Is the GA SF show gonna be rough?

SonicReducr wrote:

Fair enough... but my taste are mostly punk and hardcore (PJ just happen to be the first band I ever got into way back when... honestly if I first heard them now... I'd laugh... but that's just me.)

the shows will be mellow, they always are... if you get pushed around some, an elbow here or there... who cares... no one is going to start a circle pit or anything

Red Mosquito wrote:

I was at both Atlantic City shows in October. At the beginning of the first show, some guy was crowd surfing and Eddie asked between songs for us not to do that. "We don't need to recreate any videos from the early '90s," he said.

However, I was in the crowd and was jumping up and down (totally vertical, not hitting anybody) and people around me were not happy. I barely even weigh 150. I cannot help it, when the emotion and climax of certain songs hit me I have to jump up and down. It's really cool if everybody jumps together, and the whole floor becomes one organism. This is not moshing. It's unity.

Nonethless, people did not like me and I decided to go to the risers in the back.

So, no, the crowd was not even close to being rough. It was actually very calm.

offwego wrote:

All I have to say is put your boots on and get ready for a war, I personally would like to see some stage and balcony diving.

rrivers wrote:

Just listen to the song on his myspace page to see how fucking hardcore he is.

Blue27 wrote:

I've never been to SF, so I can't speak on that specifically. What I can tell you about is my experience last night at the Hollywood g.a. show. It was an absolute nightmare for me! The band was awesome and the crowd was totally into it. But it only takes a few fucks to destroy it all. I'm hoping my experience was due to the fact that it was a bunch of KROQ winners instead of only PJ fans. I can't imagine PJ fans treating someone the way that these jerks treated me last night. Not even at other shows have I been treated that badly.

There were about 4-5 separate drunk-off-their-ass, huge, tall, heavyset guys that were pummelling me during the entire show. It was so ridiculous because as soon as I'd get away from one of those fools, another one just like him would end up right behind me again. I'm a 5'4", 105 lb. woman, and these guys were taking full advantage of that. I kept getting pushed every which way, smacked into left and right - my head, my face, my back. I kept looking around, and it didn't seem that anyone else was getting treated like that, mostly because it was all guys around me or girls that were there with a guy. They weren't about to fuck around with another guy like that, but they did it to me. It was fully intentional, absolutely no regard for me at all. Most everyone else around me was being cool and just having a good time. I understand the fully pumped-up excitement, the dancing, the jumping up and down, the hands in the air - I've been to tons of shows, many g.a., and I've been in pits without any problems. Yeah, it's crowded and hot, and you get pushed around, but this was different - this was abusive.

First there was this one HUGE guy beating into me from behind, practically on top of me, with the ENTIRE force and weight of his body. I was like, "WTF, dude," and he claimed he had NO control over it as he was being pushed, too. But that was crap because there was NOBODY anywhere near the back of him since he was being such a mass of movement that everyone behind him backed off. It was just him alone pushing into me, and I had nowhere to go, slamming into the poor people in front of me. I finally managed to get away from him, and for a bit it was fine again, but then more idiots ended up behind me - drunk fucks who bully and push their way forward.

It's funny how it's never the regular-sized guys, it's never girls, it's never sober people. It's always the 7', 5,000 lb. wasted morons who do this crap and ruin everything. You simply have no right. We are all there to enjoy the show. We can all do it with as much energy and excitement without literally beating up on someone. For most of the show, this other ass without a shirt (and his friend) kept throwing his fist, his elbow, his entire arm into my face. I don't know how I didn't end up with a broken nose or busted teeth. I tried to maneauver away from him, and when he saw me doing that, he put his fist on the top of my head, and starting pushing me down with all his might. He was yelling into my ear, "How are you doing now? Is that better, is that good for you?" All while he was smashing my head down, laughing at me. He kept putting his hands on me, my back, my waist, my head. He would pull my hair and yank my head back, and he'd pull at my pants. What a massively evil jackass!

And there was NOTHING I could do. I was completely immobile, smashed to the point where I could barely breathe. I couldn't leave even if I wanted to. But I shouldn't have to leave! I got tickets, I got there with plenty of time, I got my spot in the crowd, and I was ready to enjoy the show just as much as anyone else without actually beating up on anyone to get my thrills. You can't mosh, you can't hit people on purpose, you just can't do that. There are hundreds of people around that you have to be aware of. It's not only about you and what you want to do! You think I don't want to dance all around instead of in place and throw my arms about and go nuts? But I can't because there are other people involved, not just me. You should leave the pit if you're going to abuse people, I shouldn't have to leave when I haven't done anything wrong! I want to see that band up close just as much as anyone, and I should be allowed to without fearing for my life. And these dumb "security" guys who are witnessing it all and don't do a damn thing. Get these idiots out of the crowd until they learn to control themselves!

Again, getting pushed around and being forced to sway with the crowd, that's cool, that's fine, that's totally expected. But having a fist come down on you on purpose? Fucking ridiculous! And these guys pushing into you with ALL their damn might, slamming their entire weight on you to the point where you can't stand on your own two feet, fists flying in your face. I really don't know how I didn't end up on the ground. I started the night on the far end of Mike's side, about 10-15 "rows" of people back, and I ended up about 3 people away from the stage directly in front of Eddie without even meaning to. (And no, it wasn't cool being that close because, for the most part, I couldn't see jackshit anyway.) That's how far and how much these assholes pushed me around. I could not keep my feet grounded for the life of me. I'm so sorry to the few people in front of me that I kept slamming into, my elbows and hands jammed into their ribs and backs - I simply could not stop it.

There was this one guy next to me who saved me, and I wish to God I knew his name so I could publicly thank him. When he saw what was happening to me, he tried to stop them. He kept saying, "Man, guys, just be cool, will you? Give this girl a break, leave her alone." I could barely see him out of the corner of my eye since I couldn't even move my head to the side, but I could tell that he was more worried about me than trying to just focus on the show. He would put his hands out, trying to deflect some of the fists coming at me, he would push his weight back, trying to get them off from being on top of me. He finally managed to get some space around him, and he grabbed me and pulled me in front of him, creating a barrier between me and those guys with his own body. "Indifference" started soon after that, and all my emotion came out during that song! I was able to enjoy it all much more, but by then, it was pretty much done. Like I told him when the show was over - if only there were more people like him in this world! He told me he knew I had been hanging in there since the very beginning of the show, and I deserved to be there. If you read this, Kid, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

So, again, the point to all this is that even if most crowds are cool, it only takes ONE person to make it awful. And sometimes, the situation you're in controls you, and you can't do anything about it. So be really careful because the people who have the physical ability to cause the most damage to another human being are usually the ones that are the most irresponsible in a general admission crowd.

iwasthere wrote:

I guess I'm the only one kinda looking forward to the open floor experience. I've attended 29 pj shows, all were seated. I wouldn't want all the shows open floor, but, I have it in me to particpate in some very close bonding with some pj friends for a few nights. That said, if some 230 pound douche bag with boots on decides to crowd surf, I'm punching him in the balls.