What is the etiquette at rock concerts?

Pee before the band starts ?

I would suspect that “etiquette” + “rock concert” = oxymoron

Personally, I would want to make my way back to my friends/girlfriend – but I would try to do so without getting into a shoving match.

Make sure everyone’s got their mobile phones and if you can’t make it back up front without getting into brawl, simply text them and say, “I’m stuck. Meet me at such and such afterwards.”

Of course hitting the restroom before you go in and keeping the liquid intake to a minimum will help also.

Don’t drink too much before the show so you don’t need to pee.

Shouldering through the crowd to get where you want to be is fine. Saying “excuse me!“and smiling is helpful.

Throwing elbows and being a dick is not. :)

To have a good time, enjoy the music, dance and sing along with the band and the other fans that attend.

Depends

The longest concert I have ever been to where I was on the floor and needed to stay in my space was Bruce Springsteen – a full three hour show. Pee good before the show, keep the drinking to a minimum and you’ll be fine! I totally agree with @cprevite in that two words I never expected to see in the same sentence were “rock concert” and “etiquette”.

yeah indoor concerts can be a hassle sometimes just because the space is so limited. Don’t get mad if someone gets ahead of you, if you wanted to be closer you should have gone closer. If you need to find your friends go find your friends… if someone stops just say “Sorry bud, I’m just trying to find my friends, sorry again.” every time I’ve been stopped I say that and most people understand. I know it doesn’t seem like it sometimes but a vast majority of people understand and appreciate it if your polite to them.

I’ve found most people at concerts are really polite. I’ve never had a problem getting back where I was. Go with what Likeradar says above and you’ll be fine.

You can shoulder through, just be polite. Most people up front are willing to make way for you to pass by because it gives them a space of air in front of them long enough to take a breath.

An easy way to get up front is to head for a mosh pit. It’s like the eye of a hurricane. Sure, the edge of the pit can give you some pounding, but the center of the pit is usually pretty calm. It’s a great shortcut, which can save you as much as fifteen or twenty feet of shouldering through. Also, when you get to the other side (towards the front), the people on the edge of the pit will help you get back into the crowd, and that gets you even closer. At that point, just ride the wave. There will be a crush toward the front, followed by a push-back. On the push-back, try to side-step the bodies, thus staying in the same place on the floor. On the next crush, ride it, then side-step the push-back. You’ll be back in the front in no time.

Body surfing is another way to go, but you’re at the mercy of the crowd for direction. Usually, you can point where you want to go. If you’re a dick, you move to the back or side, but if you smile, you’ll usually go where you want.

Good luck and have fun!

@ru2bz46 ; You have that down to a science!

Who knew beavers could be so hip?!

Heh heh, I likes my concerts…

There doesn’t seem to be much….!

not to beat the dead horse, but…all I’m picturing is this beaver crowd surfing to the mosh pit

it’s making my afternoon

@cprevite Not quite the same, but… http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q95wguTNoqw/RhVIxApv9dI/AAAAAAAAADY/rGQSFCwn_rg/s400/beaver%2Bsurfing.jpg

I’ve always found working my way through the crowd to be fun. You never know who you’re going to meet when going one way or another.

@ru2bz46: very cool.

Ive had good experience with getting back to my spot in shows. Usually if your with a group of friends and one of your leaves, its pretty easy to get the one member back to the group. Or if im only with a one person, ill get a couple of the people around me high too so they act more friendly and will willingly let me back to my spot or even hold my spot while i go to the bathroom or whatever.

i’ve been going to shows like that since 6th or 7th grade, and i’ve been at the front of nearly every show i’ve wanted to be/attempted to be at the front for, without being rude.
-get there early
-my favourite band came here, and i got there at 9am because i knew it was going to be packed, and i wanted to meet them and be right at the stage. the show didn’t start until like 6pm. not only did i get to meet them and play bingo with one of the guys, but i also had the most excellent spot. you obviously don’t have to get there that early (in most cases), but the point is that some people have been waiting for hours, and you shoving ahead of them is a dick move if you just got there a few minutes ago.
-if you have to pee? hold it, or go to the bathroom but don’t expect your spot to be waiting for you when you come back.
don’t leave and then expect everyone to just step aside and let you back. they’re not all going to know you were already there, and even if they do, a lot of people don’t care. it’s free space, and as soon as you move, they’re going to move up.
-don’t push people out of the way
-you’re only going to make major enemies being rude. trying to nudge your way up is fine, because chances are if the person allowed themselves to be nudged past, they aren’t going to keep their spot long anyway.
-don’t act how you don’t like other people acting
-chances are, if it pisses you off when people shoulder through, it’s going to piss someone else off just as much or even more.
-chains of people going through is another dick move. if you’ve got one friend who got separated, it’s usually okay to pull them up, as long as you’re not rude about it, and don’t have your elbow in someone’s face to do it. and don’t expect either of you to be comfortable haha. but if you have like 4 friends you want standing with you? don’t try to pull the entire goddamn group up. it’s just rude and annoying. if your friends suck at getting in front, that’s their fault. if there’s that many of them, they won’t be lonely anyway.
-try to make friends.
-not only will you get to the front faster and easier, but you’ll meet cool people.
-try to work out a deal
-if your favourite band is the 2nd one, and the person next to you loves the 3rd one, see if they’ll squeeze you in front of them for the one you like, and then you can carefully switch for the next one. i’ve done it a million times, and it’s awesome, because you’re basically getting to see your band closer without having to be a douchebag, and you’re letting someone else see their favourite.
-crowdsurfing works sometimes too.

my biggest pet peeve is when people are really rude at shows. it’s like, we’re all there to enjoy ourselves, and pushing in front of me isn’t going to make that much of a difference in how good of a time you have. i’ve let a lot of people go ahead of me if they’re polite. i heard a girl behind me talking about how much she loves the band coming on, and i moved aside and let her in front of me because i didn’t care much for them. chances are, if you do something nice for someone at a show, they’ll remember it, and help you later. i’ve gotten free water from someone who had a spare bottle on them because i gave them space and wasn’t a bitch to them.

sorry i just wrote a novel, but i always want to tell this to all the people around me at shows that think they’re awesome for like elbowing me in the ribs to get me to move