#i haven't gotten a legit crush in four years

[kringelorde]

dunno if I'm just talking to myself, really, bc I dunno the audience but has anybody noticed a drop in pit etiquette at shows? my "main" fare is thrash and blackened speed and I've been going to shows and pitting for almost exactly a decade. at least for the bigger shows (overkill, havok, kreator, midnight, forget what other 'big' guys I've seen and partaken in but), I've never run into problems with things like crowd crush or getting kicked in the fucking face or getting studs/spikes ripping hair out or people stage diving without making eye contact or people crowd surfing with full flailing arms limbs... until this last show.

fwiw, I haven't been to anything but smaller punk shows and midnight since 2019, really, so I haven't seen what thrash pits look like nowadays.

toxic holocaust isn't a small band by any means but I guess it attracts a certain... audience? the pits for the death metal openers and for havok were relaxed to dead but the crowd for toxic holocaust was rancid.

I took two boots to the face (not hard but not pleasant) from divers and surfers, had a stage diver dropped onto and subsequently off me after fucking... crushing my cervical vertebrae, had to struggle to get the fuck out of the crowd from the front row to the point of concern for legit crush even around the back of the pit, watched a few chicks duck down and huddle to avoid the aggressively shitty stage diving, had my hair shredded by somebody's studs, had a guy in front of me do some absolutely insane not-headbanging (where he would grab onto the stage and just throw his torso back and forth really fast) with so little fucking care that he almost slammed into my skull full force.

I've been to plenty of shows with crowd surfers and stage divers. I've both ducked and held up people. I've come home pleasantly bruised and sore before.

helped out a guy who took a (probably cowboy bc the heels are hard and sharp) boot to the brow during the set deep enough to pour blood everywhere/flex when he blinked, give him a concussion and four stitches at the ER.

I dunno, I know this is "rough" fun but it was absolutely garbage and ruined the whole show for me lmfao and I've heard people echo the same sentiment in places (that it's gotten worse in the last few years). maybe kids who got into this music during the height of the pandemic who are going to their first shows and not bothering to even glance at the rules for this shit? like come on dude, we're not trying to fucking die.

#spext #anyone else notice this like god fucking damn #I'm so bitter about the show man I already hated the venue too bc it's practically designed for crush #hell on earth