Fighting At Manics Gigs Can Just Fuck Off Thanks

[Abstract Unknown Girl]

Just saw this on Twitter...so erm I guess it's not just Manics gigs!



I'd say it's probably more a symptom of society in general these days tbh.

[centralscrutiniser]

Originally Posted by Bobafettish

I very much echo a lot of this. Was at the Shepherd’s Bush Friday gig, and it’s probably the tensest standing area I’ve been in. One guy had a massive go at another guy for filming (kinda justifiably, but was way out of order in terms of anger levels...), and a lot of people getting angry at each other for either jumping too much, or standing too still. None of this excuses fist fights, but there just seemed to be a real bad feeling... something I’ve never really noticed before at Manics gigs?

I blame Brexit

[Routine Builder]

Moshing is fine as long as people have a chance to move away from it. I remember a few years back in Brixton academy stuck between a group of people moshing and the barrier at the back of the pit (another terrible idea in venue design) trying to stop them from accidentally crushing my plus one. Like everyone else at a gig, make sure your fun those come at the expense if someone else's.

[Suicide Aldi]

Originally Posted by Routine Builder

Moshing is fine as long as people have a chance to move away from it. I remember a few years back in Brixton academy stuck between a group of people moshing and the barrier at the back of the pit (another terrible idea in venue design) trying to stop them from accidentally crushing my plus one. Like everyone else at a gig, make sure your fun those come at the expense if someone else's.

This is exactly why im saying get a seat if you dont want to be in the thick of it. With people moshing in an enclosed and tight space, getting crushed is inevitable if your not willing to join in.

[IntlDebris]

Front centre is a no-go if you don't want to mosh. Not that every gig will be like it, but it only takes a gig or two to work out your safest position.

I've only seen a fight at a gig once, and the above Westlife post makes it seem less ridiculous, but it was Mercury Rev on their Secret Migration tour in Manchester. They'd lost any remote hint of noisy stuff from their earlier catalogue and were doing very hippy-ish ethereal indie stuff, so when some bloke came from behind me and another guy in front of him's face suddenly turned to rage and they leapt at each other it was so utterly jarring. The band looked appalled but it was over pretty quickly with the help of security.

I just can't work out having a fight at a gig. Why the fuck are you there other than to enjoy the music? At what point does your dislike of someone else reach the point where you go beyond the entire point you paid a fair amount of money to get into a show?

[Son of Stopped]

Originally Posted by Abstract Unknown Girl

Just saw this on Twitter...so erm I guess it's not just Manics gigs!



I'd say it's probably more a symptom of society in general these days tbh.

Perhaps on a Westlife forum there's a thread called "Fighting At Westlife Gigs Can Do Well Without Things"?

Originally Posted by centralscrutiniser

I blame Brexit

Might be a separate thread even to 2nd Referendum but yeah, people getting shittier. At the Poll Clerk I saw the face of Farage support and it's all around me. Noticed more racism at least which pissed me off. In general not at Manics gigs hahaha fucking hell!

[Routine Builder]

Originally Posted by Suicide Aldi

This is exactly why im saying get a seat if you dont want to be in the thick of it. With people moshing in an enclosed and tight space, getting crushed is inevitable if your not willing to join in.

I was at the back of the pit area, which should be safe ground. We couldn't move back because of the barrier. I don't see why I have to stand back 50m from the stage just not have people banging into me or my partner or crushing us against a barrier.

I'm not one for getting agrovated at people moshing but the insistence that because of where people stand, they have to get pushed around, just upsets me. You mosh with the people who want to mosh, no one else.

[blackflower]

I agree with Routine Builder. I really can not stand people who come into quieter areas of the crowd and start moshing, which is what happened on the Saturday at Shepherd's Bush. I was next to a barrier at the side and had nowhere to escape as well. These people seem to think it's their right to shove and hit people without having the same happen to them, and it really pisses me off. If you want to mosh, get in the moshpit.

[darkanddivine]

General point: I'm surprised to hear this happening at MSP shows, but given the amount of heritage touring they do, this may be a symptom of the "let's reminisce about the uni days" crowd. There's always an element of laddishness, but fighting and bone headedness is just stupid. Let's hope it's isolated to this tour.

Anyway. On the specific point about crowds and positioning, (I hereby present my "Services to Moshpits" card) I think on the whole the rules of engagement are pretty standard.

Regardless of the gig, on the barrier and directly in front of the band is the triangle of doom. If you go into that area then you should know what to expect. I've ended up on my arse more times than I can count, and I've even been collected by the odd over enthusiastic circle pit that I wasn't involved in. But I accept that's just part of the game when you go down there. Even if there's no pit per se, it's still gonna be tight, sweaty and sticky the closer to the front you go.

I used to get wound up about this when I had less creaky bones. I nudged my way past a bloke at MSP Llandudno 2011. He was attempting to create a space around him literally within a couple of rows of the front. He shot me the dirtiest look in history, to which I reminded him that he wasn't at a Corrs concert. The same thing happened at the barrier at an REM show. A couple were berating others for being too close to them, for singing too much for being too tall etc etc. I'm not being funny, but if close physical contact or anything like that gets your goat, then it's best to stand at the back/sides or get a seat.

That said, I sympathise with the no mosh crowd. Manics gigs are very sedate affairs today compared to the 90's, and I wouldn't go down the front expecting to be on the floor in 3 seconds (ahhhh the good old days of 2001!) I remember when You Stole The Sun used to provoke moshing IN THE VERSES, and Motorcycle Emptiness was a breather in the set. These days it's nothing like that, so it's probably not totally unreasonable to try and get fairly close to the band without expecting to be windmilled into oblivion.

[Son of Stopped]

Well not a motivation for the thread but at six foot over, I'm looking at getting a stall seat.
Sorry Sean's cousin thinks it would be boring if people stood there mouthing lyrics, but I can assure him if I mouthed anything it would be cotton mouthed instead!
I really should have put drops in my ears but my hearing is fucked enough these days.
I have been up close, and it sounds like they are playing the wrong notes and chords which brings out my inner-Alan Partidge watching The Spy Who Loved Me being described.

I had one mosh pit but that was someone bumping into me and then looking at me as if to say "No mate, you're supposed to knock me back!" which I didn't do but apologise and made my way bit further back.

[blackflower]

Also, it's not as though the only two options at a gig are just standing static, mouthing lyrics and staring at the band, or - to use darkanddivine's brilliant phrase - windmilling people into oblivion. You can dance and jump and scream and point and be clearly having an absolute blast without endangering life and limb!

[The Crow]

Truth be told Suicide Aldi said it best, when you are at the front expect some excitement, it is a gig not a funeral & a lot of these people who obviously don't go to gigs much can't handle a bit of moshing/rowdiness in a good way.

When people surge forward etc & like a wave are pushed forward its coming from behind, not the person behind the dead people pushing them or single ling them out etc

Usually in terms of people getting violent from what I can see it's the people are as dead as Fcuk starting to hit people in an aggressive way, I've seen it plenty of times. I've been attacked if you like without provocation.

But when people are starting fights that's different.

[River Boy]

Been elbowed in the head in mosh pits a few times but tend to expect that and just reply with a big grin. They're usually good natured, however, I have come close to instigating a physical alteration once.

It was at a Megadeth gig in Birmingham and I was standing at the back rather than moshing. Problem was this one lad who kept surging up to the mosh pit, then either security were taking him out and to the back again or else he was just circling for some moronic reason and he kept appearing behind us and barging his way all the way to the front in ridiculous fashion. Got to the point where I'd been charged in the back 3 or 4 times and thrown forward into the people in front (as dangerous for them as for me if I end up nutting someone as a result), so I decided if the stupid prick came back again I was going to grab him and put him on his arse. I wouldn't have punched him but happily would have if he then got up and retaliated.

It's like that GnR song says, you only need one bad apple, because otherwise the gig was terrific and the crowd pretty laid back for a metal gig.

Fortunately, the contact that happened to tip me over the edge also happened to be the last. I'd hate to be a part of this statistic but it's the behaviour that leads up to it that needs scrutiny.

[Deets]

I was at Southampton gig and the security fortunately removed both people from the venue. We spoke to Kerry before the gig and we discussed the situation from Manchester and he said that everybody is surprised with this situation as usually the tour woos a different crowd than at the festivals and it wouldn't be much of a surprise there.

It was the first time I saw the band stopping in the middle of the song to intervene, I was shocked. It clearly impacted the band, Nicky especially, he didn't speak much, jump much nor take off his glasses through whole TIMT.

But still it's a maestry of JDB to address the situation, keep the mood light and the pace of the gig going.

It's often difficult if the security is unhelpful, Showsec were difficult through all the tour. First ZERO REACTION during the assault in London and then not removing the fighting people in Manchester.

You know I'm not very tall, I feel that the barrier is always the safest place for me as I can hold on to it when it gets too rowdy and the security can have an eye on me. I like to jump a bit too and simply enjoy myself.

I would be in for of the dry gigs if it calms down the whole situation but as someone said before, many people come in pissed already and you can't stop them can you.

But then again, what do you expect from the fans for whom the line "we don't talk about love, we just want to get drunk" is sung at the top of their lungs?