To my fellow concert-goers: what are some good tips for holding my own in a rowdy crowd?
I went to a concert last night with my boyfriend and a friend of ours last night. Both of these boys are pretty big guys my bf is 6’1 and 220 pounds and our friend is 6’5 and around 250 and so can hold their own in a rowdy concert crowd pretty well. However, I am 5’3 and around 130 pounds and have very little experience with concerts.
Usually, my boyfriend stays with me and keeps his arms around me so we don’t get separated and he can push people off me but last night he wanted to go deeper into the crowd and I stayed back so he could go in without worrying about me.
I’ve already decided to invest in a good pair of tall boots to give myself some height and to protect my feet and ankles I got stepped on quite a bit so now I’m looking for some other ways to be able to hold my own in these rowdy crowds.
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I usually go for the sides.
You can stay at the back too, but you can’t really see the band.
@Michael_Huntington: I’d like to be able to get either to the middle of the crowd or the front if I can manage it.
@CaptainHarley: Yeah, I figure if I get some upper body strength, I can do the pushing myself. :)
Elbows. Don’t be afraid to keep them sticking out. :)
A good shield is to bend your arm in a 90 degree angle and hold it parallel to the ground; if someone rowdy is getting close, use it to push them away. It is OK to push someone back, so as to protect yourself. It is NOT OK to do something like tripping or targeting.
@jfos: I do try the elbow thing. I think I need a little extra muscle behind my arms in order to make that work. What worries me about this technique is I always seem to be behind that one very drunk guy who leans on whoever has their arms out behind him. :P
Also, is it bad concert technique to try and step out from behind these guys? I wouldn’t want him to fall but neither do I want to be flattened…
@KatawaGrey Better him fall than you be flattened. I think, more importantly than triceps, would be chest strength. An outstretched arm is only as strong as the chest supporting it. Some guys will target females, which is unacceptable in my book, but most guys would notice a little girl/woman there and avoid her.
@jfos: I’ve noticed that most guys take particular care around us little females and keep an eye on us. Last night, the same guy behind me kept picking me up and putting me on my feet again.
Also, is it true that when a girl goes up on a guy’s shoulders, she has to flash the band? Our friend told me that last night and I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not…
@KatawaGrey You won’t get kicked out for not showing your boobs. :)
But if you’re on a guy’s shoulders you’ll likely have a lot of people screaming obscenities at you for blocking their view.
@Likeradar: Fair enough. Both my bf and our friend kept suggesting it so i figured it was acceptable as both of them are much more experienced at concert-going.
@KatawaGrey It depends a lot on the venue. If you’re at a big ol’ outdoor festival and not close to the stage, I don’t think anyone cares about a cute girl on a guy’s shoulders. But at a smaller club, you’re asking for a whole lot of pissed off people.
Who’d you see last night?
@Likeradar: Streetlight Manifesto. It was a good show, glad we went. :) I’ll keep that in mind about being on someone’s shoulders. I’m eyeing up a pair of boots with 3 inch heels online. Hopefully that will keep me from having to sit on anyone’s shoulders.
don’t be timid. push ppl if they are in the way. not in an angry or violent way, but to keep them out of your space is fine. and don’t feel bad about it. people at shows expect to get pushed and shoved a bit. no fists.
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