When I was a teenager, in the 80’s, my friends and I would go to a lot of concerts. There was a lot of underage drinking and some pot smoking in the parking lot, but I was never at a concert where anyone got hurt, at least not that I know of.
Now it seems like I hear a lot of really bad things, like rape and violence at concerts. I worry because in just a few years my kids will be old enough to be going to them.
Are they really more dangerous or are these things just being reported on more ?
Me and Mrs. Moto went to the Warped Tour last week. We’re in our thirties, and she’s 17 weeks pregnant with twins.
We stayed out of the mosh pits, and were perfectly safe at all times.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt in danger at a concert, though this may be a function of the music I normally listen to.
Well, let’s see… I’m 41, so if I go to a concert by MY favorite acts, I face a lot of dangers.
If I pay the $250 a ticket that Paul McCartney is asking, I face a danger of not eating the rest of the month.
If I go to a Springsteen concert, I face a danger of getting trampled by middle-aged married couples who have to race home midway through the show, before the babysitter’s rates go up.
If I go to a Rolling Stones, I’m in danger of deafness, when the joints of 20,000 middle-aged dancing fans start cracking simultaneously.
If I go to a Dylan concert, there’s a danger I’ll decide to shoot myself rather than listen to his godawful vocals any more.
I go to concerts involving bands like Tool, Korn and such and while they are rough at times, they are liveable. There are a few jerks in the crowd who push/shove and there are annoying people who crowd surf and kick you in the head but it’s not too bad. I try to be up front right against the bar, that way I always have something to hang on to. If that isn’t possible, then I’d choose the spot right in front of the sound stuffs. I’d have to be taller to see from there though. I try to where semi-huge, thick soled boots to concerts so that I can see better and so I can whip out a can of whoop-ass if need-be, but I haven’t had to resort to that though. I don’t think I’d do well in the middle of a crowd however, as I’m pretty short and have difficulty breathing in musty, hot, humid places.
I’ve never seen any of the incidences that have been reported in the news. I think they just get reported more often, so it seems like a lot. There is still drug/alcohol use at concerts, but just ask your daughter to not do these things. For me, it would interfere with my ability to truly enjoy the concert.
Concerts are no more dangerous than they used to be, it’s just the incidents are more prevalent in the news.
A standard, organized concert with assigned seating (like most arena shows) has virtually no risk at all. What could happen, really?
Ones with everyone standing in crowds against the stage are somewhat riskier. Something like a summer festival (Warped Tour or Ozzfest) or a club show. The mosh pit is an obvious thing to avoid, but most of the other people are avoiding it too, so that’s not difficult. And the crush at the front can be a little overwhelming. Even if you are standing further back in the crowd, you can still get kicked in the head by a crowdsurfer’s boot, and that’s not much fun. If you really want to be safe, you need to hang out in the back, where it’s not so crowded. But then you’re farther from the band as well. Trade-offs.
A few jackasses tried to start a mosh pit at the last Jimmy Buffett concert I went to. This is dangerous because the average Buffett fan runs the risk of breaking a hip during something as exciting as a mosh pit.
All in all, I wouldn’t say concerts are any worse now then when I went to see Bon Jovi in the 80’s…as to before that, I can’t speak with any authority. The main problem now, it seems, is bottles and things being thrown at outdoor concerts and the risk of being trampled the closer you get to the stage. Parking lot incidents are a hazard, but that is the same with any event…try tailgating at an Eagles game.
As a rule, I stay away from shows that will most likely be full of drunk teeny boppers. Not for the danger factor (I don’t think I’ld be too intimidated by a piss drunk little girl with “I love Dave Matthews” written in magic marker on her forehead), but because it suddenly became less amusing to see kids throw up all over the place.
A Jimmy Buffett mosh pit…
I just CAN’T get that out of my head. How is such a thing possible?
I feel like Charlton Heston in the Apes picture (at the end).
I would think it would be more dangerous to go see the local band at BillyBobsBar late Saturday night and get whopped upside the head by a drunk in the parking lot, than it would be to go to an arena with 100,000 overpriced tickets and beer that costs more than gas money to get there.
When your kids are old enough to go, let them go.
It’s a rite of passage.
The solution is simple, ** dragongirl **. Just get your kids into some nice, relaxing…BIG BAND MUSIC!! If their favorite artists are even alive, the chances of them getting hurt at a concert are infinitely small! C’mon, who ever died at a Glenn Miller concert anyway?
[sub]DougAB, who is in no way expressing an affinity for Big Band Music. Zeppelin Rules! [/sub]
The last couple concerts I went to I saw kids and PARENTS there… even at Pearl Jamgod has it been THAT long since I went to a concert? soooooooo develop an affection for Tool or Korn and go along with her!
Seriously, I’d say nah concerts arent dangerous if you use common sense …
Of course, this sounds much like someone who hasn’t been to a Big Band show in recent years. 
I’ve been kicked in the shins and the ankles, smacked in the ribs, and knocked skulls with another dancer (my partner and her partner dipped us at the same time–and neither one was watching what he was doing–so we knocked heads in mid-dip). I’ve called dancing at those shows as “full-contact swing dancing.”
Seriously, though, most concerts are no more dangerous than they were back in ‘our day’ (I was a teenager in the 1980’s, too). Of course, the media picks up on the few bad incidents and blows them out of proportion to what really happened. If you’ve raised your kids to be good kids and with a stretch of common sense, I think they’ll be fine at most shows.
I attended a Dylan show at the Augusta Civic Center on Aug. 4, and I never felt threatened. However, if I had had no previous knowledge of Dylan, after the concert I still wouldn’t know many of his lyrics, or even what he looks like. The combination of distant seats and Dylan’s distinctive vocal style makes comprehension rather difficult. I ended up just listening to the music a lot, which felt strange, considering the he’s known much more for his songwriting than for his band.
Concerts were safe in the “good old days”? I think some Rolling Stones fans might disagree with that notion.
What I have noticed is that the larger venues needed to make concerts financially viable have led to increased physical problems (crushing, getting to water or first aid, etc) which haven’t been adequately addressed until recently (something particularly relevant here as some of our biggest concerts are held in summer), but overall I’d say that in many ways concerts are safer than they were in my youth thanks to bag searches and increased security.
Concerts were safe in the “good old days”? I think some Rolling Stones fans might disagree with that notion.
What I have noticed is that the larger venues needed to make concerts financially viable have led to increased physical problems (crushing, getting to water or first aid, etc) which haven’t been adequately addressed until recently (something particularly relevant here as some of our biggest concerts are held in summer), but overall I’d say that in many ways concerts are safer than they were in my youth thanks to bag searches and increased security.
What reprise probably refers to is a 1969 Rolling Stones concert at Altamont, California when Hell’s Angels hired by the band as security (:rolleyes: ) stabbed an audience member to death.
(Incidentally, the fourth verse (from memory) of Don McLean’s “American Pie” is thought to refer to this incident.)
I agree with the concensus of this thread; that concerts these days are no more dangerous than concerts in the old days. In fact, with a strong media focus on youth-oriented events such as rock concerts, and a greater community awareness of public safety issues I’d say they were much safer.
I just got back from §layer, Soulfly and InFlames. I’d say as long as you realize what is going to happen, such as: pits, people crowd surfing, getting pushed around, then you have to either keep yourself away, or deal with it.
Oh and keep your shoes tied tight. I lost my shoe during Soulfly, someone picked it up and kindly held it for me until I noticed he had
it. I got very lucky my friends.
Back to the OP, how old are your kids, and how smart are they and how big are they?
My dad wouldnt let me go to a concert until I turned 17, I’m kinda glad that he did because I was a wimp until I turned about 16 and a half. I’m glad that I didnt go, because I was dumb enough at the time to probly go in a pit and get knocked out, now I’m smarter, I still got a good forearm to the neck, but I’m fine now, cause I knew I had to back off for awhile.
So, in my opinion, if you can trust your kids to take care of themselves, let them go.
My experience has been that the dangerous stuff usually happens in the mosh pit. (females having articles of clothing torn off, fist fights, etc.) I haven’t been to a concert that didn’t have a place where I could stand away from all the flailing though, so that’s what I choose to do. To some extent it sucks, as it’d be nice to be right at the front, but I’d rather stay in one piece and see things from a bit further back.
As far as the Rolling Stones/Hell’s Angels bit, my understanding is the Hell’s Angels were hired at the recommendation of the Grateful Dead. The Dead had used the Angels in the past, and apparently the problem arose from the particular sect (no clue what the term would be for a biker-gang branch) the Stones hired.
You should go to an underground hip hop show. You just stand in place, nod your head, and place your hands in the air (if instructed to do so).
My daughter, who’s 16 and teeny, has been surviving moshpits for the past couple of years with no bigger problems than sore feet at the end of the day.
People in the mosh DO tend to look after each other.