Tall fat & autistic, I've spent my whole life trying to make myself small and not "in the way". A concert is the only place where I stand up straight, naturally, without even thinking about it. I can't stand the idea of sweat (mine or other peoples) yet I'm perfectly happy drowning in it in the middle of moshpit, grinning ear to ear with the person next to me, knowing we're experiencing the same thing. You help each other up when you fall, and you embrace each other when it's all too much.
Anyone that's been to a Devin Townsend concert will be familiar with the sight of a hundred big burly bearded blokes bawling their eyes out and hugging each other.
Therapy WISHES it had the effectiveness of metal.
I've always found moshing to be a primal dance, and felt some of my most inner confidence at metal shows.
Now in my mid 30s, starting to see some of my old idols pass -- from Alexi Laiho, Brent Hinds, and Ozzy, it's been rough
If I compare that with the hoops my wife had to jump through to go to Taylor Swifts Eras tour - the fanclub joining, the late night ticket queues, the hefty price tag - all to sit in the back of a massive stadium with poor sound, observing a tiny dot in the distance that might or might not be Taylor swift I couldn't be more happy with my choice of genre.
I imagine it's the same with eg hiphop, with the various infamous shady and criminal acts associated with Deathrow in its heydey. Can anyone say if similar things haopen today or that element has died down?
As young metallers we listened to Black Sabbath and Slayer warning us about the horrors of war and the people who take advantage of it. Sepultura telling us about racism and how it completely screws people over. Metallica and Megadeth are as full of philosophy and psychology as any contemporary music, and almost literally warning young generations about various 'monsters' of the world, like commercialism and greed and power. Korn pioneered being open about childhood trauma. Rage Against The Machine (if we may call them on the fringe of metal), well, need no introduction. Nor Devin Townsend. Fear Factory and Porcupine Tree about the relationship between humanity and technology. I could go on all day.
I am really proud of the influence that the metal genre of music has had in forming my personal set of life values.
And this is normal. It's why metal gigs are, by-and-large, chill and safe, and always have been.
[deleted]