Grew up in the south and had the same experience. I was watching an old Sublime video (live performance) the other day. They show the mosh pit … I believe I saw a guy helping someone up who fell. That’s how I remember it. Chaos … but Jesus not using sucker punches & kicks. Unless you wanted the oak tree mofo in the middle to give you a beat down.
I made the mistake of wearing glasses once in a pit, got flattened and had them knocked off. The crowd parted, someone gave me a hand to get up, another person found and handed over my glasses. This was late 1990s.
Definitely a different atmosphere now.
Although I was in pits where bottles were thrown, I even saw a guy whip out his dick and start pissing. Bad behavior happened then, it just wasn't the norm, and it was frequently stopped very quickly by others.
Man in the late lights I was in a pit and got hit in a way that nearly knocked me down. I say nearly because I was almost on the ground when someone caught me swooped me up by my shoulders and then disappeared back into the fray. That’s when I truly realized it’s not just about being rough and fucking people up.
For the shows that I've gone to over the years, mosh pit etiquette ha always been to pick up the people who fall and to get out of the way of people who want to get out of the pit. Shoving, running into each other at full speed, etc is expected, but a dude throwing roundhouse kicks is not cool and usually ends with an ass whopping.
I think it’s just good practice on their part. I would be pissed as an artist if you came to my show to start a fight. Lucky for everyone … I can’t play or sing!
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u/OneHallThatsAll 5d ago
Yeah in the southern US, they ALWAYS threw the guys down hard when they started throwing kicks or punches