Pit Etiquette

The Gnome

I stole this idea from one of Patricides post on the Moshing = Assault thread. How's about we get a etiquette list going to educate the masses in the art of moshing, I've had enough elboes to the face to last me a while.

I'll get the ball rolling

1 - Always pick-up those who fall.

2 - Relax on the elbow/knee flailing.

mawk

if there is any girls, try not to hit them in the face.

they'll only gang up on you later...

projectmayhem

always go for the guys in tracksuits

c - 13

Dont drag in bystanders that want nothing to do with it.

Ph3n0m

The Gnome wrote:

2 - Relax on the elbow/knee flailing.

WTF - the knees should be nowhere near anyone!! The knees are part of your legs, which you need to stand on and keep your balance. Why the hell would you want to try and flail your knees around?????

More for you youngsters -

1. someone hits you with a hard shot, see if it was an accident first before firing off some revenge

2. as c-13 said

3. Dont try and bring your gf into the pit and start snogging her - you are both going to end up on the floor.

4. Dont try and be the big protector of the pit if your gf is in there with you - she made the same choice as you, the pit it rough and sweaty

5. As the Gnome said, point 1

6. Never ever wear a jacket or heavy clothing into the pit (my biggest faux pas ever) - tshirt, jumper, jacket in the put of Megadeth 91 - christ I sweated and nearly passed out.

7. Always aid those who choose to crowd surf - never try and surf from the back to the front - always from the side or front - let people know you are coming - we dont have eyes in the back of our heads.

I am sure more will come as I reminisce

dimerocks

If you've got incredibly long hair don't purposely hit people in the face with it.That really pisses me off. Especially when it gets in your mouth. And you haven't got a drink.

Ph3n0m

dimerocks wrote:

If you've got incredibly long hair don't purposely hit people in the face with it.That really pisses me off. Especially when it gets in your mouth. And you haven't got a drink.

er how can you hit people in the face on purpose with hair?? I have long hair and when I am headbanging, I cant really see whose near me, but then again I never have room to headbang in the pit (which would be crazy anyway)

Nevyn

I think there are a lot of people who have been what is termed the pit for gigs but tbh by the sounds of it not in a real mosh or heave
and don't know the difference.

The Gnome

Ph3n0m wrote:

Why the hell would you want to try and flail your knees around?????

My point exactly!

ThaMasta

Elbows have and always will be part of a hectic pit..Its called "chicken dancing"...and a pit aint a pit without it

Crucifix

Ph3n0m wrote:

6. Never ever wear a jacket or heavy clothing into the pit (my biggest faux pas ever) - tshirt, jumper, jacket in the put of Megadeth 91 - christ I sweated and nearly passed out.

Heh heh, made that mistake too. I could see topless guys with steam curling off them, and there I am with the layers.

c - 13

dimerocks wrote:

If you've got incredibly long hair don't purposely hit people in the face with it.That really pisses me off. Especially when it gets in your mouth. And you haven't got a drink.

To put a slight spin on this -
If you have braids (ladies) please dont headbang if someone is standing behind you, its like being whipped in the face and someone could lose an eye. :eek:

Patricide

Keep it below the face, no kidney punches, Dont bring in fags(they burn) or beer bottles or cans or any containers cause when they get on the ground people slip on em in the pit and thats when people get really hurt.O yea and be considerite for those of us with piercings, i bet you wouldnt want half your lip/eyebrow/nose been taken off would ya?

May all seem like common sence but the amount of times some ****ers burnt me with a fag, given me a kidney punch and ive slipped on a half squashed can in unreal.Also the amount of piercings ive seen ripped out from the face is scary, i mean **** man.

Prezatch

Once I was standing in about the third row from the barrier with a pit behind me. One guy kept running shoulder first into the backs of the people of the third row (ME INCLUDED!:mad: ). That is uncalled for. You shoulder and push people in the pit, not the ones standing at the periphery

Steoob

i'll never forget the last trivium gig and some guy with glasses went into a pit and they fell off and suddenly everybody just stopped, took out their phones and shined the lights on the ground to help him find them... now thats etiquette

Prezatch

That's ridiculous. Although I once saw some guy handing a shoe to another guy in the pit.

Drummo

Ph3n0m wrote:

4. Dont try and be the big protector of the pit if your gf is in there with you - she made the same choice as you, the pit it rough and sweaty

Gosspel!!!

gizmo

Hah, yea that happened at the last Trivium gig. Some dude lost his shoe and it made its way into the pit for some reason. After the gig I managed to tell the guy who had lost it where it was...:D

It wasn't me!

ThaMasta wrote:

Elbows have and always will be part of a hectic pit..Its called "chicken dancing"...and a pit aint a pit without it

Um, no. Elbows should not be used. It's how injuries happen and moshing shouldn't really result in more than some bruises.

evad_lhorg

i absolutely hate the pit at metal gigs. full of absolutely smelly men who dont wash anywawy then they add the gig sweat to it. long sweaty hair flinging at people. a lot of them end up naked and they stick to you as they try and push by :mad:

as said before dont hit back with force unless you know you were hit first. picking up people who fall is the obvious one and pretty much rule 1.

ThaMasta

It wasn't me! wrote:

Um, no. Elbows should not be used. It's how injuries happen and moshing shouldn't really result in more than some bruises.

ahhhhhhaaaa.......give it a rest...moshing shouldnt result in "more than some bruises"...injuries happen regardless...if its a heaving pit there will be elbows flying...deal with it.

What sort of music do you like btw?

Ph3n0m

ThaMasta wrote:

ahhhhhhaaaa.......give it a rest...moshing shouldnt result in "more than some bruises"...injuries happen regardless...if its a heaving pit there will be elbows flying...deal with it.

What sort of music do you like btw?

are you purposely talking through your arse or are you one of these fools that goes into a pit to intentionally hurt someone?

"more then some bruises" - in all the pits/moshes I have been, I have never once had anything more then some stiffness in the oul joints afterwards

and if it is a "heaving pit" - you wouldnt have room to throw an elbow as you would be sandwiched amongst the sweaty masses, going side to side (which is downright fun)

I think you are confusing elbows with trading forearm blows - this flailing of elbows and knees is just a waste of time

ThaMasta

Ph3n0m wrote:

are you purposely talking through your arse or are you one of these fools that goes into a pit to intentionally hurt someone?

"more then some bruises" - in all the pits/moshes I have been, I have never once had anything more then some stiffness in the oul joints afterwards

and if it is a "heaving pit" - you wouldnt have room to throw an elbow as you would be sandwiched amongst the sweaty masses, going side to side (which is downright fun)

I think you are confusing elbows with trading forearm blows - this flailing of elbows and knees is just a waste of time

Re-read his post and then mine...I was laughing at the statement he made about brusing..I've never been injured in a pit, never got bruised either, and Ive been in some with the dreaded elbow flying...do you see it now??

DOLEMAN

If you put your pints on the ground don't get pissed off if someone knocks them over.

Also, if you are from India, only jerk off with your left hand if you normally do anal rather than vaginal intercourse.

flogen

All fair points, as far as elbows; fair game IMO; I haven't ever really gotten into a pit, not a serious one anyway and at a number of gigs I avoid them because I don't want to get involved; those who do should know what to expect.

I will restate the one about not getting outsiders involved, nothing pisses me off more when you have some hairy gobsh1te bouncing off people standing around the pit trying to look hard

It wasn't me!

ThaMasta wrote:

ahhhhhhaaaa.......give it a rest...moshing shouldnt result in "more than some bruises"...injuries happen regardless...if its a heaving pit there will be elbows flying...deal with it.

What sort of music do you like btw?

Eh, are you serious? what sort of music I like is irrelevant. Given I'm on a rock/metal board, and by reading some of my posts it should become pretty apparent. And no, elbows are a no-no in the pit. Full stop. While having twenty stone of fat man colliding with me fairly is all fun and dandy, I majorly object to some knob clearing himself some Lebensraum with legs and elbows.

senordingdong

Eh...if you're the type who dislikes the aggro of a pit, don't stand beside one...it'll only result in trouble.

ThaMasta

It wasn't me! wrote:

Eh, are you serious? what sort of music I like is irrelevant. Given I'm on a rock/metal board, and by reading some of my posts it should become pretty apparent. And no, elbows are a no-no in the pit. Full stop. While having twenty stone of fat man colliding with me fairly is all fun and dandy, I majorly object to some knob clearing himself some Lebensraum with legs and elbows.

Who says elbows are a no no in the pit????...You?? the mosh police???...Can you imagine Tom Araya saying something like "you guys take care off each other tonite...and if you see someone using elbows politely tap him on the shoulder and tell him that its against moshing etiquette, and that your slightly brusied from the last gig you were at where a guy bumped into you and caused serious brusing trauma" (Decade of Agression Ref.)...GTFO!

the_syco

It wasn't me! wrote:

Eh, are you serious? what sort of music I like is irrelevant.

I think he means that sometimes there may be a difference in a mosh pit by Oasis, and one by Slayer.

=-=

Depends on the venue. In The Point, you get thrown out if you so much as jump up in the "mosh pit", whereas in TBMC, you only get thrown out if you manage to crowd surf over the barrier.

In the typical mosh pit, elbows are the least of my worries. Getting used as a human body bag, by some youth releasing his teenage anguish onto me, Rocky style, is a worry. True, in some of the better mosh pits(Crowbar @ Whealans), its a case of pushing everyone away, which is all well and good, but punching, well, its not nice. And I mean 2 or 3 guys going really mental, on everyone, thinking its their right. Its one thing punching and shoving, as part of the melee, quite another thing when you pick out one person, and lay into them.

To the person who moaned about his piercings getting ripped off, I'd shake the hand of the person who did it. Too often I've gotten stabbed by some ****er's ring/metal-studded-bracelet/piercing, and then having after a quick trip to the bathroom to wash away the blood, wrap up the wound and then had to stand in the back of the crowd. They may look cool, but they f*cking hurt.

Shiminay

I think everyone's forgetting one vitally important thing:
Different sorts of gigs will naturally attract a different kind of pit/mosh!!!

If you go to something like Metallica, you'll have a load of kids (you know what I mean), a lot of "main-stream" people who don't like metal, but like this particular band (Metallica are the perfect example of this kind of band actually) and a smathering of old skool metallers. The pit will be full of the kids and other silly buggars who were willing to stand in front of the point for 3 hours (I was one once, we all were but age and the pub calls us away from that). The resulting "mosh" will be a storm in a tea cup and will have very little violence apart from the odd muppet trying to prove how hard he is. People will be picked up and girls looked after etc...

However, if you're at a Slayer gig in the SFX (My proper first metal gig btw), you are going to get hurt. It's that simple. In a small venue with a frantic band like Slayer (who also attract a lot of beered up metallers/bikers [please forgive these constant generalisations]). The pit was a brutal affair of elbows, fists, head-buts etc... Many people will argue that this isn't right or is pointless thuggery, but it really isn't, it's the expected response from the people who are there - it's what they came to do! When I go to what I know's gonna be a heavy as funk gig, I make the decision before hand if I wanna mosh or not. If I want to, I bring a glasses case, something with pockets I can close. I will be psyched up and adrenaline will be pumping If I want to sit this one out, I'll relax and stand away from where the pit is and where the mosh is likely to start, I just use my brain. These mosh pits will be carnage, no quarter given and none asked! Extreme music attracts extreme people with extreme reactions

My 2c...

ThaMasta

Kharn wrote:

I think everyone's forgetting one vitally important thing:
Different sorts of gigs will naturally attract a different kind of pit/mosh!!!

If you go to something like Metallica, you'll have a load of kids (you know what I mean), a lot of "main-stream" people who don't like metal, but like this particular band (Metallica are the perfect example of this kind of band actually) and a smathering of old skool metallers. The pit will be full of the kids and other silly buggars who were willing to stand in front of the point for 3 hours (I was one once, we all were but age and the pub calls us away from that). The resulting "mosh" will be a storm in a tea cup and will have very little violence apart from the odd muppet trying to prove how hard he is. People will be picked up and girls looked after etc...

However, if you're at a Slayer gig in the SFX (My proper first metal gig btw), you are going to get hurt. It's that simple. In a small venue with a frantic band like Slayer (who also attract a lot of beered up metallers/bikers [please forgive these constant generalisations]). The pit was a brutal affair of elbows, fists, head-buts etc... Many people will argue that this isn't right or is pointless thuggery, but it really isn't, it's the expected response from the people who are there - it's what they came to do! When I go to what I know's gonna be a heavy as funk gig, I make the decision before hand if I wanna mosh or not. If I want to, I bring a glasses case, something with pockets I can close. I will be psyched up and adrenaline will be pumping If I want to sit this one out, I'll relax and stand away from where the pit is and where the mosh is likely to start, I just use my brain. These mosh pits will be carnage, no quarter given and none asked! Extreme music attracts extreme people with extreme reactions

My 2c...

My first proper metal gig was Pantera at the sfx...elbows a plenty...and I and all my little pals got broke up!

the_syco

Aye, the SFX, with the off-license opposite it... A few bottles beforehand (it was an all-ages Type O Negative gig), the mosh pit was cool, and back in them days, if you crowd surfed over the barrier, you'd be sent to the back, and not just tossed out.

Patricide

Elbows allowed in a pit, jesus like Elbows are a major no no, i seen some of the older guys kick the **** outta some of the younger guys for usin em.When elbows come into the equation someones going home with there face ****ed up, if its an accident fine but deliberite(yea i know i cant spell) use of the elbows is just being a dickhead.

O yea and as for skiked wristbands, They have no place in the pit not only can they seriously **** people up but they can **** up the wearer too.

BrokenArrows

i was in a pit last year and lost my shoe. I was cursing it but about 10minutes later the shoe hit me in the head after i left the pit. I didnt care i got my shoe back.

senordingdong

ThaMasta wrote:

Who says elbows are a no no in the pit????...You?? the mosh police???...

Or the fact that the fools who do it are in the minority.

The Song Thrush

BrokenArrows wrote:

i was in a pit last year and lost my shoe. I was cursing it but about 10minutes later the shoe hit me in the head after i left the pit. I didnt care i got my shoe back.

Haha, nice one.

ThaMasta

senordingdong wrote:

Or the fact that the fools who do it are in the minority.

Stay at your location!

Googe

That made no sense "masta", stay at bollox? Good one...

Generally elbows are a completely no-no in pits, cept the Slayer example given or other similar extreme bands.

ThaMasta

Googe wrote:

That made no sense "masta", stay at bollox? Good one...

Generally elbows are a completely no-no in pits, cept the Slayer example given or other similar extreme bands.

You know what I meant : )...and what sort of bands/pits would deem elbows to be a no-no in?

the_syco

Googe wrote:

Generally elbows are a completely no-no in pits, cept the Slayer example given or other similar extreme bands.

Funny, as the only bands I'd be watching would be the "other similar extreme bands", tbh.

senordingdong

ThaMasta wrote:

You know what I meant : )...and what sort of bands/pits would deem elbows to be a no-no in?

You tit, the point is, while you're running around the pit swinging your elbows thinking your hot ****, you fail to notice that no-one is impressed, and you would infact find the majority of people there frowning upon you.
Think about it if that's not too hard for you.

ThaMasta

senordingdong wrote:

You tit, the point is, while you're running around the pit swinging your elbows thinking your hot ****, you fail to notice that no-one is impressed, and you would infact find the majority of people there frowning upon you.
Think about it if that's not too hard for you.

Thats your point, not THE point.

There is a obvisously a differnce between the types of pits people have experince with in this thread. Extreme metal = extreme pits.

Suaimhneach

Etiquette in a mosh pit seems like a bit of an oximoron to me! I'd definitely agree with the don't mash up against those in the front three rows, as I've been there before, and felt like I've had ribs broken! Thought a lot of what was said was funny though

Ah ye crazy rockers yis.