How to Survive a Metal Show

Have you ever gone to the drive-thru, ordered your favorite meal, then when you pulled up to the window to pay for that extra-cheesy steak burrito, realized you forgot your wallet and your phone is at 2% battery, so you either had to beg the poor worker to hand you the bag for free, or drive away in utter embarrassment? 

That kind of “Oh, sh*t!” moment happens to a lot of people when they attend their first metal concert. It happened to me, too! I was 13 years old at a local show inside a small Texas tattoo shop when I first saw a “mosh pit,” and my life was forever changed. I continued to attend shows throughout my adolescence and adult life, and it’s grown to be something I love.

And yet I still see the same thing at every show: someone who looks like they have no idea what’s going on. Maybe it’s a kid who convinced her parents to let her go to a show alone. The parents, oblivious to what “slamcore” even means, agreed and sent her on her way. This kid has never seen a mosh pit, either, and her only experience with metal “concerts” thus far has been blasting her friend’s iPhone recordings of “Knocked Loose” through first-generation AirPods. 

So, here she is, finally at a show for a band she’s been dying to see for months, maybe even a year. Her eyes widen as she watches an actual “pit” form in the center of the crowd – everyone makes space and when the guitars start blasting and the drums start rumbling, a few tough-looking guys venture into the center of this void and start flailing their fists in windmill-fashion and running straight at the crowd! 

That’s completely normal at a metal show and can be jarring for first-timers. After the most recent concert I attended, Northwest Hardcore Fest, where I saw more confused and upset faces, I thought it might be helpful to write a survival guide of sorts – the unwritten rules, expectations, and etiquette of metal concerts.

This is just based on what I’ve observed over the last 15 years of concertgoing, and truly every show is different. 

HAVE A PLAN 

First things first: You want to wear comfortable, yet durable shoes. Especially if you’re going to a venue where there aren’t a lot of seating options, or you purchased “pit” or floor tickets. You’re going to be standing all night, and there’s a good chance someone’s going to step on your toes – literally. I would recommend a sturdy pair of boots with some comfortable insoles, or a pair of sneakers that you wouldn’t mind getting dirty. 

One of the most important things to keep in mind is that most metal shows will get rowdy, so even if you aren’t in the mosh pit, there’s a high chance that you’ll still get shifted and shoved around and won’t remain in the same spot the entire night. Think of the venue as a giant basin and the crowd like a body of water; it’s fluid and it moves, often unpredictably. 

If you want to be anchored in one spot all night, then your best bet would be to 1. Stay at the back of the crowd, 2. Buy seated tickets if the show is at a stadium or arena, or 3. Get there as early as possible and hang onto the barrier or stage itself for dear life.

There are a few things to keep in mind if you hang out by the stage or barriers, though… Crowd-surfers and stage divers. If you’re at the front of any show, you run the risk of having to catch someone who may be much bigger than you. Smaller venues that don’t have barriers at the stages might have stage divers – people who literally jump from the stage into the crowd – and larger venues that do have barriers in front of the stage may have crowd surfers, people who convince someone else to lift them at the back of the crowd and “surf” all the way to the front.

The best way to avoid this would be to hang out at the back of the crowd or buy seated tickets, when available. 

EMBRACE THE CHAOS

Now, there also are some definite guidelines for etiquette if you do want to mosh. Keep in mind that you don’t HAVE to mosh at metal shows, and most people won’t care whether you do or don’t. But if you decide to, do keep these things in mind. 

If someone falls near you, stop what you are doing and help them up immediately. This goes for anywhere in the crowd. You’ll often see several people stop what they’re doing to help someone up. If you see someone seriously injured or unable to get up, try to get others to help you form a protective circle and shout for medical help. Remain there until the help arrives. 

Be constantly aware of your surroundings! People are often flailing and kicking without a target in the pit; or, if you stroll in unaware of your surroundings, there’s a good chance you’ll catch a fist or and elbow from someone, even if they didn’t intend to hit you. Don’t take it personally, either. From what I’ve gathered this flailing is a sort of somatic experience brought on by the intense energy of the music and crowd, not an actual desire to hurt people. 

Try to be aware of others, as well. If someone looks like a frightened deer in a particularly violent pit, don’t be afraid to go in and see if you can help them out. 

The bottom line: be respectful and have fun. Understand that there is meaning behind the chaos and calamity at a metal concert. Most of us there actually enjoy it and seek it out. If it bothers you, then I would suggest quietly finding a place at the show where you can comfortably avoid the crowd and rowdiness, or to just attend a different show. You probably wouldn’t want someone at one of your favorite events constantly complaining about how much they hate it, so why do it?

I understand that maybe a metal concert is not everyone’s cup of tea – and isn’t intended to be – so, please, don’t spoil the fun for those of us just trying to enjoy ourselves!