Metalheads 101: Attending Your First Metal Concert - Steff Metal

Metalheads 101: Attending Your First Metal Concert
March 10th, 2011 | Featured, Grog Fests, Metalheads 101, Tr00 Metal Life
I actually cannot remember my first metal concert. Is that odd? I suppose it depends on what you mean by “metal” and “concert”. The first live music concert I ever saw (apart from a couple of Christian rock bands at the local church) was that horrid pop band 5ive in Birmingham, England, with 10 other 15 year old girls. I did not go voluntarily.

My first “real” rock concert was a band I am pretty ashamed to admit I like and so won’t mention here for fear you’ll never read this blog again. The band Incubus opened for them, as well as two local New Zealand acts, including a hard rock band who are no longer together called Savant, who I will have to play you sometime, as they’re fucking amazing. I managed to get front row centre – right on the bar – for the entire show. And standing right next to me was a gorgeous dude who ended up being my boyfriend for the next three years.

Blind Guardian Bloodstock 2009

But my first metal concert – my first real metal concert – I don’t know! Was it the 8 Foot Sativa show at the local student bar where I had my first slam mosh? Was it Metallica’s BDO 2004 show where I waited 7 hours in the pit to be on the bar? Was it Motorhead at the St. James Theatre, where Lemmy threw a tanty about the sound and I got crushed to death by the Ogre?

Between that first show, whichever one it was, and now, I’ve seen … probably a hundred shows, probably more, both local and international bands, here, in Australia, in England, in Europe, in Greece … I’ve been to underground shows with a crowd of 15 and the biggest heavy metal festival on earth …

I think every metalhead should see one of their favorite bands live. You don’t have to go crazy in the pit to have a good time. Metal is one of the best forms of music to hear live. That enormous sound fills the whole room, and you can’t help but be swept up in it.

Choosing Your First Concert

Ignoring what I said above about not being able to remember my first metal show, the first metal show you choose to see is REALLY important. You want to be sure you have the best time ever, otherwise you’ll never want to go back. And I’d kind of like to see you there someday, so that would be sad. I think you should choose a band you really like – a band whose songs you know well and whose fans say put on a wicked show.

I think you should choose a mid-size gig – not a stadium show, because the vibe is different and the massive crowd can be quite scary, but a club gig – 300-1500 people. And I think you should get a GA standing ticket.

I think, if you can find a group of like-minded friends to go with, that would be great, but otherwise, you should go by yourself. Don’t drag some poor non-metalhead along – you’ll spend the night worrying about whether they’re having fun or not, and you won’t concentrate on the whole first concert experience. You’re going to hanging out with your people – metalheads – so don’t bring an outsider in :)

Make sure you figure out how you’re going to get to and from the concert, especially if you plan on drinking. Always have some back-up cash for a taxi in case the gig goes overtime and you miss the last bus (yes, this is a lesson from experience). Carpool or taxi with friends to keep costs down – we normally meet up for drinks first, then head into town in taxis or on the bus.

What to Wear to Your First Metal Concert

A metal t-shirt. And no, not just any t-shirt … listen up, because this is very, very important. You CANNOT, SHALL NOT, absolutely MUST NOT wear the shirt of the band you’re going to see. It’s an unwritten law (which I’ve just written, thus making it a written law) that dates back to the heyday of metal, and you don’t mess with history.

If you buy a band shirt at the gig, put it on underneath your current shirt, stuff it into your bag, or give it to your long-suffering husband to look after. Some people wear theirs, but this makes them look silly. And we’re all about not looking silly. Most people tend to stick to a band in the same sub-genre as the band they’re seeing, but you don’t have to be that anal. A black shirt – any black shirt – is fine.

Exceptions to this strict rule are few, and mostly cover festival shirts, where anything up to 100 bands names are printed on the back.

Sturdy jeans or shorts: if you intend on going up front, you will get hot very quickly. Do NOT wear a skirt.

Boots: NOT sneakers. NOT sandals, definitely NOT jandals. You will get stood on. A lot. If you don’t have steel-caps or at least strong leather boots, this will hurt.

I try to take as little as possible, so I can fit everything into a tiny, padded, discman bag which I loop across my shoulders. It is very easy to lose things in the pit, so make sure your bag locks securely. I pack cash, ID, if needed, my cellphone, if needed, camera, if allowed, and pen in case I meet up with the band afterwards.

You’ll laugh, but I also have a pair of opera binoculars I use.

Don’t forget your ticket!

If you want to bring a camera, check the back of your ticket to see if it’s allowed. Many venues won’t allow cameras inside.

What to Expect in the Mosh Pit

The front area of the stage – the pit – isn’t for everyone. It can be carnage down there. However, I do think every metalhead should be in the pit, at least once, right up the front, so you can experience what a thrill it is.

Pits come in a number of different forms. Right up the front of a concert, you tend to have what I call “the squash” where everyone is packed so tightly together you can’t move, even if you want to. Everyone pushes forward in a desperate attempt to gain those extra precious inches to the stage, and it can become quite hot and painful. You also become intimately familiar with the anatomy of the people on either side of us.

Further back from the squash, but still quite near the front, is the real moshing. This is the jumping, slam-moshing, circle pits and walls-of-death. I tend to avoid this area, because I am very little and oncoordinated. I trip over myself just walking down the street, and I get a bit decimated in this area.

If you’ve never been in a wall of death, picture yourself facing off against and opposing army, running across the battleifeld to clash together in a great flailing of limbs. . Insanely scary but so much fun.

A circle pit is essentially a bunch of people running in a circle or crashing against the edges of a circle. They sound tamer than a wall of death, but can be their own special breed of carnage. Observe.

And behind the circle pit area is where the majority of people watch from. Most people prefer to stake out a spot with plenty of space (their personal territorial bubble) and watch. Back here, you can headbang if you want, you can go and get a beer or take a piss and always find your way back to your own little space. It is also at the back, nearest the sound desk, where the best sound is.

In a squash, the flow of the pit goes forward and outward. So you travel quickly down the middle toward the stage, then, unless you’re on the bar, you will be quickly pushed out toward the side. You will quickly learn how to use the momentum of the pit to wriggle between the people gaps and wind your way to the front, where you might only stay for a song or two before the tide pushes you out again.

If you’re in the squash and the crowd decides to start jumping around, you can get thrown about or knocked over. This has happened to me several times and can be very scary – it’s more likely the further back you are from the stage (as people have more room). But honestly, the people in pits are SO kind and considerate – they see a girl (or guy) who’s fallen down or looks like they’re in trouble, and they will help you out.

To get out of a pit, signal to the people on either side of you that you want to get out. They will lift you up and you will be crowd-surfed to the front of the stage, where security guards will pull you out. This is quite fun.

Pits are different all over the world. In Germany, my friend Johnowar and I were in a pit right up the front of … Rage? I think. John’s hat flew off and he yelled out “I lost my hat!” in English, and the people around us actually PARTED so he could look for it. In New Zealand, they would probably have pissed on it.

In all english shouws I’ve been to, I’ve found the whole front-of-stage area extremely polite and restrained.

New Zealanders are insane, especially when it comes to violent pits. We can turn Iron Maiden into the most brutal pit experience imaginable. This is why we have a reputation as being crazy mother-f**kers. Even our local shows are absolute carnage.

Getting to the Bar

“Being on the bar” means you’re right at the front, so you’re leaning against the security bar. It is, apart from directly in front of the sounddesk, the best place to be at a metal show. Why? First, you get an unobstructed, front-row view of the band. This is quite important for those among us – like me – who can’t actally see that well from further back.

Second, you don’t get tossed around as much. Being on the bar means you’re able to hold on better if the pit turns into a slam mosh. If you get the bar, you can usually keep it for the entire show, whereas, if you’re even one person behind, you tend to get pushed out quite quickly.

Wacken, from the bar, looking back.

The disadvantage to being on the bar is that a) quite a lot of people want to be where you are, so they will all be sticking their hands in and trying to wriggle their elbow in to get your spot, and b) you will spend half the night with your face in the belly of a large bouncer while they pull people out of the pit. You know that brace position they teach you on planes? Yeah, it comes in use here.

The best way to get to the bar is to be the first in the doors, and run to the front of the stage, grab your spot, and don’t move. If you can’t get right on the bar, stand directly behind the people at the dead centre of the stage – this is where the pressure from behind is greatest. Chances are, if you can hold on, and make the tide go around you, at some point during the night this pressure will push the people in front behind and you can squeeze in.

At a festival, it’s much easier, as people tend to leave after a band finishes to catch up with bands on other stages. Simply wait behind someone during the last couple of songs of a band and, when they move away, nip in at take their spot.

Once you’re on the bar, hold on at all costs. Before the squash starts, I like to unwind my sweatshirt/jacket and jam it between my rids and the bar. Heavenly comfort, I can assure you. I fold my arms over the side of the bar. This stops other people trying to squeeze in beside me.

And then, I say hello to my “bar-mates” on either side. Lots of friendships have been forced at the front of metal concerts.

Top Concert Tips

To a metalhead, closing seven inches of distance between you and the stage IS worth it.

There is no “save my spot” in the pit. If you have to leave to go for a piss or your ribs are broken, you are not going to get your spot back.

Asking people to give up their spot for you since this is “your favourite band of all time” make you sound whiny and childish. Don’t do it. I don’t ask people to give up the bar for me because I’m blind.

Never wear a skirt in a mosh pit. Just DO NOT DO IT. There’s always a girl who does it, and she’s always the girl left standing at the end with only a torn fragment of skirt remaining.

You cannot turn a tide of people by pushing back, so don’t even try. This applies for guys trying to “protect” their girlfriends.

If you’re a girl and someone gropes you inappropriately, elbow them.

Don’t bring flags into the pit. The people behind you can’t see, and this annoys them. You do not want a bunch of annoyed metalheads on your ass.

But, also remember, in the squash some people can’t control where their limbs end up.

Be nice, and everyone gets to have a good time.

Try and catch a pick. You’ll be so proud.

Bring earplugs, even for local shows. Especially for local shows.

I’ll talk more about local shows in my next article.

Assignment

If you’ve never been to a metal show before, now’s the time, baby! Bands are touring, and your job is to find one you like and go and see them. The sooner the better. And when you’ve gone, come back and report your adventures to me.

If you’re a regular concert goer, tell us your top tips – your favorite shows. Your best-spot to stand, your favorite concert outfit. Your first metal concert experience? Your best and worst shows? What size shows do you like best? Who are you looking forward to seeing soon?

24 Responses and Counting...

Wei-Wei 03.10.2011

I went to my first metal gig ever a couple of weeks ago, and man, it was amazing. I canNOT believe the feelings I got from just being there. My friends’ band was opening for another band (which… I did not stay to see, lol) and they were first up, so the crowd was a bit cold. The second band opening, I actually put down my camera and went all out. Headbanging, moshing, FUCK (pardon my language) it was so EPIC. And I got owned. Several times. But at least now I’m known as “the fucking mosh girl” within the band (I only knew two of the people in the band). Hehe yay. But thanks for these tips, I’ll remember them next time I go to one of their gigs, in about a month. (Also, I wore a plain black shirt and jeans with boots. I think I passed the “what to wear” in that regard.)
Emily Bleak

I think everyone has at least one semi-geeky concert under their belts…my first show was Aerosmith and Candlebox when I was 13, heh…but my first metal show was Type O Negative and it was damned memorable!

Your description of pits and navigating them is spot on…as expected. :)

There is one exception only to the “black shirts at shows” rule and that is a Gwar show – cheap white shirts from the dollar store or bust! (It’s always surreal to see before the show starts, everyone is wandering around in pristine new white t-shirts…)
Anna M

Trapt/10 Years/Staind were my first rock concert. Terrible, but I did actually have fun. My boyfriend at the time definitely protected me–elbowed several mosh members in not fun places. Then, years later, I went to The Black Dahlia Murder, definitely in my top 5 fave bands. The crowd sucked, and it was only like 100 people. Seriously. Could have been worse, but it could have been better. But now I’ve been to some more metal and non-metal concerts, and quite enjoyed myself for all of them.

One thing I’ve learned is that I won’t have fun if I don’t know the music at least, preferably the lyrics. Obviously, sometimes metal lyrics are difficult… But you can pick up parts usually pretty quick from YouTube/lyrics sites/Encyclopaedia Metallum.

Also, the crowd makes the difference. If they love it as much as you do, you’ll feel that vibe and have a better time. This is also why I tend to stand in the gray area between mosh pits (there were 4 at the last concert I went to–and it was a small warehouse.) and the front. I don’t like the squashiness, but I like to be in the crowd to get that vibe.

And I quite like being deaf after a concert. If my ears aren’t ringing the next day, it wasn’t worth it. ;)
K’firah

Great tips! I would also say that everyone SHOULD do a road trip for a band. Nothing boosts your own morale when you see/hear how STOKED the band is to know you drove 2,000 kms to see them! lol I even did a 5 gig road trip, following my faves for 5 cities. Great memories! :)

Being in a wheelchair, I’ve winged it for every show…a lot of the time I don’t know just where I’m gonna end up, what I’m gonna see, but for the most part my experiences have been good — from members of an opening band carrying me up to the balcony where I had a GREAT view, to squeezing my way to the front of IRON “freaking” MAIDEN (oookay I was waaay off to the left and basically saw a LOT of Dave Murray, but I was IN FRONT! lol! Close enough to feel the heat of the fireballs!)

For the most part, being so short, in the wheelchair, I pretty well have to be in front to see anything, but I don’t make a hissy fit if I get squeezed out..I do my best to stay where I am (unless it gets really moshy and I’m in danger of being tossed over) and just enjoy the show. And most people are usually pretty cool and helpful when they realize I’m there.
Rob

Oh geez..Ill second the earplug comment. If you are at any kind of concert where you get up near the bar you’ll need these. I didnt know any better at my first metal concert and 3 seconds in all I could hear was a high pitched whine. I was lucky my buddy was a long time concert goer and had a spare set to lend me

I love getting up front by the speakers, the feeling of the bass as it hits you with a physical force is a amazing feeling. I tend to avoid the moshpits though, Im there to hear the music and see the band so Id rather bang my own head than someone elses

There’s another part to the “dont wear the t-shirt of the band you’re there to see” rule. Which is you dont listen to the bands music on the way to the concert, you play something else. You can crank it on the way home though.

Upcoming concerts..Amon Amarth is less than 2 months away \m/
MrPolek

@Shirt Issue: To people that do not understand that: If you are at a show it is clear that you like the band. You do not show it by wearing their shirt. And the classical way to get into a conversation with a fellow metalhead are the shirts. So at a Maiden Show just wear a Sabbth shirt or stuff like that.

But there are exception like the vintage show or rare shirt of a band. Thats cool. Like I wear my WOA08 Shirt @ other WOA’s all the time. But you must have been their.

@Pits: I was in my first pit by accident and had my glasses on. (Like a geman punk band on a free festival) You can imagine what happend: I lost them. But people made a circle so that I could find them. So remember: Do not wear you glasses in the pit. If you need them to see the band: Do not go to the pit.

And I hate violent pits. They are not metal (more like hardcore). What’s the point of violent moshing? Same counts for Walls of Death, Headwalks etc. NOT METAL!

@First Gig: My first metal gig was Turisas and Norther (yeah I’m a late starter). Until now I saw a couple of bands including: 2x Maiden, Heaven & Hell (Sabbath) with DIO!!!, Slayer, Kreator, Carcass, In Flames, Motörhead, Amon Amarth and lots more. I have a count of them on my lastfm page so I can check whether I have seen a band or have not.

Last but not least: Small shows are way better than big one. I think the best concert I attended was last year in winter when Sodom Singel Tom Angelripper played a gig with his side-band “Onkel Tom” and his other side-band “Die Knappen”. There were maybe 100 people in a 500 person venue. I was in the front row all the time (i usually am way more behind, because I am 1,92m) and I banged my head on a monitor. I even was on stage at one point and got a beer from Mr. Angelripper! And the atmosphere was freaking intense! Everybody was partying and headbanging and drinking. Just awesome….
Ashley

My first ever show was actually last year’s New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, which could have potentially been a bad move (never having been at a metal show to committing to one for 8 hours? yikes), but was absolutely amazing. I wore jeans and a plain black top, and I did wear sneakers but as it was my first show I didn’t intend on going to near the pit so that ended up working just fine, though I’ve worn boots ever since. Amon Amarth was one of the headliners with Eluveitie as one of the pre-main show openers, and both are my favorite bands and both were AMAZING.

My first small-venue experience was seeing Dark Tranquillity at a small club with maybe only about 100-150 people present. Because of the size, the entire venue was a mosh pit and it was absolutely insane fun. I was about five feet from the stage and slightly off to the right to avoid the major crash of the pit and it was perfect. I think that’ll be my strategy when I go to see Agalloch later this month in a little bar.
Leighton

My first concert was back in 1994 or somewhere around there. It was Pantera’s Trendkill Tour. I ‘d just turned 15 and I was actually shitting myself when I first arrived, but that was quickly turned to excitement when they played the first 2 songs, Suicide Note 1 and 2.

Favorite metal gigs for me : Pantera, Slayer and Damaged. The reason for Damaged is obviously the brutal aspect, but we got to get pissed with Damaged after the show because we new (SCEPSIS) one of the 2 support bands for Damaged.

Worst Show : Big Day Out, because limp Bizkit was there. But Mudvayne level that out.

My TIPS : Being 6 ft 2 helps a lot when viewing the stage from a mosh pit.

Wearing water resistant footwear for outdoor gigs, if it’s raining, Duh!.

Don’t get to hammered before the show, or else you’ll find yourself spewing in the closest bin and then finding yourself waking up in the alley next to the where the gig is being held and having your mates telling you how awesome the show was.

Favorite Outfit : Black Shoes (Ripples/Caterpillars) Any Death Metal Shirt, but preferrably a Deicide or Cannibal Corpse ‘T’ long or short.

Favorite place to stand : As close as possible to the on stage speakers at a “MUDVAYNE” concert, until I was kicked off by one of the bouncers.

Next show I’m looking mostly looking forward to, DEICIDE, that’s if they stop cancelling their Aus tours.
Kyle

When I was in High School I played drums in a band and we drove all over the State of Michigan (United States) playing shows. Inevitably we’d come across a band that played some pretty decent metal. The first of which was Atonement. They where a Christian Metal band but their music was pretty kick ass and their drummer was amazing.

But My very first international Metal act was Sonata Arctica back in 2006. One of the bands I had played with in the past had changed their name and started playing “Nile-esque” death metal and they where actually opening up for this show, which is how I got the tickets. I took along one of friends who I had just introduced to Sonata and there was no turning him back after that concert. I LOVE introducing people to Metal. They never before thought they’d like it, and BAM, next thing you know they’re wind-milling to Kreator.
Diabolus Dei

I can’t remember my first metal gig but it must have been a Hungarian metal band some 15 years ago. I like staying in the 10th row, in the middle, thus absorbing the sound from the left and right wall of speakers which is really cool on great concerts with great sound engineers. I also like to have some space as I need more and more place every year to headbang with my hair growing longer. I also prefer small concerts to big arena-stadium concerts, there is absolutely no comparison. Best show: Apocalyptica back home in Transylvania with the crowd singing every line of the lyrics – when it was the case. Even managed to get my hair stuck in camera crane from the intensive headbanging! Although I smile about it now, it wasn’t that funny then, it was even scary for a couple of seconds as the operator was lifting it but luckily I managed to escape in the last moment with my hair intact.
I don’t agree with the never wear the band’s shirt on their concert as I don’t think that being at a concert means that you love the band. This is especially true in remote places where metal gigs are far and few between and you go to every show you can even if you don’t really know the band. Of course the same is true for festivals where you go to see say three bands and in the rest of the time you check out different bands. So wearing a shirt proves that you are really interested in that band but of course with shirts being on sale at most of the shows, anyone can have one so it’s an open debate still.
byrd36

My first metallish concert was Motley Crue in ’89, then first proper metal show was Metallica in ’91. First truly underground show was Cannibal Corpse, Sinister and Cynic in ’93 or ’94. In the time since I’ve seen bands running the full range between and beyond those and I’d say your advice is pretty universal to the metal concert spectrum.

I enjoy small and large venues fairly equally for differing reasons. The intimacy and in your face feel of club shows and the sheer spectacle and energy of arenas and festivals.

In a club I like to be just behind the pit. You can see pretty well, the sound is decent and you can get in and out of a mosh and back to your spot fairly easily. I don’t mind a ‘violent pit’ as long as there aren’t any dumbasses ‘karate moshing’. At a larger show I like to be further back as I find watching the crowd to be part of the show.

I can’t place a best or worst and I’m looking forward to seeing whoever I can the next time I have the time and money. Preferably some good Death or Black Metal!

I also will second Emily Bleak on the white shirt for GWAR. There’s nothing like walking into a fast food restaurant with several friends after a show looking like you’ve just been involved with a brutal murder.

Ear Plugs!!! It sucks when you hear that after show ringing of the ears ALL the time. You don’t realise how much you enjoy the occasional silence until it’s gone, and there’s no gettin’ it back.
Emily Bleak

@Ashley – I was at that NEMHF! I had a broken foot at the time and had to hang out in the balcony, I’m glad someone was repping in the pit!!

Are you seeing Agalloch at the Middle East? Come say hello, I’ll be taking pictures!
steff

@Byrd: “karate moshing” is what I’m calling it from now on!
steff

@Dei – you got your hair stuck in a camera? Shit, that would have been scary, esp as the guy was moving away. Good thing you got away without being scalped :)

One of the first (but not the first) local metal show I went to, my friend Jonowar was on stage with his power metal band, and he got his hair caught in the rafters. It was hilarious.

In regards the shirt thing, I think it can also be different depending where in the world you are, and what the people who got you into metal or the folks you hang out with think. I hang out with a lot of old, OLD school metallers, and they are VERY religious about following this rule, and so now so am I. Not having very many metal shows in NZ makes people quite intense about them, I think.

Festivals are a law unto themselves, for all the reasons you mentioned. We don’t have metal festivals over here, so we’ve never had the shirt/festival quandry.
steff

@Kyle – I know! It’s the best feeling ever, when you realize you’ve given someone the chance to be a part of all this craziness!
whosaidwhat

I totally agree with not going to a massive stadium show for your fist metal gig. I am not the worlds biggest metal enthusiast, and back in highschool my friends thought it would be funny to take me to a metal gig to see my reaction. It ended up being a stadium show with about 50000 other people with saxon, testament, sepultura, machine head and a bunch of other bands I cant remember now. It was great fun, but a quite overwhelming… My biggest advice is it wedge yourself between stronger people than yourself if your under 5’2 so you dont come out of machine head with a smashed open cheek bone >.<
Christina

So I just got back from my third metal concert I’ve been to (Rammstein concert). However, this was my first time seeing a metal band in an arena setting. I couldn’t afford the pit tickets (found out the last minute that Rammstein was finally coming to the US to play, especially in my town!), so I chose the cheapest tickets available (the balcony seating area). I was expecting for no one to sit at all for the entire duration to the show because, come on, this is a metal concert, not a pop concert. Who would want to sit for the whole duration of the show? But alas, I was wrong. When I wanted to rock out fully, I couldn’t because a bunch of killjoys behind me always complained that the people rocking out in front of them were obstructing their view (they even went up to the people up front and told them to sit down). I didn’t get it — my balcony row was seemed to be the only one to not rock out while the other sections had people that were completely enjoying their time. Rammstein isn’t music to sit through and not headbang, I mean it’s TANZ METAL for crying out loud! So the deadness of my balcony section ruined my concert experience for that. So I’m just wondering, is this normal? I really didn’t expect anyone–especially an entire seating section–to not rock out for the entire duration of the concert. Perhaps I just got really spoiled by my first metal concert experience (which was in a small venue btw; it was at the House of Blues, and I got lucky with finding an area in the pit) that I may have unrealistic expectations for the metal concerts that follow after it?
steff

Hi Christina – that sounds really sucky. I hate it when the rest of the crowd isn’t on the same buzz you are.

I don’t know if this is normal or not. I have sat in seated sections a few times, and it’s been different each time. I saw Iron Maiden in Australia in the stands and everyone was standing up. As soon as the lights went down we all stood up. I saw Heaven and Hell in Auckland, and we had seats right at the front of the balcony, and everyone up there stayed seated, but it worked. It was just the right vibe. When I saw Alice Cooper/Ozzy Osbourne/Kiss/Lordi/Poison/Aerosmith at Rock 2 Wgtn, we were up in the stands, and I thought everyone would stand up, at least for Alice and Ozzy and Kiss, but no … I moved down the front of the stands where people were standing for awhile. That was cooler.

I think, in NZ, people are a lot more cool about these kind of things. I generally think that the balcony tickets are for older people who don’t want to get bashed up in the pits, so if people want to sit, you should respect that. Although over here, if you wanted to stand, you’d just move to a place where you’re not in anyone’s way. You’d go rock out with another group who were standing, or you’d take some empty seats right up the back, or rock out in the aisle. If someone in front of me was standing up and I wanted to sit down, I’d just move to another empty seat. No sense in complaining.

It sounds like you did get spoiled at your first gig :) Sometimes a show can be ruined by the vibe of the crowd – it’s always a chance you take, I guess. But don’t worry, they won’t all be like that! Next time you’re in the balcony and this sort of thing happens, just try to move to a spot where you’re not in anybody’s way.
David

well, im from argentina, a place legendary for our brutality in concerts and out beef. but lets stick to the music. i remember a couple stories from the pit: a friend of mine was moshing in a local concert, and he fell and hit his head with the corner of a marble table! i though he’d died or cracked his skull or something…i took everybody apart and started yelling “OH MY GOD ARE YOU OK? NEED AN AMBULANCE?!” he just went “dude, im fine…LETS GET BACK TO THE PIT!” it was so funny, hehehe…also, this saturday is my first european festival (resurrection fest, in spain…meshuggah, bring me the horizon and angelus apatrida head-lining the last day, witch i am atendind. IM SO EXITED! there’s no such thing as festivals in latin america so i cant wait! wish me luck! see you guys
steff

Haha, I have so many stories like this from NZ pits – glad your mate was OK, though. That´s true metal spirit! Have an awesome time at Resurrection fest – I´ve heard thats an epic one!
Rodrigo Navarro

My first metal concert is about to happen, iron maiden in the O2 arena London. I’m so excited and actually quite nervous too. Shame about the shirt thing, I’m wearing an Iron Maiden ‘killers’ shirt so screwed up on that, but it doesn’t mean it’s gonna ruin the show for me does it? Nah….
So anyways here I am waiting for the next 5 hours to be let into the show :) I’m gonna have loads of fun I’m sure :)
and thankyou so much for the tips, it’s a shame though that I only got to see them now :/ But ohh well, wish me luck guys, I’ll see you on the other side.
Liviu987

My first metal concert was actually a festival with 9 bands.It was awesome and i had sour necks for 4 days because of the headbanging.Hell yeah i should have brought my boots XD
tor

Steff ive really enjoued this article but i must point out a couple of things

1. British crowds are NOT restrained, ive come out of concerts with a broken nose, a bloodied face and once i actually cracked a rib in a wall of death

2. When i went to see motorhead everyone was wearing a.motorhead shirt so i dont think it isnt allowed
steff

@Tor – A broken nose and a cracked rib? Ouch :( You and I have clearly seen some VERY different concerts. I can’t wait to get back to the UK and see for myself \m/
The t-shirt thing I’ve noticed also seems to be very important to some people, and not so much to others. I think it’s an oldies metalhead thing – my husband has been around for a few too many years and is always on about how in HIS day no one would DARE show up wearing a tshirt of the band they’re going to see. I’m not sure people are all too fussed these days, to be honest.

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