the question of violence at music events, leaving many wondering if such a tragedy would have occurred without the influence of mosh pit culture. ![]() We don't want to see a Wall of Death here!" Meanwhile, the Super Mario Gameboy theme sounded off. "I know that it's forbidden to officially organize a Wall of Death in the crowd. Like Bischoff, he tried to prevent the whole thing-sort of. In addition to the Thuringians, the Heimorgel-playing solo entertainer Mambo Kurt spoke out against the Wall of Death. ![]() "We don't want to see any Walls of Death at all," he said, as people started getting in position. This year, singer Marcus Bischoff tried to sway the clash of willing bodies. I was there myself, and I've never experienced anything of greater caliber since. In 2011, they unofficially set the world record for the biggest Circle Pit ever at Wacken. Their sullen metalcore breaks so hard but remains so melodic that they're generally regarded as one of the most diverse headbangers. But there was one band on the lineup who always guarantees the strongest mosh pit at every festival: Heaven Shall Burn. Organizers of the event even asked the bands to tell their audiences not to enact one, especially considering the massive amount of attendees. The Wall of Death is actually a high security risk for megafestivals like Germany's Wacken Open Air.
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