hi drift! poppin in and asking if you have any tips/advice for metal shows
I’m going to my first one in a few days and I kind of have no idea what to expect lol
I saw this ask while at a show tonight and was YELLING to @littlequeenofthemangoes “OMG IM HAVING PEOPLE COME TO ME FOR GIG ADVICE!!! IM THE COOL OLDER COUSIN!!!!” So thank you for that 😂😂 tell me all about who you’re seeing, when it is, how it went after, very excited for you
Obvious disclaimer that I am Just Somebody Who Goes To Gigs and not the final authority on anything, but the biggest piece of advice for all gigs, and life in general, can be summed up by the phrase
Don’t Be A Jackass (DBAJ)
And most of this is very straightforward: don’t pick fights with people, don’t heckle the band, don’t yell during the quiet songs, let people out if they want out, get security if someone is hurt, if they fall pick em up, if you have to get around somebody say something/shoulder tap (not hip tap) etc etc
The only thing different about a metal show than any other kinda gig is the existence of the pit, which is WAY less scary than it seems to a lot of the general population. The advice I give there is if you want in, get in! Scream and yell and slam into people (tho watch you don’t throw elbows at people on accident [DBAJ]) and just have fun! It’s a great time I love being in a pit, even to this day if the mood strikes me!
If you do NOT want to be in a pit, it is important that you do not stand where there is a pit. You gotta be off on the sides to guarantee that. If you’re on rail/barricade (which is SUPER fun if you can but you’ll have a great time in any part of the venue - most of my gigs I watch from next to the bar), watch when security steps up bc that means there is a crowd surfer coming up. Don’t duck when there’s a crowd surfer. They’ll drop and both of y’all can get hurt [DBAJ]. Get them up over the rail to security. If you don’t wanna get hit in the head, again, find a place on the sides (which is why I am at the side bars more of the time lol). The WORST thing is when you have somebody who does NOT want to be in a pit/around crowd surfers yelling at the existence of the pit/crowd surfers next to them when they could go somewhere else [DBAJ!]
Other than DBAJ, the next most important advice is again, general advice of
Huge stress on this. You don’t wanna be the person that passes out at a gig. It happens all the time but is gnarly to have happen to you. Trust. When I was starting out going to shows in college I would be too excited to eat/drink and would leave feeling physically sick. Every time. Because I did not fuel and hydrate myself properly. Learn from my mistakes. Fuel and hydrate!!!
And the final piece of advice is cliche but important
A lot of people who go to concerts lately are focused on getting good footage and while that’s great, that’s not what I personally go to shows for. “Oh I hate hearing myself singing on recordings” why?! You SHOULD be singing along! You should be dancing and head nodding to openers and laughing at banter and having fun! That’s the point! Dont stress over getting a good grade in concert going or if you know the wrong words etc etc. Just focus on having a good time and helping the people around you/who you go with have a good time. It’s all about good vibes. Keep them high and you’ll be set 👍
