Mosh

It's not every day that you get to experience something for the first time.

Saturday night I went to a show at the Elbo Room to see a friend of a friend's band. I didn't know anything about it but heard that "sometimes things can get a bit crazy." I didn't really bother to ponder what that could mean, but went mainly to see my friends.

Once I got there, it didn't take long to surmise that I was attending a punk rock show. Normally when I come to that realization, I leave. The rage and negativity of punk rock has never really appealed to me, not to mention the noise. But this was a friend's band, so I stuck it out. As far as the noise and rage on stage, I wasn't disappointed. Three of the band members shrieked into their microphones just as someone might do if they were dipped into molten lava. No words, just screams. I stood there looking around at people's faces to see who was into it and who might be laughing. Most seemed interested and focused.

After awhile, some audience members started to become animated and physical, and it wasn't long before some people were throwing their bodies into other audience members in an attempt to get things a little rowdier. The crowd didn't seem to mind the bumps and elbows. If someone banged into them, they'd simply push them toward someone else and get back to watching the display.

I was interested neither in being pushed nor in pushing back. In fact, I was a little bit nervous for my own safety, so little by little I inched my way backward, away from the stage. I even considered leaving the area altogether and waiting the show out.

After the band finished and a short intermission passed, the headliner, Flipper, came on. Their music was a bit easier to listen to, and soon the crowd got physical again.

By this time, however, I had the pleasure of a couple more cocktails and was feeling a bit rambunctious myself. For some reason (alcohol), this time, rather than being intimidated by the crowd, it looked a bit like fun. I casually handed Monica my drink and said, "I'm going in."

In front of the stage, there was a seven foot circle of clear floor where bodies bounced back and forth pushing each other around like pinballs. I ran straight in and pushed the first person I saw. The rest was a blur. I threw shoulders into people who promptly pushed me across the room toward someone else, who generally did the same.

Never did I ever feel like anyone was angry or violent about it. I was in Rome acting like a Roman. After a few minutes of that, I emerged from the pit grinning from ear to ear. It truly felt like a life experience that hadn't been checked off the list for far too long.

I can't say that I'll be seeking out punk shows and looking for mosh pits any time soon. But I was super glad I jumped in.

Woo hoo!