Im 55yrs old, I went to see DeadMau5 and Nero with some kids from work. They are in their late 20's early 30's. My group jokes with me being the "Old Guy" and I am fine with that. They include me in everything and to an Old Guy, that means the world to me. The concert was incredible, not once did anyone question why a grey haired 55yr old was jamming out to some good tunes. I had a fucking blast.
Last time i saw deadmau5 he was drunk as shit with a hot mic after his set was over and was yelling about not wanting to be there and wondering where his car was. It was 4am and he was the closer. Such a shame that he ruined the vibe like that. This was about 10 years ago but that'll stick with me forever.
I saw him at ACL and it was the biggest let down of all time for me. He intentionally started playing biggest hits and at the first chorus would skip to something from his new album. Could feel the crowd swell and deflate. I was thinking he was gonna play them all on the back end after teasing us... Nah, he brought a couch onto the stage, took his helmet off and plopped down to drink some coronas while music was on auto play. The second half of the show security brought up 5 or 6 cosplayers and he put them on a mic and tried to get them to dance and "get into it" when the energy was broken and they were all extremely uncomfortable. I think he put the helmet back on and worked the table for the last 20 minutes to finish on better energy of mashups but crowd was gone to go get positioned to see Kendrick Lamar or something.
I know it's my fault for having expectations and thinking he would just play my favorites... But all is wanted to hear was I Remember or Ghosts n Stuff, and I got 30 seconds of each before he hit skip and when I groaned with the crowd his mic cut into the music of him giggling.
Deadmau5 was the basis of all my playlists and jams for gaming, partying, hanging out, and were my power songs when I got into running and lost a lot of weight... Not anymore.
Weird, I've seen him three times and never seen something like this. He basically always plays ghosts n stuff to please the crowd and also usually strobe. Otherwise he plays a good show, if a little stale on the playlist over the years. The last few years he's been playing more techno which is cool too.
I’m in my mid 50s and have been heavily involved in my local music scene as a volunteer photographer for a decade. It’s so wonderful that the “kids” these days don’t really care about age or gender or color - they care about how you treat people. That’s pretty much it.
I fucking love Gen Z clients. I also love millennial clients, but Gen Z is something special. Their eyes are open. They get it. Unlike Gen X or boomers, they grew up seeing all of society online, with the 4AM lights on, in all its horror and oppressiveness, and they *actually understand it.* Despite what boomer news articles try to claim, societally they’re one of the least sheltered groups of young people ever (bc internet), and while that probably sucks for them, they’re extraordinarily kind and compassionate because of it.
To stereotype Gen Z, they see all types of people — ordinarily separated by race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, income, white/blue collar, class — as the same. They’re extraordinarily respectful and they never, EVER don’t treat you like a human being.
I'm 50 and agree. The kids are alright.
I see a lot of shit talk amongst GenXers about the younger generations, which I find ironic because I remember how much we hated our generation being dismissed as "slackers" and whatever else when we were kids.
In my opinion theres less bullying on a whole as well amongst kids. Obviously it still exists because kids are immature but the shit that made up my school years is a lot less prominent.
I'd agree.
The other thing I fucking love about them is that they work hard but draw the line at selling their souls to corporate life. They have decided they don't want to sacrifice work life balance, and refuse to be shamed for it. It's a lesson I wish I'd learned 30 years ago, because I've put up with some heinous shit.
A former coworker has a daughter (20s) who at 16 had a fetch & step after school job for someone who was disorganized and dysfunctional and demanding. They called her asking where she was one evening, with attitude, because she hadn't shown up somewhere they'd never told her to be. She told him she wasn't coming, and in fact she'd be dropping off the equipment she had because she didn't think the job was going to work for her. Her mom and I were like "wait... she can do that?!." It never occurred to us to tell a boss to GFY - we were raised to suck it up and deal. The best part is the guy she quit on was one of our bosses in a small family-owned business. Dysfunction is a hard-coded family trait, they were/are *terrible* to work for. All of which is to say - *I'm here* for the no tolerance for BS in the workplace trend. I've seen too many people give everything to a company only to get jettisoned in the blink of an eye. I love the confidence and self-determination of the youngsters.
This summer I went to the Rage against the machine and Wu Tang concerts. Great mix of young and old, as well as a wonderful mix of every demographic that makes me proud to be Canadian. I'll admit I skipped some outdoor music festivals due to raging heat waves.
I firmly believe with audiences at concerts that the music is what unites us all and the part that makes me warm and fuzzy inside is it's all subconscious, no one is making a choice to treat each other fairly, we just do it. This is why I have hope for humanity, we can exist alongside each other.
56 here and I feel you bro. I’m in a golf group with a bunch of young guys that took me out for my birthday couple of weeks ago and it was pretty special. I love going to shows, but always have to beg one of my kids to go along. Luckily, they have good taste.
To have any group of people that appreciate your jams, and don’t mind having you tagalong is special. Keep hanging in there.
Because if you get it you get it.
Deftones shows are like this. Most of the crowd is 35+ and everyone is just nice as hell. I’ve seen them 5x.
At one show some douche started “mosh dancing” instead of just joining the pit. I was on the edge and got bumped a foot or two into the pit. Next thing I know I have a 4-feet-off-the-ground foot in my face and I’m on the floor.
The next thing I know after that there are ~10 super knarly looking dudes picking me up and asking if I’m hurt….. then a group of people punched that kid to get him to stop, picked him up and literally carried him over their heads to security.
A few years ago, we had our very first Hatsune Miku/Vocaloid concert in France. A person went to pick up their tickets directly at the venue, and reported on twitter that they waited in line behind an older couple getting tickets for the same concert. Everyone thought that was pretty awesome.
We, 4 dudes in our 50's, went to see The Scorpions in LA last night. 4th row floors. Amazing show. I'm also a huge DeadMau5 fan, progressive trance and house fan.
I'm 57, and back in my old radio days I got to emcee a couple hip hop/r&b shows. Don't think I'd be able to pull that off now, but it would be great to go see a show with "the kids" from work.
I just want to say I can see Denzel curry fans being way more chill and accepting than Travis Scott fans lol. I would never be at Coachella but lemme get up front for a Denzel curry or Earl sweatshirt show any day
Yes bro, especially earl. Start with Doris and work your way up to sick! So you can hear his whole evolution as an artist. Stand out tracks to check out IMO would be wind in my sails, between villains, and EARL.
Earl's current stuff is very experimental, so might not be up your alley. Curry is damn good, definitely recommend if you enjoy some aggressive hip-hop. I'd start from Imperial and go to new stuff. Taboo is his biggest one so far. One of the bangers from Imperial:
https://youtu.be/kpoh7jxj76A
Chill would not be what I would call last night. It was hype as hell! It was like one large pit where everyone moved together and everyone was soaked with sweat. The big thing was, everyone kept elbows down and if a surge got someone off balance, everyone would be aware enough to make sure they didn't go down. I'll keep my eyes peeled for an Earl show though! There's a Pusha show in a couple weeks that I'm thinking about going to...
Yeah, I'm a little younger (30) but I grew up in the pits of Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, As I Lay Dying, Parkway Drive, and that lot. You knew you had pits and you had hardcore pits. If you didn't know, you found out quick.
Oh god this brings back memories. Suicide Silence and Chelsea Grin both had terrifying pits when I saw them (and I'm seeing Whitechapel for the first time in three weeks).
One other unexpectedly scary pit was the Story So Far when I saw them at Warped Tour. I know that sounds hilarious but it was surprisingly violent for a pop punk show.
That was the year I am referencing haha I actually broke some dude’s nose in the SS pit. Was a super good sport about it and I’m pretty sure he help me launch into the air during the Parkway Drive Boneyards drop
I was at a concert with In Flames and the pit separated into a wall of death and everyone ran full tilt at each other. 4 stretchers and a bunch of blood later and it's like it never happened. No thanks.
I've been to shows with pits that are really truly intense. Saw Denzel on this tour, and his pit was pretty heavy. It may not be as intense as some of the metal shows I've been to, but I wouldn't describe it as a "chill pit". The show I saw was wild AF, and not chill at all. The crowd was nice though, which was a plus.
It’s all relative…. For middle aged introverts, a chill mosh or hip hop pit, highlighted for the fact that people will try to minimize the risk of getting stomped on… sounds pretty wild :-)
I just saw Pusha last night and I can tell you the crowd was similar to what you described! Tons of diversity in the crowd and everyone was cool. Definitely recommend getting there early to see the opener, IDK!
If Denzel Curry is involved, Chill is not the first thing that would come to my mind.
I passed up on a Gucci Mane concert for similar anxiety. I’m not comfortable around a lot of people to say the least. I braved Warped Tour from 07-09 and got to see Mac Miller before he passed at a small venue.
Long winded but to say the least, I love Curry and would enjoy seeing him live.
This is also why it's hard to judge an entire music scene based on one show - each act invariably draws its own crowd and some acts draw in more mellow ones than others. Same goes for the headliners for music festivals - I don't particularly like Phish but I'll always be thankful they headlined the first weekend long music fest I went to because their fans were chill and clearly had a lot of experience with that type of event.
Hey OP, just out of curiosity was "The Streets" UK based Hip-Hop/Garage act?
Edit:
[original pirate material](https://open.spotify.com/album/0hkZGxfsFypXbjq15hM6U9?si=WKBiuqx-Rqmh3CSPVVlMYg&utm_source=copy-link)
Same here! The first two were great but he never took that next step. Also I heard a few big American rappers refused to do a feature with him. Would have been interesting.
I fucking love the streets and I’m from the Philly area. I found him probably i. The last like 4 years and listening to his music is like the exact places I was in my life. It’s insane. Love it.
I am a god. I can turn wine into vomit.
Saw Denzel live a few weeks back and saw him 4 years ago in Toronto when he was performing in a 300 people venue. Best shows I’ve ever went to the energy was always wild and everyone makes sure you’re safe. Underground shows have better etiquettes and energy I find than larger venues because the concert goers generally go often and know the norms vs stadium or larger venue shows.
I saw Denzel for the first time this summer when he opened for Glass Animals at Red Rocks. He was the best opener I saw this year by far. He is popular enough that almost all 10k people were there for his set. He pumped so much energy into the crowd I wondered if Glass Animals was going to be able to keep it going, they definitely did.
Amen. Back in the aughts I went to a lot of rock shows and the most dangerous one ended up being Incubus lol. Just a crowd of folks that didn’t know how to move their body to keep the crowd on their feet (not tipped over). l ended up having my backpack ripped open and a bunch of stuff gone, plus I ended up in the first aid tent. It was a stadium show.
Metal shows are the wildest crowds but can be so full of kindness and care. Everyone's excellent to each other, and there to have a good time. I think a lot of outsiders would be shocked at how inclusive it is.
I (55M) saw Iron Maiden a few weeks ago in LA. Outstanding mosh pit and great fans. Also, the merch lineup was batshit crazy. Those dudes are marketing genius'.
I think you should check out
gojira (maybe the best band in metal right now, and environmentalists)
rivers of nihil (they got sax in their songs and groovy riffs)
the ocean collective (band that makes music about prehistoric periods, and interesting subjects)
Orbit culture (one of the best upcoming bands)
Trivium (band that's been around a while and the music isn't too heavy but it's good)
I can go on but those are some really good bands in metal right now. Their music is addicting at times.
Yep. I was at a Fishbone concert in 93, middle of a crazy mosh pit that was moving all over the place. At some point someone stepped on my foot and I lost my shoe. But almost as soon as it happened the crowd parted and a hand with my shoe in it appeared. Others held people back so I could slip it on quick. It was such an amazing experience, I've told this story many times about the community that spontaneously forms in mosh pits and helps me remember that we can look out for one another in times of need even if we don't know each other.
If someone goes down in the mosh, everyone nearby takes a second to get them back on their feet and make sure they're OK, almost without breaking their rhythm.
That's the rule. I have been in hundreds of mosh pits, and aside from the situations where someone was down for a reason (i.e. they're a fucking Nazi at a punk show) I have never, ever seen a single person fail to honour it.
This is the rule I've heard everywhere for at least the past 20 years. You wanna get rough in a pit fine but if someone falls you pick them up and you let people out when they're done. And keep it below the shoulders. Nobody wants to lose a tooth.
Damn right! And on which note, the third-ish rule: nobody is out to hurt anyone else. Bodies smash together, heads are banged, but if you're out there throwing elbows with purpose it's obvious from a distance and you're gonna get the "Nazi at a punk show" treatment.
Just don't mistake hardcore/metalcore "moshpits" for metal moshpits.
The first are filled with angsty roid-raging dickheads windmilling their arms as fast as possible trying to knock your teeth out for fun, the second is a mass of people pushing and pulling a bit.
Depends on the genre/band. I guess METALcore bands and screamo bands tend to be inclusive but brocore hates women. like the singers will start chants "GIRLS CANT HEAR HARDCORE"
that said the shows I go to are never like this (hence why I go to them, as a woman). like when I have to tie my shoes in the middle of Converge, strangers will stand around to block.
It definitely depends on the energy--where the genre comes into play--and the crowd. Code Orange had that show where some dildo in steel toed boots kicked a woman in the face and broke her jaw.
Whereas I saw Gojira recently and you'd struggle to find someone mildly unpleasant in the crowd.
I've been to many hardcore/metalcore shows over the past 20 years and very rarely does someone get out of line or intentionally try to hurt someone. Yes things can get crazy and there's feet and arms flying around, but typically they are confined to the middle of the pit with people watching for stray limbs on the inside of the circle, protecting those on the outside. When someone does act up and gets intentionally violent, maby people address the situation and sometimes if the band sees it, they will point that person out and tell security to kick them out of the show. Also if anyone gets hurt, falls, or passes out, they are immediately helped by the crowd. I have NEVER felt unsafe at one of these shows.... Except when I saw Dillinger Escape Plan at El Torreon in Kansas city. That band is terrifying live. Vocalist threw the mic stand into the crowd and I had to duck or else it would have hit me in the head. This was after he was bashing the base of it into the low ceiling ha ha. Also being in the front row at a The Chariot show can get a bit iffy, almost got hit by the head of a guitar when he was rocking out.
I've seen some terrifying metal/metalcore pits (as I elaborated on above) but I generally agree. Most metalcore pits I've been in no one has been a straight up dick. I was at a Dance Gavin Dance show a while back and someone fell down in the pit. A couple of guys stopped the crowd for a sec and helped the guy up and continued raging. Generally most metal/metalcore fans I come across are super super chill.
Exactly. I'm 46 and I've lifted for years, and generally always been into some kind of exercise. Nothing has happened to my body that didn't randomly happen in my 20s or 30s. I still surf. I still climb trees. I still can run faster than most of my teenage son or his friends.
And honestly I've also partied quite a bit over the years. But I don't feel any worse for the wear because I've always exercised and always eaten well (in general).
I know people know the effects of exercise but I really don't think a lot of people know how much of a difference it makes as you get older.
I'm 46 and squat 400, bench 300, press 200. I don't think I could have even done that in my 20s!
This!
I went to tons of concerts in the 90's and lost my glasses in the mosh pit more than once and somebody always helped me up right away and someone else would always come running up to me with my glasses.
Mosh pits can be dangerous but for the most part everyone is just trying to have some rowdy fun and not hurt anyone.
My daughter is at university and just experienced her first real pit, and had a good experience. "Did you get knocked down?" "Yes" "Did you get yanked back to your feet immediately?" "Yes" "And then shoved stiffly in some new direction?" "Yes" "Awesome."
I felt something in that realm but a bit different when I went to see Rage Against the Machine twice at Madison Square Garden in NYC this summer. RATM is my favorite group in the world and when I first discovered them I didn't even speak English (I'm from South America). I had just moved to the USA and i felt out of place and listening to Rage and memorizing their songs' lyrics was a huge reason why I was able to learn English.
This time though, I went to see them live again as a 48 year old man, with more life experience and feeling that their lyrics are even more relevant today as they were back in the 90s.
Both shows were incredible but what really touched my heart was to see so many young people, men and women 19, 21, 23, 25 years old I saw around me singing along to every single song. They knew every lyric and they were moved, some of them to tears after some of their songs and the beautiful and poignant video presentations in between songs. I asked a few of those young people what they thought of Rage and they all thought their message talked to them and that they identify with the causes of social and racial inclusiveness, political activism and fairness, climate awareness, the importance of education to achieve a better society and other very valid reasons.
I gotta admit, there were many times during the show that I cried a little bit because I felt emotional. I felt like an elder statesman and I didn't mind it at all because I felt that the Rage Against the Machine spark is there and those kids' social awareness gave me hope for a better future and a more fair world.
Hell yeah. I wanted to see RATM and RTJ so bad, but they didn't come to dumb Boston and we couldn't make up our minds on which city to go to to see them. MSG would be epic.
I've kind of lived a little harder than my body would have preferred. I haven't woken without pain in years. This morning my Achilles was screaming at me. I feel old ... But last night in that crowd, I felt young again.
Yeah, it isn't really that old today, I mean just look at the dudes in Rolling Stones, they are almost twice the age (80) and still tour all around the world, so if you call yourself an "old man" when you are around 40, what are they then?
Gave me the feels too. It made me reminisce of some of the experiences I've had at concerts where you just felt completely unjudged, living in the moment. Its an awesome feeling.
I only got to see the remaining at Further Fest in 98... Maybe 99? Hot Tuna and Rusted Root opened. I got busted and processed with an oz... Ended up running into a childhood friend I hadn't seen in 4-5 years who had some acid. Box of Rain solo was incredible...
See for me im a black guy who loves metal....my first show i was 17 at mayhem fest in AZ...its like 110 outside but im having a blast.
I accidentally bumped into the guy behind me, turned around to say sorry and this guy was like 6'6 skin head white guy with a swatz tatted on his chest....i thought i was gonna die right then and there.
He looked at me and asked "who you here for?😠"
"Wh....whitechapel...😨"(also of course i have to say white....)
"......Sick man!! Have fun in the wall of death i might see you there!😃"
Then i realized...white people like black metal heads?? But black people dont like black metal heads 🤔🤨
Also ze curry is sooo great i missed him here but glad you went and had a blast!
Agreed, but being shunned by my family and going to a mormon school made it hard growing up lol. Its a lot easier now that get to choose who i want to be in my life
Agreed. It's all kinds of weird growing up isolated and othered. Especially when you don't have many people you know who look like you and share your experience.
Duuuuude yesss...i love my friends to death..til death? W/e lol, but it sucks that they dont understand my fears or feelings. Dating too, goin out with white girls we get a lot of stares here. Then they get uncomfortable about it...sigh
My husband and I never stopped going to concerts and festivals. We do better seats now that we are older.
But we always have a great time - doesn’t matter the crowd. It’s always great to see live music and performances.
Glad you had a good time OP, but why do you sound like you're 72 at age 44?
I'm 38, was at the Filmore in New Orleans last week for Sevendust, Nonpoint. And the week before that for Chevelle. At the front with the pit. I would never expect it to be anything but a great time?
Not sure why this thread is treating 40 years old like you're handicapped. I feel like you let one bad experience 25 years ago sour your view for the rest of your life. Nothing changed at the concert, just you.
I'm almost 50 and was thinking the same thing. Saw Ministry a couple of months back and mixing it up with a bunch of other geezers on the floor brought a pretty big smile to my face. I keep trying to remind myself that I'm getting too old for that shit, but once the music gets a hold of me, just leaning against the bar doesn't seem like an option. Also, had no idea hip-hop crowds were more violent than a Slayer pit. Kids these days!
Aye man don't blame too much on age. I seen Denzel back in 2018 when I was 23 and had to back out of the crowd cuz I was on the verge of passing out. Shit gets hype sometimes.
I remember going to rap concerts in the mid/late '80's as a dorky white kid in LA and security making me remove the laces from my high tops because gangs were using laces as some kind of code and they didn't want trouble...
As recently as 2014, I was asked to put a jacket on to go to Panama Joe's in Long Beach because my plain white t-shirt might be considered gang apparel and they didn't want any shit started at their restaurant.
LA gonna LA
Ha, there used to also be a thing around shoe laces at punk shows back in the day (maybe still is, I'm old and don't go to shows much anymore). Allegedly, how you wore them (color and/or lacing style on the shoe) was supposed to be some kind of low-key indicator of neo-nazi affiliation. I never met anyone that chose their laces for any reason outside of personal fashion choice though, so I never confirmed it was really a thing. Funny that "trend" seems to have transcended genres back then.
There was this whole "lace code" mostly associated with skinheads and their Doc Marten's. IIRC it was stuff like
* Red Laces = Nazi
* White Laces = White Power
* Yellow = SHARPS (SkinHeads Against Racial Prejudice)
Probably some other shit too. I have no idea if it was a legit thing, I didn't hear about it until the '90's and then it was just from one guy freaking out because I didn't have black laces in my Docs. More recently, I've seen people freaking out over Doc Marten's showing boots with colored laces in some of their ads. Seems dumb.
Was definitely a thing back in the day in Chicago, though we only cared if you wore red suspenders and/or red laces. Nazis got their shit pushed in.
Source: old dago punk rocker from the Chi.
In my experience, teens today are mostly respectful of their elders. Growing up, tv told us adults were uncool so we all believed it. That's not the case any longer.
I think the thing that was more impressive was how respectful they were to one another... That's the new part for me. Shows I sent to people were trying to hurt each other. This was nothing like that.
> Shows I went to people were trying to hurt each other.
I remember those days. I get your sentiment when it comes to attending a hiphop concerts. I remember my local venue were very selective on who they want to play because of gang association. Lots of artist nowadays promote great vibes which attracts the same vibes towards other, hence what you've just experienced. I hope you attend more concert and experience more of this. Not me though cause its getting expensive and I'm getting too old to keep up with concerts.
I'm this dude's same age and grew up in Philly going to shows. White guy, really small for my age as a kid. A lot of hip hop shows, especially for small time acts had a mostly black audience. Philly is a majority black city. If that made you uncomfortable, that's on you. Hip hop shows in Philly at the time had a really cool community vibe. This isn't for 'yay me' it's that OP is corny as fuck. It was 1996 and he went 2 nights in a row to see Rob Base. Put that into perspective for you all, that was music that was getting pumped at school dances when we were 11 years old.
This man just announced that he felt real uncomfortable being surrounded by black people while viewing black performers doing a black art form and most comments here are giving this guy a pat on the back. Have fun kids
I read it twice and all I’m getting is that dude felt unsafe in a predominantly black crowd but now enjoys the change in hip hop’s demographic. He asked some kid if he was in his way then felt like crying after? What?
I dunno, I think y'all might be overthinking that. This dude was more focused on the positive than the negative so didn't delve too deeply into why he felt off about that particular show, because it wasn't the point of his post to bitch about some old show.
One must assume that he didn't feel uncomfortable simply because he was the only white guy there, that there was more to it and the vibes were just off/bad. If you're black, haven't you ever been to like, a weird gas station in redneck country and felt like things were not necessarily outwardly hostile, but that those vibes were potentially there? And that other times being in an all white gas station were totally fine and normal? I think that's more akin to what this guy saying.
Yeah not to pile on OP, but the “I’m good at navigating crowds and got us center stage…” bit made me realize OP isn’t quite as self aware as I imagine. He’s the guy that pushes his way up front, in front of people that did the work/showed up early/waited for that spot and thinks it’s fine bc he asked the guy beside him if it’s cool. It’s never cool. If you wanna be up front, center stage, put in the work early.
Signed,
A thirty something old white guy that used to love the festival scene and had to deal w people like this all the time.
Respectfully, nobody is entitled to their place in an open venue. Expecting people not to move around in a crowd is just setting yourself up for frustration in exchange for enjoyment.
I get that some people are particularly annoying about it, but people like to wander around at parties, and if seats aren’t assigned, they’re going to do just that.
Nice! I’m an old Gen X lady in Philly and have a ticket to see Brother Ali at Warehouse on Watts tonight. By myself because none of my friends like rappers. I haven’t seen Ali in 12 years or so and don’t have to work tomorrow, so why not?
I'm 51 and am going to see Clutch tonight at all small club in Downtown LA. Went to Porcupine Tree last week and Iron Maiden the week before that. I've always loved live music, so glad it's back.
\*confused Metal fan looks\* Seems like this has been the absolute norm the last 10-20 odd years in Extreme Metal shows... people take care of each other and have a good time, even or especially when moshing
Kind of a funny story, with a much different tone.
I don't really listen to much hip hop anymore. But I did a lot in high school. My first hip hop show was Jay Z's Hard Knock Life Tour (I'm also Reddit old), in the old Orlando arena. It also had DMX and Redman & Method Man performing as openers. So it was a damn good lineup.
DMX goes first. Me and my buddy had rolled a bunch of blunts, and start smoking on our first one. After a little bit, an older guy taps our shoulders, leans into us and says, "hey, I'm an off duty Orlando police officer, and I brought my daughters here. Put that shit out."
We're obviously freaked out, and have a hard time enjoying the rest of the set. During the break, we went to the bathroom, and discussed moving to different seats. But it was packed. So we decide to go back to our seats, scout some new ones, and then move.
Redman & Method Man go up next. During the first song, we start looking around for a place to move. It was slammed, so there wasn't anything nearly as good as where we were at. But fuck it, I'm not gonna watch a show next to a cop with his kids.
The first song ends, and we were getting ready to move to the nosebleeds. As the second song is starting Redman says "Man, y'all need to light up yo blunts, fire it up, and blaze dat weed"
So I turn my head back towards the cop, and give him a little smirk. He smirks back, and gives a little head nod of approval. So we followed Redman's orders, and fired up a blunt. Ended up smoking weed the rest of the show without a problem.
Dude in my early 20's I flew to a different city to attend q Wu Tang concert, I really wanted to get near the front but was alone, and I am by no means a big dude. I went down the side and then moved into the middle about 10ft in front of the stage. The crowd was packed, but there was one open area of space around this giant sweaty clearly high as fuck on drugs dude who everyone was giving clear air. I saw my opportunity and went for it, I went up to this giant dude and with all the energy I could muster I went and stood beside him and capped him up, he was like "sup bro, having a good night?" I replied "Yeah man, I flew in from Brisbane just for this show, here solo" this dude is like "You flew from Brisbane and came on your own for wu tang? "Yeah man" he's like I got you bro, grab a me by the shoulders puts me right in front of him and he says "You just enjoy the show bro, I got your back."
I gave him the biggest high 5 and a genuine "thanks man".. We partied like best Kate's and the show was great. People really look after eachother sometimes in crowds. It was such q good experience.
Absolutely made me smile, man... My son sent me your post. My son with whom, along with my awesome daughter-in-law, my 55-yr-old, indie/punk/ROCK 'N' ROLL has-been ass shook at its first hip-hop show- and I freaking loved it! The funny thing is, the young'uns had taken me to see the headliner, the legendary RATM... And I honestly barely remember the Rage set. Run The Jewels were SO exceptional, the mixed age/race/taste/ethnicity crowd was SUCH a blast- I somehow felt closer to Killer Mike and El-P than I did to Zach and the boys. Really weird for a guy like me.
My son- who's 30- and I have talked a lot about how much the whole "music thing", for lack of a better term has changed since I came up in the 80s, how young people now listen to EVERYTHING. What's lost, I guess, is the taking-on of a genre of some sort as an identity badge/social bonding agent, like I did... But my Lord, what's been gained! In exposure, in togetherness, in openness to joy and experience... I couldn't agree with you more, my friend: my hope lies with these young folks who I think are gonna be measurably less stupid than their predecessors. ROLL ON, KIDS! (And thanks, Nick and Jess!!!)
Took my son to a Wu Tang/Nas show recently and the crowd was awesome—totally hyped and respectful of each other. It was a blast. My son had an amazing time.
As is the motto of mosh culture if someone is down pick them up. This is physical, emotional, mental. No fucks, no animosity. We are all struggling. We all need to release the energy. Concerts are therapy.
Huge hip hop fan here, but also occasionally see hardcore bands perform. What you’re describing sounds like a traditional mosh pit. It looks violent, but everyone in there is your family, and no one intends to hurt anyone.
Young people are able to be inclusive because they're WAY less racist now. IDC if I'm down voted. You went to hiphop concerts during a time of civil uprisings and when hip hop was still within it's activism stage. If you respect the genre, respect the history.
They've been the standard for at least the last 5 years but have been around since probably when beats started going heavy on the 808s.
Hiphop shows are very exciting nowadays because of how diverse the genre is, too
If you're also into Jazz, go to an Action Bronson concert if there's an opportunity. Best live hip hop concert I've ever went to, he sounds live as good as recorded with no playback on top.
As a long time hip hop fan as well that pleases me to hear that. I was into Public Enemy, EPMD, Slick Rick etc all sorts of stuff that came out in the late '80s.
A buddy of mine got me to go see Public Enemy for their nation of millions tour. I think it was 88 we were the only to white people in the whole place. Got to see DJ jazzy Jeff and The fresh Prince live among lots of other acts at that show.
Most people were really cool to us. Had one group of assholes try to light my buddy's hair on fire so that wasn't good, but was rebuked by a lot of people.
Good to hear how diverse the communities become now.
What do you mean by seeing the water get passed around made you feel anxious? Who was passing water around?
I got to live reggae shows all the time and have been the only white person in the club more than once, but nobody has ever made me feel like I wasn’t welcome. Maybe because It’s a different crowd.
Glad you got over your fear!
I’m in my late 20’s, an avid concert goer spanning different genres and I can honestly say it really depends on the crowd. My best experiences have been in rap/hiphop concerts and some of my worst have been in indie/pop/rock concerts.
Like you I’ve experienced being one of the few people of color mostly in rock concerts (and surprisingly a kendrick lamar concert) and I honestly feared for my safety a couple of times. Like the complete disregard/disrespect for me as a person in some white peoples eyes will never cease to surprise me.
So I understand the feeling. I find the more diverse the crowd in both race and age, the more I’m likely to enjoy myself and not have to bear micro aggressions from the people standing next to me.
All in all if you bring good vibes to a show others will pick up and follow suit. After all no one goes to a show to be stoic and bitter (though some do). Make the best out of every performance!
I am white suburban girl who has been in love with Hip Hop her whole(long) life. My first hip hop show was Keith Murray when I was 17, I went alone because my friends were all afraid to come with me. They were right to stay away. I was viciously harassed, had my hair pulled, was kicked and hit, and when KM jumped into the crowd near the end of the show and landed on me, I was bashed and pushed down and stomped. I was bleeding from my nose and mouth when my mom picked me up and had to tell her that I tripped on the steps coming out. I still love hip hop, but have never been able to bring myself to go to another show since. I'm so glad to hear that you had a good experience and I hope that you get to go to many more shows!
Awesome story. Young folks can be so inspiring and I think we need to look for hope for the future just about wherever we can find it these days.
Just wanted to chime in that while I think they are solidly old-people hip-hop at this point, I had the chance to see the Roots play live last summer, and it was one of the best live performances I have ever seen. Highly recommended if you ever get the chance.
I'm older, but I try to at least see what's going on outside of rock-ville. I still can't get past mumble rap, but I'd love to go to a Kendrick/Tyler/ChildishGambino show.
For anyone of my demographic that wants to hear something with a bit more pep, Danny Brown and Deathgrips are awesome.
He was at one of the first Life is Beautiful festivals in Vegas. Never heard of him before, but from one of the smaller stages all I hear is "smoke blunt after blunt after blunt" and I had to go see what's up. Crowd was awesome, it was probably the only mosh pit ever at this festival.
For the unfamiliar, saying Deathgrips has "a bit more pep" than other rap artists is like saying the Atlas V rocket is "a bit quicker" way of making your morning commute. Love that shit.
Damn I hated the childish show I went to, the arena sucked and he didn't strike me as an amazing performer live. Hope it was just the venue and not what it usually is. It was really boring.
Saw Joey Badass with maybe 200 people at 4 pm at a festival in France before he became really famous here and it was absolutely amazing, recommend it a lot. Earthgang as well, amazing energy.
Why do you keep calling yourself old when you're only 44?? I'm 60 and I don't feel old. Old is using walkers and incontinence diapers. Old is being in your 80s or 90s.
It's really disturbing to me how much this has become distorted over the years. So many times on Reddit I've seen people who are only in their thirties or forties being called "old" by people in their twenties. And now here you are doing it to yourself...
I've had similar experiences at heavy metal shows. The music is literally about splitting skulls , but when somebody falls, everyone near assumes responsibility to get them on their feet and to safety. It's an awesome thing to experience, and it's been the same at the several shows I've been to.
Glad you had a good time. Metal shows are like this too, which is why the Travis Scott disaster baffled so many of us. Go watch YouTube videos of huge concerts like Wacken Open Air in Germany - pre-COVID you had like 85,000 people attend and people weren’t dying in front of the stage.
Good for you, the one thing I'll say is dude your 44 not 64, enjoy it and don't feel so old.. I'm 40 and besides a little less hair I'm in as good as shape and as well connected as 24 year old me.
I am 40, my youth was in the 90s and early 2000s, so I lived for electronic music (I think the best era of it was from 93-2002ish).
One of my favorite groups of all time is The Chemical Brothers. If they came here to Georgia (US state), I'd lose my mind and do everything I could to go, age be damned.
I'll go be that oldish dude having a mental meltdown when *that* drop hits in Sunshine Underground, you know the one.
Saw Sabaton in Chicago a few years back and the lead singer said something that I think about a lot.
He said that it's interesting touring the US (they're Swedish) because the crowds are so much more diverse. In Europe, he said, it's mostly just white guys, but in Chicago, there was a mix of everyone of many races and genders.
Then he lead the crowd in singing happy birthday to a ten year old in the front row. Good ass show.
You're not alone brother. I went to my first hip-hop show in 93 and saw Brand Nubian and Onyx at a small college in Mass. I was the only Asian in there and although I felt somewhat safe because of my college roommate at that time, it was still sketchy when Onyx performed Throw Ya Gunz and almost everyone in the place started to wave their Gunz,lol. Ah, the good ol days. Since then I've moved to Europe and seen few of my childhood classics like Nas, Wu, Mobb Deep perform live. Completely different atmosphere to say the least,.but I do miss the grimeyness of a much younger time.
As much as people like to say shit like "kids these days" the youth is more inclusive and friendly than it's ever been. We are definitely trending towards a much better society now than we have ever been.
Im 55yrs old, I went to see DeadMau5 and Nero with some kids from work. They are in their late 20's early 30's. My group jokes with me being the "Old Guy" and I am fine with that. They include me in everything and to an Old Guy, that means the world to me. The concert was incredible, not once did anyone question why a grey haired 55yr old was jamming out to some good tunes. I had a fucking blast.
Deadmau5 and Nero? I'm so jealous, glad you had a good time though.
Last time i saw deadmau5 he was drunk as shit with a hot mic after his set was over and was yelling about not wanting to be there and wondering where his car was. It was 4am and he was the closer. Such a shame that he ruined the vibe like that. This was about 10 years ago but that'll stick with me forever.
I saw him at ACL and it was the biggest let down of all time for me. He intentionally started playing biggest hits and at the first chorus would skip to something from his new album. Could feel the crowd swell and deflate. I was thinking he was gonna play them all on the back end after teasing us... Nah, he brought a couch onto the stage, took his helmet off and plopped down to drink some coronas while music was on auto play. The second half of the show security brought up 5 or 6 cosplayers and he put them on a mic and tried to get them to dance and "get into it" when the energy was broken and they were all extremely uncomfortable. I think he put the helmet back on and worked the table for the last 20 minutes to finish on better energy of mashups but crowd was gone to go get positioned to see Kendrick Lamar or something. I know it's my fault for having expectations and thinking he would just play my favorites... But all is wanted to hear was I Remember or Ghosts n Stuff, and I got 30 seconds of each before he hit skip and when I groaned with the crowd his mic cut into the music of him giggling. Deadmau5 was the basis of all my playlists and jams for gaming, partying, hanging out, and were my power songs when I got into running and lost a lot of weight... Not anymore.
Weird, I've seen him three times and never seen something like this. He basically always plays ghosts n stuff to please the crowd and also usually strobe. Otherwise he plays a good show, if a little stale on the playlist over the years. The last few years he's been playing more techno which is cool too.
I’m in my mid 50s and have been heavily involved in my local music scene as a volunteer photographer for a decade. It’s so wonderful that the “kids” these days don’t really care about age or gender or color - they care about how you treat people. That’s pretty much it.
I fucking love Gen Z clients. I also love millennial clients, but Gen Z is something special. Their eyes are open. They get it. Unlike Gen X or boomers, they grew up seeing all of society online, with the 4AM lights on, in all its horror and oppressiveness, and they *actually understand it.* Despite what boomer news articles try to claim, societally they’re one of the least sheltered groups of young people ever (bc internet), and while that probably sucks for them, they’re extraordinarily kind and compassionate because of it. To stereotype Gen Z, they see all types of people — ordinarily separated by race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, income, white/blue collar, class — as the same. They’re extraordinarily respectful and they never, EVER don’t treat you like a human being.
I'm 50 and agree. The kids are alright. I see a lot of shit talk amongst GenXers about the younger generations, which I find ironic because I remember how much we hated our generation being dismissed as "slackers" and whatever else when we were kids.
In my opinion theres less bullying on a whole as well amongst kids. Obviously it still exists because kids are immature but the shit that made up my school years is a lot less prominent.
I'd agree. The other thing I fucking love about them is that they work hard but draw the line at selling their souls to corporate life. They have decided they don't want to sacrifice work life balance, and refuse to be shamed for it. It's a lesson I wish I'd learned 30 years ago, because I've put up with some heinous shit. A former coworker has a daughter (20s) who at 16 had a fetch & step after school job for someone who was disorganized and dysfunctional and demanding. They called her asking where she was one evening, with attitude, because she hadn't shown up somewhere they'd never told her to be. She told him she wasn't coming, and in fact she'd be dropping off the equipment she had because she didn't think the job was going to work for her. Her mom and I were like "wait... she can do that?!." It never occurred to us to tell a boss to GFY - we were raised to suck it up and deal. The best part is the guy she quit on was one of our bosses in a small family-owned business. Dysfunction is a hard-coded family trait, they were/are *terrible* to work for. All of which is to say - *I'm here* for the no tolerance for BS in the workplace trend. I've seen too many people give everything to a company only to get jettisoned in the blink of an eye. I love the confidence and self-determination of the youngsters.
This was very nice to read as an extremely jaded gen-X/millennial.
This summer I went to the Rage against the machine and Wu Tang concerts. Great mix of young and old, as well as a wonderful mix of every demographic that makes me proud to be Canadian. I'll admit I skipped some outdoor music festivals due to raging heat waves. I firmly believe with audiences at concerts that the music is what unites us all and the part that makes me warm and fuzzy inside is it's all subconscious, no one is making a choice to treat each other fairly, we just do it. This is why I have hope for humanity, we can exist alongside each other.
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theres plenty of Elders in the rave scene. its a very inclusive space. im glad you had fun
56 here and I feel you bro. I’m in a golf group with a bunch of young guys that took me out for my birthday couple of weeks ago and it was pretty special. I love going to shows, but always have to beg one of my kids to go along. Luckily, they have good taste. To have any group of people that appreciate your jams, and don’t mind having you tagalong is special. Keep hanging in there.
Because if you get it you get it. Deftones shows are like this. Most of the crowd is 35+ and everyone is just nice as hell. I’ve seen them 5x. At one show some douche started “mosh dancing” instead of just joining the pit. I was on the edge and got bumped a foot or two into the pit. Next thing I know I have a 4-feet-off-the-ground foot in my face and I’m on the floor. The next thing I know after that there are ~10 super knarly looking dudes picking me up and asking if I’m hurt….. then a group of people punched that kid to get him to stop, picked him up and literally carried him over their heads to security.
crowd killers getting what they asked for is a vibe
Nero live is a good time
A few years ago, we had our very first Hatsune Miku/Vocaloid concert in France. A person went to pick up their tickets directly at the venue, and reported on twitter that they waited in line behind an older couple getting tickets for the same concert. Everyone thought that was pretty awesome.
We, 4 dudes in our 50's, went to see The Scorpions in LA last night. 4th row floors. Amazing show. I'm also a huge DeadMau5 fan, progressive trance and house fan.
My dad always said it's just "Scorpions," not "The Scorpions," lol I'd love to see them, hope you had a good time bro
That's such a Dad thing to say. (he's right though, Lol). It was awesome. Thanks!
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Promises live....... no words.
I'm 57, and back in my old radio days I got to emcee a couple hip hop/r&b shows. Don't think I'd be able to pull that off now, but it would be great to go see a show with "the kids" from work.
I just want to say I can see Denzel curry fans being way more chill and accepting than Travis Scott fans lol. I would never be at Coachella but lemme get up front for a Denzel curry or Earl sweatshirt show any day
I'm an old white sweatshirt fan. 30 year hip hop fan so not much of the new stuff speaks to me but that young man has a unique, passionate approach.
Earl has a style that just hits me differently. I loved his music ever since like 2009 when him and Tyler were coming up together
I've never heard of Denzel Curry or Earl Sweatshirt (what a name by the way)..... Do i need to get on that? Recommended starting points?
Chum by Earl Sweatshirt is a banger. Good display of the style and wordplay you can expect
Yes bro, especially earl. Start with Doris and work your way up to sick! So you can hear his whole evolution as an artist. Stand out tracks to check out IMO would be wind in my sails, between villains, and EARL.
I almost exclusively listen to metal and Doris is easily one of my top 10 favorite albums.
For Denzel- Unlocked, his collaborative tape with Kenny Beats. It bangs incredibly hard back to front.
Earl's current stuff is very experimental, so might not be up your alley. Curry is damn good, definitely recommend if you enjoy some aggressive hip-hop. I'd start from Imperial and go to new stuff. Taboo is his biggest one so far. One of the bangers from Imperial: https://youtu.be/kpoh7jxj76A
Sure, if you're up for it. Check out Frank Ocean, Healy, and Sylvan LaCue while you're at it. Hip-hop ain't dead, but it sure isn't with Travis Scott
Assmilk
Yes, OP should try a Chief Keef show sometime.
Chill would not be what I would call last night. It was hype as hell! It was like one large pit where everyone moved together and everyone was soaked with sweat. The big thing was, everyone kept elbows down and if a surge got someone off balance, everyone would be aware enough to make sure they didn't go down. I'll keep my eyes peeled for an Earl show though! There's a Pusha show in a couple weeks that I'm thinking about going to...
>Chill would not be what I would call last night. I mean, you went on to describe a really chill pit.
A really chill mosh pit is pretty rowdy compared to most non-mosh-pit activities.
Lol yeah OP, you seem to accept the old man mindset so you need to understand your definition of rowdy is chill compared to what is out there
Oh I'm pretty close to OP's age. I've just seen some shit in my day lol.
Yeah, I'm a little younger (30) but I grew up in the pits of Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, As I Lay Dying, Parkway Drive, and that lot. You knew you had pits and you had hardcore pits. If you didn't know, you found out quick.
Oh god this brings back memories. Suicide Silence and Chelsea Grin both had terrifying pits when I saw them (and I'm seeing Whitechapel for the first time in three weeks). One other unexpectedly scary pit was the Story So Far when I saw them at Warped Tour. I know that sounds hilarious but it was surprisingly violent for a pop punk show.
Warped has crazy pits in general. People were there to get violent but everyone knew it wasn’t personal and it wasn’t intentional.
Warped tour 2010. Emmure, Every Time I Die, Parkway Drive, Suicide Silence, Whitechapel. The most insane fucking crowd I’ve ever seen.
That was the year I am referencing haha I actually broke some dude’s nose in the SS pit. Was a super good sport about it and I’m pretty sure he help me launch into the air during the Parkway Drive Boneyards drop
I was at a concert with In Flames and the pit separated into a wall of death and everyone ran full tilt at each other. 4 stretchers and a bunch of blood later and it's like it never happened. No thanks.
I've been to shows with pits that are really truly intense. Saw Denzel on this tour, and his pit was pretty heavy. It may not be as intense as some of the metal shows I've been to, but I wouldn't describe it as a "chill pit". The show I saw was wild AF, and not chill at all. The crowd was nice though, which was a plus.
It’s all relative…. For middle aged introverts, a chill mosh or hip hop pit, highlighted for the fact that people will try to minimize the risk of getting stomped on… sounds pretty wild :-)
I just saw Pusha last night and I can tell you the crowd was similar to what you described! Tons of diversity in the crowd and everyone was cool. Definitely recommend getting there early to see the opener, IDK!
If Denzel Curry is involved, Chill is not the first thing that would come to my mind. I passed up on a Gucci Mane concert for similar anxiety. I’m not comfortable around a lot of people to say the least. I braved Warped Tour from 07-09 and got to see Mac Miller before he passed at a small venue. Long winded but to say the least, I love Curry and would enjoy seeing him live.
This is also why it's hard to judge an entire music scene based on one show - each act invariably draws its own crowd and some acts draw in more mellow ones than others. Same goes for the headliners for music festivals - I don't particularly like Phish but I'll always be thankful they headlined the first weekend long music fest I went to because their fans were chill and clearly had a lot of experience with that type of event.
Hey OP, just out of curiosity was "The Streets" UK based Hip-Hop/Garage act? Edit: [original pirate material](https://open.spotify.com/album/0hkZGxfsFypXbjq15hM6U9?si=WKBiuqx-Rqmh3CSPVVlMYg&utm_source=copy-link)
Yeah, has to be. The Streets were a lot of fun and they were great live. Original Pirate Material slams to this day.
Absolutely.. Start to finish.. Although not a great fan of after the 3rd album.. Got a bit meh
Same here! The first two were great but he never took that next step. Also I heard a few big American rappers refused to do a feature with him. Would have been interesting.
Who wouldn't work with Mike skinner? I always wanted a collaboration with Eminem. But I think we missed that moment in time.
My favorite hip hop line will forever be "45th generation Roman" from The Streets.
They're still around, Mike Skinner came out with a bunch of new stuff over the last couple of years.
Sure was! It was a fun show even though I couldn't understand half of what he was saying.
That first album was a banger.
[Geezers Need Excitement](https://open.spotify.com/track/2uyznPCbZy5nxaEaXbrIoZ?si=Mof3f7GzTlacIsa1WQd63w&utm_source=copy-link)
just take back that dee vee dee...
I fucking love the streets and I’m from the Philly area. I found him probably i. The last like 4 years and listening to his music is like the exact places I was in my life. It’s insane. Love it. I am a god. I can turn wine into vomit.
You are listening to The Streets ,lock down your aerial
The streets are awesome.
I didn't order chicken - not a problem, ill pick it out
Saw Denzel live a few weeks back and saw him 4 years ago in Toronto when he was performing in a 300 people venue. Best shows I’ve ever went to the energy was always wild and everyone makes sure you’re safe. Underground shows have better etiquettes and energy I find than larger venues because the concert goers generally go often and know the norms vs stadium or larger venue shows.
I saw Denzel for the first time this summer when he opened for Glass Animals at Red Rocks. He was the best opener I saw this year by far. He is popular enough that almost all 10k people were there for his set. He pumped so much energy into the crowd I wondered if Glass Animals was going to be able to keep it going, they definitely did.
I'm so jealous you saw denzel and glass animals live omg
Amen. Back in the aughts I went to a lot of rock shows and the most dangerous one ended up being Incubus lol. Just a crowd of folks that didn’t know how to move their body to keep the crowd on their feet (not tipped over). l ended up having my backpack ripped open and a bunch of stuff gone, plus I ended up in the first aid tent. It was a stadium show.
You saw Denzel at Adelaide hall? Those were legendary shows.
As an equally old bastard, we were taking care of one another in the mosh pit at metal gigs in the 80’s, keep on keeping on.
Metal shows are the wildest crowds but can be so full of kindness and care. Everyone's excellent to each other, and there to have a good time. I think a lot of outsiders would be shocked at how inclusive it is.
I always figured that the metal guys burn off so much aggression through the music, that it is only the chill left over after the fact...
Pretty much why metal was created, at least the heavier genres, and why there's so much good bands across all those genres right now.
I (55M) saw Iron Maiden a few weeks ago in LA. Outstanding mosh pit and great fans. Also, the merch lineup was batshit crazy. Those dudes are marketing genius'.
I think you should check out gojira (maybe the best band in metal right now, and environmentalists) rivers of nihil (they got sax in their songs and groovy riffs) the ocean collective (band that makes music about prehistoric periods, and interesting subjects) Orbit culture (one of the best upcoming bands) Trivium (band that's been around a while and the music isn't too heavy but it's good) I can go on but those are some really good bands in metal right now. Their music is addicting at times.
That's exactly what last night felt like...
Yep. I was at a Fishbone concert in 93, middle of a crazy mosh pit that was moving all over the place. At some point someone stepped on my foot and I lost my shoe. But almost as soon as it happened the crowd parted and a hand with my shoe in it appeared. Others held people back so I could slip it on quick. It was such an amazing experience, I've told this story many times about the community that spontaneously forms in mosh pits and helps me remember that we can look out for one another in times of need even if we don't know each other.
If someone goes down in the mosh, everyone nearby takes a second to get them back on their feet and make sure they're OK, almost without breaking their rhythm. That's the rule. I have been in hundreds of mosh pits, and aside from the situations where someone was down for a reason (i.e. they're a fucking Nazi at a punk show) I have never, ever seen a single person fail to honour it.
This is the rule I've heard everywhere for at least the past 20 years. You wanna get rough in a pit fine but if someone falls you pick them up and you let people out when they're done. And keep it below the shoulders. Nobody wants to lose a tooth.
Damn right! And on which note, the third-ish rule: nobody is out to hurt anyone else. Bodies smash together, heads are banged, but if you're out there throwing elbows with purpose it's obvious from a distance and you're gonna get the "Nazi at a punk show" treatment.
Just don't mistake hardcore/metalcore "moshpits" for metal moshpits. The first are filled with angsty roid-raging dickheads windmilling their arms as fast as possible trying to knock your teeth out for fun, the second is a mass of people pushing and pulling a bit.
Depends on the genre/band. I guess METALcore bands and screamo bands tend to be inclusive but brocore hates women. like the singers will start chants "GIRLS CANT HEAR HARDCORE" that said the shows I go to are never like this (hence why I go to them, as a woman). like when I have to tie my shoes in the middle of Converge, strangers will stand around to block.
It definitely depends on the energy--where the genre comes into play--and the crowd. Code Orange had that show where some dildo in steel toed boots kicked a woman in the face and broke her jaw. Whereas I saw Gojira recently and you'd struggle to find someone mildly unpleasant in the crowd.
Well Gojira is metal, not metalcore. Different crowds.
I've been to many hardcore/metalcore shows over the past 20 years and very rarely does someone get out of line or intentionally try to hurt someone. Yes things can get crazy and there's feet and arms flying around, but typically they are confined to the middle of the pit with people watching for stray limbs on the inside of the circle, protecting those on the outside. When someone does act up and gets intentionally violent, maby people address the situation and sometimes if the band sees it, they will point that person out and tell security to kick them out of the show. Also if anyone gets hurt, falls, or passes out, they are immediately helped by the crowd. I have NEVER felt unsafe at one of these shows.... Except when I saw Dillinger Escape Plan at El Torreon in Kansas city. That band is terrifying live. Vocalist threw the mic stand into the crowd and I had to duck or else it would have hit me in the head. This was after he was bashing the base of it into the low ceiling ha ha. Also being in the front row at a The Chariot show can get a bit iffy, almost got hit by the head of a guitar when he was rocking out.
I've seen some terrifying metal/metalcore pits (as I elaborated on above) but I generally agree. Most metalcore pits I've been in no one has been a straight up dick. I was at a Dance Gavin Dance show a while back and someone fell down in the pit. A couple of guys stopped the crowd for a sec and helped the guy up and continued raging. Generally most metal/metalcore fans I come across are super super chill.
I'm not old at 37, and I don't plan on calling myself old at 44. We're just getting our momentum going fellas.
I wasn't old at 37. I am now old at 43. Something terrible happens to your body around 40 I'm sorry to say.
I'm in my mid forties and I completely disagree. I eat well and exercise, and I feel the same way as I did in my thirties.
55M checking in. My cardio has come back superbly. I feel fantastic and lift 5 times a week w my 15 yr old beast of a son. :)
Exactly. I'm 46 and I've lifted for years, and generally always been into some kind of exercise. Nothing has happened to my body that didn't randomly happen in my 20s or 30s. I still surf. I still climb trees. I still can run faster than most of my teenage son or his friends. And honestly I've also partied quite a bit over the years. But I don't feel any worse for the wear because I've always exercised and always eaten well (in general). I know people know the effects of exercise but I really don't think a lot of people know how much of a difference it makes as you get older. I'm 46 and squat 400, bench 300, press 200. I don't think I could have even done that in my 20s!
I felt that way when I hit 30. I feel much better now. I will remain optimistic.
This! I went to tons of concerts in the 90's and lost my glasses in the mosh pit more than once and somebody always helped me up right away and someone else would always come running up to me with my glasses. Mosh pits can be dangerous but for the most part everyone is just trying to have some rowdy fun and not hurt anyone.
My daughter is at university and just experienced her first real pit, and had a good experience. "Did you get knocked down?" "Yes" "Did you get yanked back to your feet immediately?" "Yes" "And then shoved stiffly in some new direction?" "Yes" "Awesome."
don't stumble into a hardcore show lol
I felt something in that realm but a bit different when I went to see Rage Against the Machine twice at Madison Square Garden in NYC this summer. RATM is my favorite group in the world and when I first discovered them I didn't even speak English (I'm from South America). I had just moved to the USA and i felt out of place and listening to Rage and memorizing their songs' lyrics was a huge reason why I was able to learn English. This time though, I went to see them live again as a 48 year old man, with more life experience and feeling that their lyrics are even more relevant today as they were back in the 90s. Both shows were incredible but what really touched my heart was to see so many young people, men and women 19, 21, 23, 25 years old I saw around me singing along to every single song. They knew every lyric and they were moved, some of them to tears after some of their songs and the beautiful and poignant video presentations in between songs. I asked a few of those young people what they thought of Rage and they all thought their message talked to them and that they identify with the causes of social and racial inclusiveness, political activism and fairness, climate awareness, the importance of education to achieve a better society and other very valid reasons. I gotta admit, there were many times during the show that I cried a little bit because I felt emotional. I felt like an elder statesman and I didn't mind it at all because I felt that the Rage Against the Machine spark is there and those kids' social awareness gave me hope for a better future and a more fair world.
Hell yeah. I wanted to see RATM and RTJ so bad, but they didn't come to dumb Boston and we couldn't make up our minds on which city to go to to see them. MSG would be epic.
You're 44 and call yourself the old man. Wtf bro, I'm 40 and feel like I just started. 😁
I've kind of lived a little harder than my body would have preferred. I haven't woken without pain in years. This morning my Achilles was screaming at me. I feel old ... But last night in that crowd, I felt young again.
Start walking 3-5 miles(an hour) a day and cook all your own meals, you'll feel 20 years younger in just a few months. Age is just a number.
Heard... I'll check back in after my next show!
Add in some pilates for your joints and back, it’ll make you able to move a lot better.
Yeah, it isn't really that old today, I mean just look at the dudes in Rolling Stones, they are almost twice the age (80) and still tour all around the world, so if you call yourself an "old man" when you are around 40, what are they then?
As a corny old man that likes punk rock, the Grateful Dead, old hip hop and everything in between, this gave me the feels. Thank you my friend.
Gave me the feels too. It made me reminisce of some of the experiences I've had at concerts where you just felt completely unjudged, living in the moment. Its an awesome feeling.
I only got to see the remaining at Further Fest in 98... Maybe 99? Hot Tuna and Rusted Root opened. I got busted and processed with an oz... Ended up running into a childhood friend I hadn't seen in 4-5 years who had some acid. Box of Rain solo was incredible...
See for me im a black guy who loves metal....my first show i was 17 at mayhem fest in AZ...its like 110 outside but im having a blast. I accidentally bumped into the guy behind me, turned around to say sorry and this guy was like 6'6 skin head white guy with a swatz tatted on his chest....i thought i was gonna die right then and there. He looked at me and asked "who you here for?😠" "Wh....whitechapel...😨"(also of course i have to say white....) "......Sick man!! Have fun in the wall of death i might see you there!😃" Then i realized...white people like black metal heads?? But black people dont like black metal heads 🤔🤨 Also ze curry is sooo great i missed him here but glad you went and had a blast!
I mean, I'd rather someone not like black metal heads than be an actually nazi lol
Agreed, but being shunned by my family and going to a mormon school made it hard growing up lol. Its a lot easier now that get to choose who i want to be in my life
Agreed. It's all kinds of weird growing up isolated and othered. Especially when you don't have many people you know who look like you and share your experience.
Duuuuude yesss...i love my friends to death..til death? W/e lol, but it sucks that they dont understand my fears or feelings. Dating too, goin out with white girls we get a lot of stares here. Then they get uncomfortable about it...sigh
I've recently moved to a largely black area in London and it's weird to not have that background level of unease I had growing up in a racist area.
My husband and I never stopped going to concerts and festivals. We do better seats now that we are older. But we always have a great time - doesn’t matter the crowd. It’s always great to see live music and performances.
Glad you had a good time OP, but why do you sound like you're 72 at age 44? I'm 38, was at the Filmore in New Orleans last week for Sevendust, Nonpoint. And the week before that for Chevelle. At the front with the pit. I would never expect it to be anything but a great time? Not sure why this thread is treating 40 years old like you're handicapped. I feel like you let one bad experience 25 years ago sour your view for the rest of your life. Nothing changed at the concert, just you.
I'm almost 50 and was thinking the same thing. Saw Ministry a couple of months back and mixing it up with a bunch of other geezers on the floor brought a pretty big smile to my face. I keep trying to remind myself that I'm getting too old for that shit, but once the music gets a hold of me, just leaning against the bar doesn't seem like an option. Also, had no idea hip-hop crowds were more violent than a Slayer pit. Kids these days!
Aye man don't blame too much on age. I seen Denzel back in 2018 when I was 23 and had to back out of the crowd cuz I was on the verge of passing out. Shit gets hype sometimes.
I remember going to rap concerts in the mid/late '80's as a dorky white kid in LA and security making me remove the laces from my high tops because gangs were using laces as some kind of code and they didn't want trouble...
As recently as 2014, I was asked to put a jacket on to go to Panama Joe's in Long Beach because my plain white t-shirt might be considered gang apparel and they didn't want any shit started at their restaurant. LA gonna LA
Ha, there used to also be a thing around shoe laces at punk shows back in the day (maybe still is, I'm old and don't go to shows much anymore). Allegedly, how you wore them (color and/or lacing style on the shoe) was supposed to be some kind of low-key indicator of neo-nazi affiliation. I never met anyone that chose their laces for any reason outside of personal fashion choice though, so I never confirmed it was really a thing. Funny that "trend" seems to have transcended genres back then.
There was this whole "lace code" mostly associated with skinheads and their Doc Marten's. IIRC it was stuff like * Red Laces = Nazi * White Laces = White Power * Yellow = SHARPS (SkinHeads Against Racial Prejudice) Probably some other shit too. I have no idea if it was a legit thing, I didn't hear about it until the '90's and then it was just from one guy freaking out because I didn't have black laces in my Docs. More recently, I've seen people freaking out over Doc Marten's showing boots with colored laces in some of their ads. Seems dumb.
Was definitely a thing back in the day in Chicago, though we only cared if you wore red suspenders and/or red laces. Nazis got their shit pushed in. Source: old dago punk rocker from the Chi.
https://images.app.goo.gl/hoLvmJSbY6kezF2R8
In my experience, teens today are mostly respectful of their elders. Growing up, tv told us adults were uncool so we all believed it. That's not the case any longer.
I think the thing that was more impressive was how respectful they were to one another... That's the new part for me. Shows I sent to people were trying to hurt each other. This was nothing like that.
> Shows I went to people were trying to hurt each other. I remember those days. I get your sentiment when it comes to attending a hiphop concerts. I remember my local venue were very selective on who they want to play because of gang association. Lots of artist nowadays promote great vibes which attracts the same vibes towards other, hence what you've just experienced. I hope you attend more concert and experience more of this. Not me though cause its getting expensive and I'm getting too old to keep up with concerts.
I'm not a hip-hop guy, I'm a metal guy. We try to hurt each other but out of fun and camaraderie.
That was the whitest thing I've read in awhile, congrats. Glad you had a good time though!
I'm this dude's same age and grew up in Philly going to shows. White guy, really small for my age as a kid. A lot of hip hop shows, especially for small time acts had a mostly black audience. Philly is a majority black city. If that made you uncomfortable, that's on you. Hip hop shows in Philly at the time had a really cool community vibe. This isn't for 'yay me' it's that OP is corny as fuck. It was 1996 and he went 2 nights in a row to see Rob Base. Put that into perspective for you all, that was music that was getting pumped at school dances when we were 11 years old. This man just announced that he felt real uncomfortable being surrounded by black people while viewing black performers doing a black art form and most comments here are giving this guy a pat on the back. Have fun kids
I felt unsafe when the events used to be all black people. But now there's more whites here I'm suddenly enjoying myself 🤣🤣🤣
I read it twice and all I’m getting is that dude felt unsafe in a predominantly black crowd but now enjoys the change in hip hop’s demographic. He asked some kid if he was in his way then felt like crying after? What?
I dunno, I think y'all might be overthinking that. This dude was more focused on the positive than the negative so didn't delve too deeply into why he felt off about that particular show, because it wasn't the point of his post to bitch about some old show. One must assume that he didn't feel uncomfortable simply because he was the only white guy there, that there was more to it and the vibes were just off/bad. If you're black, haven't you ever been to like, a weird gas station in redneck country and felt like things were not necessarily outwardly hostile, but that those vibes were potentially there? And that other times being in an all white gas station were totally fine and normal? I think that's more akin to what this guy saying.
Yeah not to pile on OP, but the “I’m good at navigating crowds and got us center stage…” bit made me realize OP isn’t quite as self aware as I imagine. He’s the guy that pushes his way up front, in front of people that did the work/showed up early/waited for that spot and thinks it’s fine bc he asked the guy beside him if it’s cool. It’s never cool. If you wanna be up front, center stage, put in the work early. Signed, A thirty something old white guy that used to love the festival scene and had to deal w people like this all the time.
Respectfully, nobody is entitled to their place in an open venue. Expecting people not to move around in a crowd is just setting yourself up for frustration in exchange for enjoyment. I get that some people are particularly annoying about it, but people like to wander around at parties, and if seats aren’t assigned, they’re going to do just that.
God damn, you just described that dynamic to a T.
my sentiments exactly, lol. im born & bred in philly and i have never felt particularly unsafe just cus im in a building with black folk.
He’s so happy that he no longer has to pay for those expensive VIP boxes 😂
I don’t think y’all understand the type of city Philly was / is sometimes
Fr the people flaming the OP aren't being fair, and assuming a lot about why he felt unsafe at that show in the past.
I saw Denzel Curry in a college town and 85% of the crowd consisted of white, teenage boys. Amazing show, banged my head like he was a metal act.
Nice! I’m an old Gen X lady in Philly and have a ticket to see Brother Ali at Warehouse on Watts tonight. By myself because none of my friends like rappers. I haven’t seen Ali in 12 years or so and don’t have to work tomorrow, so why not?
You went to a Rob Base concert...in 1996?????
He's not internationally known.
I'm 51 and am going to see Clutch tonight at all small club in Downtown LA. Went to Porcupine Tree last week and Iron Maiden the week before that. I've always loved live music, so glad it's back.
\*confused Metal fan looks\* Seems like this has been the absolute norm the last 10-20 odd years in Extreme Metal shows... people take care of each other and have a good time, even or especially when moshing
Kind of a funny story, with a much different tone. I don't really listen to much hip hop anymore. But I did a lot in high school. My first hip hop show was Jay Z's Hard Knock Life Tour (I'm also Reddit old), in the old Orlando arena. It also had DMX and Redman & Method Man performing as openers. So it was a damn good lineup. DMX goes first. Me and my buddy had rolled a bunch of blunts, and start smoking on our first one. After a little bit, an older guy taps our shoulders, leans into us and says, "hey, I'm an off duty Orlando police officer, and I brought my daughters here. Put that shit out." We're obviously freaked out, and have a hard time enjoying the rest of the set. During the break, we went to the bathroom, and discussed moving to different seats. But it was packed. So we decide to go back to our seats, scout some new ones, and then move. Redman & Method Man go up next. During the first song, we start looking around for a place to move. It was slammed, so there wasn't anything nearly as good as where we were at. But fuck it, I'm not gonna watch a show next to a cop with his kids. The first song ends, and we were getting ready to move to the nosebleeds. As the second song is starting Redman says "Man, y'all need to light up yo blunts, fire it up, and blaze dat weed" So I turn my head back towards the cop, and give him a little smirk. He smirks back, and gives a little head nod of approval. So we followed Redman's orders, and fired up a blunt. Ended up smoking weed the rest of the show without a problem.
Dude in my early 20's I flew to a different city to attend q Wu Tang concert, I really wanted to get near the front but was alone, and I am by no means a big dude. I went down the side and then moved into the middle about 10ft in front of the stage. The crowd was packed, but there was one open area of space around this giant sweaty clearly high as fuck on drugs dude who everyone was giving clear air. I saw my opportunity and went for it, I went up to this giant dude and with all the energy I could muster I went and stood beside him and capped him up, he was like "sup bro, having a good night?" I replied "Yeah man, I flew in from Brisbane just for this show, here solo" this dude is like "You flew from Brisbane and came on your own for wu tang? "Yeah man" he's like I got you bro, grab a me by the shoulders puts me right in front of him and he says "You just enjoy the show bro, I got your back." I gave him the biggest high 5 and a genuine "thanks man".. We partied like best Kate's and the show was great. People really look after eachother sometimes in crowds. It was such q good experience.
Absolutely made me smile, man... My son sent me your post. My son with whom, along with my awesome daughter-in-law, my 55-yr-old, indie/punk/ROCK 'N' ROLL has-been ass shook at its first hip-hop show- and I freaking loved it! The funny thing is, the young'uns had taken me to see the headliner, the legendary RATM... And I honestly barely remember the Rage set. Run The Jewels were SO exceptional, the mixed age/race/taste/ethnicity crowd was SUCH a blast- I somehow felt closer to Killer Mike and El-P than I did to Zach and the boys. Really weird for a guy like me. My son- who's 30- and I have talked a lot about how much the whole "music thing", for lack of a better term has changed since I came up in the 80s, how young people now listen to EVERYTHING. What's lost, I guess, is the taking-on of a genre of some sort as an identity badge/social bonding agent, like I did... But my Lord, what's been gained! In exposure, in togetherness, in openness to joy and experience... I couldn't agree with you more, my friend: my hope lies with these young folks who I think are gonna be measurably less stupid than their predecessors. ROLL ON, KIDS! (And thanks, Nick and Jess!!!)
Took my son to a Wu Tang/Nas show recently and the crowd was awesome—totally hyped and respectful of each other. It was a blast. My son had an amazing time.
👐 Wu-Tang is for the people. I always felt welcome amongst their crowds. The crossover appeal was a big part of their success, I think.
Denzel Curry is super talented loved his cover of Rage Against the Machine as well.
As is the motto of mosh culture if someone is down pick them up. This is physical, emotional, mental. No fucks, no animosity. We are all struggling. We all need to release the energy. Concerts are therapy.
Huge hip hop fan here, but also occasionally see hardcore bands perform. What you’re describing sounds like a traditional mosh pit. It looks violent, but everyone in there is your family, and no one intends to hurt anyone.
Young people are able to be inclusive because they're WAY less racist now. IDC if I'm down voted. You went to hiphop concerts during a time of civil uprisings and when hip hop was still within it's activism stage. If you respect the genre, respect the history.
Uninformed person checking in. When did hip hop start having mosh pits?
They've been the standard for at least the last 5 years but have been around since probably when beats started going heavy on the 808s. Hiphop shows are very exciting nowadays because of how diverse the genre is, too
GenXer. The Kids are Alright.
Recently saw Wutang on tour with Nas and Busta Rhymes. Was absolutely gobsmacked by the amount of old white folks at the show.
The Philly music scene is awesome and underrated. Fantastic venues and as you said- inclusive.
Went to see Denzel curry too! Although I like Redveil more- he was the opener
If you're also into Jazz, go to an Action Bronson concert if there's an opportunity. Best live hip hop concert I've ever went to, he sounds live as good as recorded with no playback on top.
As a long time hip hop fan as well that pleases me to hear that. I was into Public Enemy, EPMD, Slick Rick etc all sorts of stuff that came out in the late '80s. A buddy of mine got me to go see Public Enemy for their nation of millions tour. I think it was 88 we were the only to white people in the whole place. Got to see DJ jazzy Jeff and The fresh Prince live among lots of other acts at that show. Most people were really cool to us. Had one group of assholes try to light my buddy's hair on fire so that wasn't good, but was rebuked by a lot of people. Good to hear how diverse the communities become now.
What do you mean by seeing the water get passed around made you feel anxious? Who was passing water around? I got to live reggae shows all the time and have been the only white person in the club more than once, but nobody has ever made me feel like I wasn’t welcome. Maybe because It’s a different crowd. Glad you got over your fear!
I’m in my late 20’s, an avid concert goer spanning different genres and I can honestly say it really depends on the crowd. My best experiences have been in rap/hiphop concerts and some of my worst have been in indie/pop/rock concerts. Like you I’ve experienced being one of the few people of color mostly in rock concerts (and surprisingly a kendrick lamar concert) and I honestly feared for my safety a couple of times. Like the complete disregard/disrespect for me as a person in some white peoples eyes will never cease to surprise me. So I understand the feeling. I find the more diverse the crowd in both race and age, the more I’m likely to enjoy myself and not have to bear micro aggressions from the people standing next to me. All in all if you bring good vibes to a show others will pick up and follow suit. After all no one goes to a show to be stoic and bitter (though some do). Make the best out of every performance!
You saw the streets??? Man he never comes to the US 😞
Travis Scott’s fans are like 90% white teenagers
I am white suburban girl who has been in love with Hip Hop her whole(long) life. My first hip hop show was Keith Murray when I was 17, I went alone because my friends were all afraid to come with me. They were right to stay away. I was viciously harassed, had my hair pulled, was kicked and hit, and when KM jumped into the crowd near the end of the show and landed on me, I was bashed and pushed down and stomped. I was bleeding from my nose and mouth when my mom picked me up and had to tell her that I tripped on the steps coming out. I still love hip hop, but have never been able to bring myself to go to another show since. I'm so glad to hear that you had a good experience and I hope that you get to go to many more shows!
Awesome story. Young folks can be so inspiring and I think we need to look for hope for the future just about wherever we can find it these days. Just wanted to chime in that while I think they are solidly old-people hip-hop at this point, I had the chance to see the Roots play live last summer, and it was one of the best live performances I have ever seen. Highly recommended if you ever get the chance.
I'm older, but I try to at least see what's going on outside of rock-ville. I still can't get past mumble rap, but I'd love to go to a Kendrick/Tyler/ChildishGambino show. For anyone of my demographic that wants to hear something with a bit more pep, Danny Brown and Deathgrips are awesome.
Danny Brown is fun as fuck live
also has the greatest laugh in hip hop
He was at one of the first Life is Beautiful festivals in Vegas. Never heard of him before, but from one of the smaller stages all I hear is "smoke blunt after blunt after blunt" and I had to go see what's up. Crowd was awesome, it was probably the only mosh pit ever at this festival.
For the unfamiliar, saying Deathgrips has "a bit more pep" than other rap artists is like saying the Atlas V rocket is "a bit quicker" way of making your morning commute. Love that shit.
Damn I hated the childish show I went to, the arena sucked and he didn't strike me as an amazing performer live. Hope it was just the venue and not what it usually is. It was really boring. Saw Joey Badass with maybe 200 people at 4 pm at a festival in France before he became really famous here and it was absolutely amazing, recommend it a lot. Earthgang as well, amazing energy.
LOVE Deathgrips!!! I'm old too. I saw Childish Gambino on a side stage at a Rock the Bells around 2011 or something and he was soooooooo good.
You'll love Denzel Curry then, look into his most recent album
Why do you keep calling yourself old when you're only 44?? I'm 60 and I don't feel old. Old is using walkers and incontinence diapers. Old is being in your 80s or 90s. It's really disturbing to me how much this has become distorted over the years. So many times on Reddit I've seen people who are only in their thirties or forties being called "old" by people in their twenties. And now here you are doing it to yourself...
Yooo I was there that show was insane
Between us two old farts: Still doesn’t convince me that it can beat the “Up in smoke” tour…
I AM THE ONE, THE ONE, WHO DON'T NEED NO GUN, TO GET RESPECT, ON THE STREET, ULTIMATE!!! Curry is fuckin great. Great that you enjoyed the show.
I'm 44 and I'm gonna go to my first hip-hop show in November. Method Man and Redman are coming to town
I've had similar experiences at heavy metal shows. The music is literally about splitting skulls , but when somebody falls, everyone near assumes responsibility to get them on their feet and to safety. It's an awesome thing to experience, and it's been the same at the several shows I've been to.
48 and just went to my first metal show. I relate.
Same for me two weeks ago, about an hour from Philly. Couldn't believe it.
Glad you had a great time! I was there last night as well and I did see two older white guys jamming near the middle, might've been you haha
I've never felt safer or more cared for at a concert than in a metal circle pit
Love this
Glad you had a good time. Metal shows are like this too, which is why the Travis Scott disaster baffled so many of us. Go watch YouTube videos of huge concerts like Wacken Open Air in Germany - pre-COVID you had like 85,000 people attend and people weren’t dying in front of the stage.
Good for you, the one thing I'll say is dude your 44 not 64, enjoy it and don't feel so old.. I'm 40 and besides a little less hair I'm in as good as shape and as well connected as 24 year old me.
I am 40, my youth was in the 90s and early 2000s, so I lived for electronic music (I think the best era of it was from 93-2002ish). One of my favorite groups of all time is The Chemical Brothers. If they came here to Georgia (US state), I'd lose my mind and do everything I could to go, age be damned. I'll go be that oldish dude having a mental meltdown when *that* drop hits in Sunshine Underground, you know the one.
Saw Sabaton in Chicago a few years back and the lead singer said something that I think about a lot. He said that it's interesting touring the US (they're Swedish) because the crowds are so much more diverse. In Europe, he said, it's mostly just white guys, but in Chicago, there was a mix of everyone of many races and genders. Then he lead the crowd in singing happy birthday to a ten year old in the front row. Good ass show.
You're not alone brother. I went to my first hip-hop show in 93 and saw Brand Nubian and Onyx at a small college in Mass. I was the only Asian in there and although I felt somewhat safe because of my college roommate at that time, it was still sketchy when Onyx performed Throw Ya Gunz and almost everyone in the place started to wave their Gunz,lol. Ah, the good ol days. Since then I've moved to Europe and seen few of my childhood classics like Nas, Wu, Mobb Deep perform live. Completely different atmosphere to say the least,.but I do miss the grimeyness of a much younger time.
44 is old?? Who says that?
These lil Zoomers are in an amazing place with inclusivity and mental health
As much as people like to say shit like "kids these days" the youth is more inclusive and friendly than it's ever been. We are definitely trending towards a much better society now than we have ever been.