Re: Why?

[Alan McKendree <bugtuber@thewho.net>]

>Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 21:49:40 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Jester <jester13_us@yahoo.com>
>
>Early reports say those who died were pressed up
>against barriers in
>front
>of the stage during a performance by the American
>group, PEARL JAM.
>
>"The people massed at the back kept on pressing
>towards the front of the
>stage despite appeals by the security guards and the
>singers," according to an eyewitness quoted in one report.

I REALLY don't see why crowds do this.  It's a stupid fucking thing to do;
for those in the back, it gets you another, oh, 6 feet closer to the stage
(big deal), at the price of hurting (or worse) those in front.  I was in
front at both the HOB and Shepherd's Bush shows.  HOB was close and sweaty
but there wasn't a big crush forward.  Shepherd's Bush was another story
altogether.  From the OPENING NOTE, everyone instantly surged forward.
People in the front row were jammed hard against the metal stage barrier
for over two hours.  It was a full workout simply to keep their ribs intact
because they had to use their arms to brace themselves, otherwise their
ribs would be squeezed nearly to the breaking point. I was in the second
layer of people and it was as close to Cincinnati as I care to come; I
couldn't lower my arms to my sides for over 90 minutes and by the last few
songs I was simply enduring the crush, enduring the show, waiting for it to
be over, and STILL everyone was pressing from behind.  The pix of the
audience at that show don't show the crush that's going on...it's just a
bunch of heads visible.  As soon as the show ended, it was over instantly.
Everyone dispersed and within 20 seconds I was out in the open on the floor.

Is it a European thing?  I don't know, but I've never experienced it in
America.  It's just a blind, brainless, automatic pushing forward like
fucking moron robots until you physically can't move forward another inch.
Multiply that by a few hundred layers of people and you have deadly force.
It CAN'T be because you can see or hear any better by moving forward a
foot. I get the feeling that the people (mostly if not exclusively guys)
know thay're doing it but they just don't care and in fact see it as a good
thing -- it's like a communal affirmation of macho brutality and if you
don't like it you can leave (if you're lucky).  Exsqueeze my language but I
don't get it. I've been in it, and I got out with a few bruises and sore
muscles. Now 8? 12? more people are dead because of it.

Alan
"That's unbelieveable, if that's true."
   --Howard Stern, 5/25/00