For many, going to a concert sounds like an incredible time to listen to favorite artists. Some like to sit back and watch from a distance from the comfort of their seat, while others want to get as close to the performer as they can, dancing and throwing themselves onto one another. This form of dancing, known as “moshing,” has become a prominent aspect of the atmosphere of concerts, especially those with high-energy music such as hip-hop and rock. The practice began almost 50 years ago in punk-rock concerts, and soon after merged into the hip-hop world. While the style of dancing seems to be a fun way to enjoy music along with fellow fans, the question pertaining to safety arises when not planned correctly. 

Brody O’Brien (11) has attended multiple different music festivals and has participated in mosh pits, the area directly in front of the performer where the moshing takes place. 

“Mosh pits start by everyone making a big circle and once you see that, you just start hoping that you don’t get trampled. Once they start, everyone is jumping all over the place with zero regard for who they’re jumping into. They’re honestly the best part of concerts,” O’Brien said. 

In November of 2021, rap artist Travis Scott hosted his annual Astroworld Festival, featuring many other artists including Drake, Don Toliver and Tame Impala for the two-day event. As Scott came out on the first night of the festival, concertgoers were pushed into each other as spectators in the back attempted to get closer to the stage, resulting in 10 deaths and countless injuries. This terrifying circumstance is called a “crowd crush” and is a result of people being pressed together too compactly, leading to suffocation. The following shows of the festival were canceled as a result of the tragedy, and Scott was left with heaps of backlash as a result of people perceiving his response to the incident as neglectful.  

RaymondT is a hip-hop personality and a professional disc jockey. In an interview with uscannenbergmedia.com, he speaks on how rock has affected hip-hop as well as how he thinks the tragedy will change concert experiences.

“All of these mosh pits come from a whole other area like punk rock, that’s where that element started and carried over into. I hope this creates more of a responsibility from the artists to say, ‘Let’s have fun, do what we do, but let’s be safe,’” RaymondT said.

Scott’s performance wasn’t the first to result in injuries at a concert with moshing being seen as a part of the problem. In 2000, Pearl Jam performed at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark after days of heavy rainfall. Due to the muddy ground, many concertgoers wrapped plastic bags around their shoes in order to keep them clean, leading to the mosh pits being difficult to stay upright in. Similar to the Astroworld incident, fans rushed towards the front of the venue to get closer to the performers, crushing the viewers in the mosh pit towards the front, ultimately causing the death of nine people. The band stopped the performance to ask everyone to take a step back, but by then the damage had already been done.  

Lane Darby (12) has attended a Playboi Carti concert, who is notorious for his high-energy concerts with large mosh pits. 

“I would just say mosh pits aren’t too safe, but if you aren’t in the mosh pit then you should be fine,” Darby said.