 - - - - - - - - - - - - - A few years ago my friend and I went to a silverchair show. We thought we would try to to get up to the front just before Local H, so that we could stay there and have a good view of silverchair. We started moving toward the stage. I was surprised that people were just letting us just walk past them- I thought that they would like to be at the front too. (it was my first concert) I soon found out why they were happy were they were. My friend and I were almost at the front- there was only one line of people in front of us at the guardrail. I put one hand on the guardrail. Then Local H mounted the stage. It got really crazy really quick. A chick who was at the guardrail managed to pry my hand off- I guess she was trying to protect her "territory". People started to jump up and down, and I tried to do it to, because it was really hard not to. I tried to jump in time with them, but I couldn’t. I was continually losing my balance- I kept holding on to strangers shoulders- they looked at me weird, but I didn’t care- I just didn’t want to fall down. Then my friend started to drift away from me. I think everyone who’s been in a mosh pit knows that feeling- your friend starts to disappear in the crowd and you both look at each other helplessly and pleadingly. I lost sight of her in seconds. I was worried- she was three inches shorter than me. She was stronger, though. I’m pretty scrawny and weak. I was having a lot of trouble breathing- it was really hot. I was trying to stick my head above the crowd to try and get some cool air. I hoped a security guard would see how pathetic I looked and pull me out, but they were too busy getting the crowd surfers down. I was sure I would fall down- it was like some sort of nightmare. I was still grabbing onto random people’s shoulders. A guy beside me put his arm around me and smiled. I didn’t know if he was a pervert or just helpful, and I really didn’t care- I was so grateful he was helping me stand. I wanted to get out, but I couldn’t- I was sealed in. Some crowd surfer went over me and kicked my head- I pushed him off of me with all my might, and then brought my arms back down to protect my boobs- there was a lot of elbowing going on. There was this circle near me where this big huge guy would just hit anyone who fell into the circle. I really hoped I wouldn’t get pushed in- I didn’t know if he’d refrain from hurting me just because I’m a girl or not. Finally I saw my way out- this big fat guy was leaving, so I grabbed onto his shirt, and he turned and looked at me like I was some freak, but I didn’t care- he got me out! There was no sign of my friend when I got out, and I was really scared- I was sure she was dead. Eventually I found her. She had a similar experience. This was all before silverchair even hit the stage. We were really lucky- we walked away without any physical injuries. I was trying really hard not to cry, but I think she could tell I was, because she was looking at me really sympathetically. Like I said, I had no physical problems, but I think it really did a job on my mental state. After that concert I became very withdrawn. I was paranoid and misanthropic (hated people). I spent almost no time with friends. I couldn’t go to a concert until recently, and I’m still terribly afraid of crowds. It’s funny, when I think about the concerts I’ve gone to (2), I don’t even count that one- I wish so much that I hadn't gone, I actually believe it sometimes. I realise my story is nothing compared to that of Vampiria, but I felt I should speak up in the hopes that people will STAY AWAY FROM MOSH PITS. My heart goes out to Sara’s family and friends. It’s really sad when a "good time" turns into a tragedy. - - - - - - - - - - - - - |