Moshing: Violent by Nature or by Choice?

Written by: Soph Shull

Edited by: Nolan Durand

The start of a mosh pit at a local Delaware house show. Photo Creds: Soph Shull

As an avid concert attendee, I live for moshing. I remember feeling so ecstatic to witness Falling in Reverse, I could feel the excitement building in my bones after clumsily jumping and pushing with the crowd. All that stopped when I was suddenly cracked in the head three times by a man blindly swinging his fists.

Many view moshing as a violent act of slamming bodies, knocking teeth in, and getting kicked in the head. When seeing a vicious wave of people clashing, many concert goers tend to steer clear of the action for fear of getting hurt, but it wasn’t always this way.

In contrast to Falling in Reverse’s demographic, Rob Zombie, a notorious hardcore artist, seems almost tame. That may be because of the much older generation in attendance, but there was also a sense of community between the moshing boomers. When a young child had a medical emergency, fans parted like the Red Sea, something unheard of from the chaos of the Falling in Reverse crowd.  

The older generations are retiring from the body thumping, head thrashing of heavy metal. Those suffering from herniated disks, a blown-out knee, or are busy caring for their families, are making room for spry and angry twenty-year-olds ready to kick and scream at the world. This generation seems to be redefining what the action of moshing is. 

Recently, the sacred pit of expression has been infiltrated by a group that’s looking to seriously hurt people, not to enjoy the sanctuary bands offer to express discontent with the modern world. Many times I have witnessed malicious intent, even at college level events like Battle of the Bands where participants haphazardly shouldered unsuspecting music lovers in passing and flattened each other like putty. 

University of Delaware’s Battle of the Bands mosh pit. Photo Creds: Soph Shull

To pinpoint when the inclination of violence began, I decided to interview my father, an 80’s metalhead, who was my own inspiration to start attending such heavy thrashers. Surprisingly, he never sustained a single injury, and neither did his friends. 

“Sure, there were always one or two hotheads,” he admitted, “but everyone knew to steer clear of them.” Picking fights with other moshers was not the purpose of his trips into the pit, he wanted to experience the music. 

Phones have also given these violent actions more coverage. Twenty years ago, no one would even think twice about bringing their beloved flip phone to the mass of fists and fury. Now, people have access to the internet directly from their fingertips. With new technology comes new revelations, and people are no longer afraid to capture a violent outburst.

Willa Paskin, host of the Decoder Ring podcast, explores mosh pits with the avid mosher, Christina Long, who follows bands who believe it is “safe to express anger or any feelings they may have about being neglected and unloved” (Paskin, 29:46). 

Long enjoys the ability to hash out any negative feelings she’s been harboring and believes it’s a good environment to act on negative emotions. She lives for the thrashing bodies and screaming voices. Many people find release in the crazed swathe of chaos. 

There is a clear line between expressing feelings and hurting others. In the mosh pit, those lines become extremely blurred. Some are totally okay with light jostling and pushing, while others enjoy getting decked and eating knuckle sandwiches. Lately, it seems like more people are punching for the sake of hurting, not for expressing themselves.

Doing some field work in the local mosh scene! Photo Creds: Kerry Herman

If there has been such an increase of violence in such casual communities, what does that say about the direction society is moving? Violence has begun to sink its claws into political, social, and even home environments. 

Polarization and division within the American household has become very common. More Americans with each passing day require a proper mental health support system to function in a way that doesn’t harm others. With a lack of accessibility for support, many people, including beloved concertgoers, have resorted to unleashing violent tendencies on unsuspecting moshers.

Americans are becoming restless. Feelings of frustration at the government, employment, and each other are on the rise. Instead of approaching with hate and anger, use compassion. Help that lost kid in the sea of rowdy people, hold onto someone’s lost glasses, and punch up, not down.