(no subject)
I wrote this for a 'tell me about rock concerts' post on a reference board. :)
WARNING: TL;DR
According to the spreadsheet I now keep, I've seen over 50 groups live, almost all rock/metal. The Backstreet Boys would be the biggest exception. :P
I agree with what people have said about it being a welcoming environment--probably one of the most welcoming I've ever been in. It's part of what fuels the addiction. I'll drive anywhere from 5 minutes to 3-5 hours for a show or festival, depending on who's in it. I have a small criteria that determines how long I'm willing to sit in the car. Usually, I drive, go to the show, and drive back the same night, so often I'm rolling in smelling of mosh pit until 2-3am. It's a beautiful hobby.
Venue size determines a lot. I hate seats, and I don't like amphitheaters, but I'll go to an amphitheater if I have to. It better be a hell of a band, though. Amphitheaters are too... nice. They're shaped like a bowl for the acoustics. At the bottom is the stage/pit, usually concrete, with seats going up the hill, and a grassy lawn at the top. Lawn seats suck. Everything is tiny. But amphitheaters charge the heck out of gen admin tickets, so it's one of those value judgments you have to make. The last two amphitheaters I went to I had lawn tickets, but I also had a freshly sprained ankle and was by myself. Still hated the view and distance from the bands. I prefer outdoor to indoor for the fresh air. Pot smoke gives me borderline migraines if I'm exposed for too long, so I really, really want breezes to keep it from getting stagnant. That, and I love the dust clouds that billow up from mosh pits. :)
I like festivals over smaller events. Festivals usually give you a better bang for your buck, although they last for hours and hours. Concession prices are exorbitant, although I'll usually get myself a beer for dinner (liquid + full stomach). Some places give free water, because people sweat a lot, dehydrate, and it's no fun fainting in the middle of the crowd--ALTHOUGH, I have seen crowds pick up passed out people and crowd surf them to the security guards at the front to get them medical attention. Security varies. I've smuggled things in easily and I've watched my boyfriend get frisked spread-eagle just because (I think the women were hitting on him, seriously). What works for me is that I wear skintight clothes and only have the bare essentials in my pockets, and they can see that there's nothing on me and wave me through. If it's gender segregated, the girls' line is usually a fraction that of the guys' line.
Sound is usually pretty good; sometimes, like someone mentioned, the sound guys just blow and everything is unbalanced. I HATED the Chevelle show I was at because it was so off. The treble was blasting and I could not hear the bass line or drums at all. My ears are really used to this stuff after 8 years of marching band and rarely hurt/go temporarily deaf, and it hurt.
I rarely buy merch. After ticket prices and driving up to 5 hours and a beer or two, I'm out of money. And usually the lines are crazy.
They are messy, messy places. People like to throw their almost-empty water bottles and beer cans, so there's fluid and ice raining down. People are smoking. Dust and dirt are flying up from the mosh pits. I've come back and had dirt embedded in my lips and needed to wash my face three times to get it out of my skin. I've left rings around the shower after festivals and I wasn't even moshing, just nearby. The mess is my favorite aspect! I'm not happy unless I'm absolutely filthy.
When the drum sticks, set lists, and guitar picks start flying from the stage, it's like a damn feeding frenzy. People get injured. I've come away with three picks and drum stick in the last year or so. Some bands are stingier than others. Theory of a Deadman throws 'em like candy. The veterans always stick around and scour the ground for things people have missed; I've found a set list that looked like crumpled trash that way, and a Nightwish guitar pick that blended in with the floor.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that it's a fairly intimate setting. Just... aggressively so. It's probably the sardine thing, plus the music and the passion. But I've hugged and kissed more strangers at shows than anywhere else in my life, and there was no skeezy desperate element like you'd find in a bar (where I have also hugged and kissed strangers). People really look out for each other and make friends. Someone mentioned making friends in lines--absolutely seconded.
Since I usually go by myself, my favorite concert buddies living out of the country, my strategy as a 5'5" girl is to find a group or a decent-looking cute guy and make friends. Because you're going to be crammed in next to them sharing personal space for a few hours, and because there's strength in numbers! I usually get a body guard against the mosh pits and the crowd surfers. People tend to warn those around them with taps on the shoulder when a surfer's coming overhead. If you're short, tall people take the brunt! And if you're with a friend or someone who's implicitly agreed to take care of you (it's not a verbal, formal contract by any means), then they'll also be committed to hauling you off the floor when you get knocked down. (Notice that I said 'when.')
You can also have favorite cities. I don't know where chomsky_rabbit is, but we LOVE Charlotte, North Carolina. I've been to shows all around the southeast US, but Charlotte is far and away my absolute favorite. I've probably been to five different venues there, and had a blast meeting terrific people every single time. It's a 3.5 hour drive for me, and worth every minute through upstate South Carolina. Atlanta, on the other hand? It's the closest, but WTF.
Favorite anecdotes:
Theory of a Deadman/Hinder/Motley Crue show at UCF's Arena: the usher came and told me to sit down.
Slash at 2012 Carolina Rebellion: tens of thousands of people singing along so loudly I couldn't hear Slash or Myles Kennedy, and I was pretty close up.
Black Stone Cherry/Adelitas Way/Alter Bridge/Theory of a Deadman in Charlotte: I walked up to the autograph booth and got Rick's (AW) autograph on my jeans. I asked if he would mind terribly signing my leg. He said he would be thrilled. The security guard rolled his eyes. I swung my leg up on the table, he signed my jeans, and then I got kicked out of the VIP section while enjoying my celebratory beer and taking a camera phone pic of my leg.
At the same show, I spontaneously befriended a small group of guys on the floor. We were smartasses for the rest of the show, then went to some shoddy Waffle House knock-off diner across the street at midnight. And some promo guys gave us free energy drinks and took grainy shadowy pics of us in a parking lot.
I saw the Backstreet Boys on a Halloween weekend, and there is nothing like seeing a bunch of goth guys drinking and singing soulfully to I Want It That Way.
Three Days Grace in Pensacola: I chased Adam through the crowd (he was wandering as he sang) and totally touched the edge of his shirt. I also had a pulled quadricep at the time, so it was hilariously hoppy and gimpy.
At 2011 Carolina Rebellion, I saw a guy walking around shirtless. He had one boob. It was not a pec. It was a singular flopping breast. A group of drunk middle aged women also asked me to flash them. Note: I am not exactly well-endowed. I ended up with a pot-smoke-migraine and had to leave early, and I'm still bitter about that.
More 2012 Carolina Rebellion: I was between two mosh pits for Five Finger Death Punch and a crowd surfer crushed my sunglasses. One of the men near me, after the show, handed me a pair of US Army issued AWESOME sunglasses off the ground as a replacement. They are my pride and joy. That is the dirtiest and sweatiest I have ever been in a single set and it was fabulous. I hugged my cute bodyguard, who was terrific and hauled me off the ground by my jeans, and ran off to see Red. That's one of my favorite single sets ever.
I ate a giant turkey leg for the duration of Staind and half of Evanescence and was complimented so many times. Some random guy took a picture of me gnawing on that thing.
During Shinedown, some woman started beating the heck out of a man during the opening notes of Bully. Which was amazingly ironic. I thought another mosh pit was starting, so I drifted closer to close the circle, but the quiet guy next to me was more observant, saw the fight, and he picked me up and THREW me into Chomsky to get me away. It's one of our all-time favorite memories. He was a sweet guy. We hugged at the end of the night. XD
Adelitas Way/Lacuna Coil/Halestorm/Sevendust in Charleston, SC. Got some beers, wandered up and met a random group of tall people. Started talking to a guy. Rick (AW) crowd surfed literally right over our heads. Did a lot of kissing during Sevendust. Got a drum stick. Am now dating the guy. Six months later I'm still wondering wtf happened. XD The fun part is that I definitely got a pot-smoke-migraine after that show and ended up spending the night slightly nauseated in a slummy truck motel off I-26 outside Columbia--and I COULD have been sleeping on his couch.
Incubus and Linkin Park in Atlanta: Saw with aforementioned boyfriend this summer. He got a set list. We were not nearly high enough for Incubus. I knew they were stoner-riffic, but hoooly crap, this cannot be understated. Linkin Park was badass. And we way got an awful lot of unsolicited admiration for our relationship. Apparently people like watching bouncy hyper idiots. And banging on car windows to say so. Uh. I got nothin'.
Oh, and if you got to the closest Waffle House after a festival or show, you'll probably see a bunch of other exhausted, hungry, stinky concert-goers there. :D It's kind of a Thing. At least in the southeast. :)
Rock concerts are the best thing in my life, kthx. :)
i has a nostalgia.
WARNING: TL;DR
According to the spreadsheet I now keep, I've seen over 50 groups live, almost all rock/metal. The Backstreet Boys would be the biggest exception. :P
I agree with what people have said about it being a welcoming environment--probably one of the most welcoming I've ever been in. It's part of what fuels the addiction. I'll drive anywhere from 5 minutes to 3-5 hours for a show or festival, depending on who's in it. I have a small criteria that determines how long I'm willing to sit in the car. Usually, I drive, go to the show, and drive back the same night, so often I'm rolling in smelling of mosh pit until 2-3am. It's a beautiful hobby.
Venue size determines a lot. I hate seats, and I don't like amphitheaters, but I'll go to an amphitheater if I have to. It better be a hell of a band, though. Amphitheaters are too... nice. They're shaped like a bowl for the acoustics. At the bottom is the stage/pit, usually concrete, with seats going up the hill, and a grassy lawn at the top. Lawn seats suck. Everything is tiny. But amphitheaters charge the heck out of gen admin tickets, so it's one of those value judgments you have to make. The last two amphitheaters I went to I had lawn tickets, but I also had a freshly sprained ankle and was by myself. Still hated the view and distance from the bands. I prefer outdoor to indoor for the fresh air. Pot smoke gives me borderline migraines if I'm exposed for too long, so I really, really want breezes to keep it from getting stagnant. That, and I love the dust clouds that billow up from mosh pits. :)
I like festivals over smaller events. Festivals usually give you a better bang for your buck, although they last for hours and hours. Concession prices are exorbitant, although I'll usually get myself a beer for dinner (liquid + full stomach). Some places give free water, because people sweat a lot, dehydrate, and it's no fun fainting in the middle of the crowd--ALTHOUGH, I have seen crowds pick up passed out people and crowd surf them to the security guards at the front to get them medical attention. Security varies. I've smuggled things in easily and I've watched my boyfriend get frisked spread-eagle just because (I think the women were hitting on him, seriously). What works for me is that I wear skintight clothes and only have the bare essentials in my pockets, and they can see that there's nothing on me and wave me through. If it's gender segregated, the girls' line is usually a fraction that of the guys' line.
Sound is usually pretty good; sometimes, like someone mentioned, the sound guys just blow and everything is unbalanced. I HATED the Chevelle show I was at because it was so off. The treble was blasting and I could not hear the bass line or drums at all. My ears are really used to this stuff after 8 years of marching band and rarely hurt/go temporarily deaf, and it hurt.
I rarely buy merch. After ticket prices and driving up to 5 hours and a beer or two, I'm out of money. And usually the lines are crazy.
They are messy, messy places. People like to throw their almost-empty water bottles and beer cans, so there's fluid and ice raining down. People are smoking. Dust and dirt are flying up from the mosh pits. I've come back and had dirt embedded in my lips and needed to wash my face three times to get it out of my skin. I've left rings around the shower after festivals and I wasn't even moshing, just nearby. The mess is my favorite aspect! I'm not happy unless I'm absolutely filthy.
When the drum sticks, set lists, and guitar picks start flying from the stage, it's like a damn feeding frenzy. People get injured. I've come away with three picks and drum stick in the last year or so. Some bands are stingier than others. Theory of a Deadman throws 'em like candy. The veterans always stick around and scour the ground for things people have missed; I've found a set list that looked like crumpled trash that way, and a Nightwish guitar pick that blended in with the floor.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that it's a fairly intimate setting. Just... aggressively so. It's probably the sardine thing, plus the music and the passion. But I've hugged and kissed more strangers at shows than anywhere else in my life, and there was no skeezy desperate element like you'd find in a bar (where I have also hugged and kissed strangers). People really look out for each other and make friends. Someone mentioned making friends in lines--absolutely seconded.
Since I usually go by myself, my favorite concert buddies living out of the country, my strategy as a 5'5" girl is to find a group or a decent-looking cute guy and make friends. Because you're going to be crammed in next to them sharing personal space for a few hours, and because there's strength in numbers! I usually get a body guard against the mosh pits and the crowd surfers. People tend to warn those around them with taps on the shoulder when a surfer's coming overhead. If you're short, tall people take the brunt! And if you're with a friend or someone who's implicitly agreed to take care of you (it's not a verbal, formal contract by any means), then they'll also be committed to hauling you off the floor when you get knocked down. (Notice that I said 'when.')
You can also have favorite cities. I don't know where chomsky_rabbit is, but we LOVE Charlotte, North Carolina. I've been to shows all around the southeast US, but Charlotte is far and away my absolute favorite. I've probably been to five different venues there, and had a blast meeting terrific people every single time. It's a 3.5 hour drive for me, and worth every minute through upstate South Carolina. Atlanta, on the other hand? It's the closest, but WTF.
Favorite anecdotes:
Theory of a Deadman/Hinder/Motley Crue show at UCF's Arena: the usher came and told me to sit down.
Slash at 2012 Carolina Rebellion: tens of thousands of people singing along so loudly I couldn't hear Slash or Myles Kennedy, and I was pretty close up.
Black Stone Cherry/Adelitas Way/Alter Bridge/Theory of a Deadman in Charlotte: I walked up to the autograph booth and got Rick's (AW) autograph on my jeans. I asked if he would mind terribly signing my leg. He said he would be thrilled. The security guard rolled his eyes. I swung my leg up on the table, he signed my jeans, and then I got kicked out of the VIP section while enjoying my celebratory beer and taking a camera phone pic of my leg.
At the same show, I spontaneously befriended a small group of guys on the floor. We were smartasses for the rest of the show, then went to some shoddy Waffle House knock-off diner across the street at midnight. And some promo guys gave us free energy drinks and took grainy shadowy pics of us in a parking lot.
I saw the Backstreet Boys on a Halloween weekend, and there is nothing like seeing a bunch of goth guys drinking and singing soulfully to I Want It That Way.
Three Days Grace in Pensacola: I chased Adam through the crowd (he was wandering as he sang) and totally touched the edge of his shirt. I also had a pulled quadricep at the time, so it was hilariously hoppy and gimpy.
At 2011 Carolina Rebellion, I saw a guy walking around shirtless. He had one boob. It was not a pec. It was a singular flopping breast. A group of drunk middle aged women also asked me to flash them. Note: I am not exactly well-endowed. I ended up with a pot-smoke-migraine and had to leave early, and I'm still bitter about that.
More 2012 Carolina Rebellion: I was between two mosh pits for Five Finger Death Punch and a crowd surfer crushed my sunglasses. One of the men near me, after the show, handed me a pair of US Army issued AWESOME sunglasses off the ground as a replacement. They are my pride and joy. That is the dirtiest and sweatiest I have ever been in a single set and it was fabulous. I hugged my cute bodyguard, who was terrific and hauled me off the ground by my jeans, and ran off to see Red. That's one of my favorite single sets ever.
I ate a giant turkey leg for the duration of Staind and half of Evanescence and was complimented so many times. Some random guy took a picture of me gnawing on that thing.
During Shinedown, some woman started beating the heck out of a man during the opening notes of Bully. Which was amazingly ironic. I thought another mosh pit was starting, so I drifted closer to close the circle, but the quiet guy next to me was more observant, saw the fight, and he picked me up and THREW me into Chomsky to get me away. It's one of our all-time favorite memories. He was a sweet guy. We hugged at the end of the night. XD
Adelitas Way/Lacuna Coil/Halestorm/Sevendust in Charleston, SC. Got some beers, wandered up and met a random group of tall people. Started talking to a guy. Rick (AW) crowd surfed literally right over our heads. Did a lot of kissing during Sevendust. Got a drum stick. Am now dating the guy. Six months later I'm still wondering wtf happened. XD The fun part is that I definitely got a pot-smoke-migraine after that show and ended up spending the night slightly nauseated in a slummy truck motel off I-26 outside Columbia--and I COULD have been sleeping on his couch.
Incubus and Linkin Park in Atlanta: Saw with aforementioned boyfriend this summer. He got a set list. We were not nearly high enough for Incubus. I knew they were stoner-riffic, but hoooly crap, this cannot be understated. Linkin Park was badass. And we way got an awful lot of unsolicited admiration for our relationship. Apparently people like watching bouncy hyper idiots. And banging on car windows to say so. Uh. I got nothin'.
Oh, and if you got to the closest Waffle House after a festival or show, you'll probably see a bunch of other exhausted, hungry, stinky concert-goers there. :D It's kind of a Thing. At least in the southeast. :)
Rock concerts are the best thing in my life, kthx. :)
i has a nostalgia.