Self defence at a concert or rock gig.

well I am going to my first rock concert tonight(Trivium at the Lemon Grove in Exeter) and I know that several people who know me are planning on starting a fight with some other people.

now usually I wouldn't worry about a fight in a crowd as no one will know me, but these people do, they know I can fight well and will likely either point me out or try and draw me into something. Clearly I dont want this as I wouldn't ask otherwise.

so any hints or tips on what to do if someone tries something stupid in a crowded area where a fight is unlikely to be seen as anything more than a mosh pit by any security and chances are someone will carry a knife(chavs and all...)

 

Seems like awareness and avoidance would be the first choices. Best idea would be to not go at all. Otherwise, I would distance myself from the guys who are going to fight and stay away from it all. If your friends don't like that, maybe they aren't the kind of people you want to be friends with anyway.
Good luck

 

If it's an Emo kid just tell him you slept with his girlfriend then he'll go home crying and listen to My chemical romance then write a song about how a piece of him just died and that he'll never recover....I'm tired, don't ask

 

yes but should fear of violence prevent me from enjoying myself at these kinds of things?

I will avoid mosh pits and the like as this is likely where trouble might begin but I wont not acknowledge my friends.

If trouble were to start though what should I do? I was planning on working low, guarding against attacks to my head and torso and striking legs with knees and short side kicks etc. In such an enclosed space I doubt very much that evasion and the like would succeed that well.

and no if trouble does begin Emo's arent likely to be the cause, chances are it will be Chavs(townies down here...ohh arr) and so knives, pimps and hoes is what I will be dealing with...

sigh...why must youth culture here in Britain hate intelligence and love drinking, smoking, drugs, hoes, paedophilia(I dont care what you say, if your'e 17+ and your GF is 14- your a paedeophile in my books) and violence...

 

Just don't worry about it. Go and have a good time. If you worry about it and it ruins your night, you've lost.

It's in America too.

Only a three year difference. Its a senior dating a freshman. It's not that bad.

You will find that once you get in the thick of a crowd, you will be doing good if you can "work low, guard against attacks . . . " Working in a crowd is an acquired skill that can only be acquired by working in a crowd. Keep your feet under you, your hands up, and if you fall or get pushed down, grab the people around you (belts/pants is the best). You will find it quite easy to escape from a person/situation/area at a rock concert.

Just don't worry about it. You are experiencing a bunch of teenagers talking trash.

 

fair enough.

yes but is every other person you meet a perfect fit for the stereotype

exceot that its illegal to do that kind of thing with anyone below 16 and I dont care about the age gap, I care about the ages themselves, if your twenty and going out with a 30+ person so what, your an adult, below 16 and going out with someone older than you and I'm against it.

curses, back to square one.

I wish...I've seen what they do and have been involved with it before(twice) and its a real shame, these guys used to be great, now all they seem to do and talk about is fighting and drugs.

at least i dont go to college with them so I'm free from most of it.

 

Well I was almost with ya all the way...

 

It is paedophilia. That girl gets preggo and that boy is going to Juvie prison and on The Sun's 'list'.

As to the original post. Like Thomas said, don't go at all if you know they're gong to start a fight and drag you into it.
If you do go and a fight breaks out..just simply run away...walking would probably still get you dragged in.

I remember going to Bio-Hazard gig and the lead signer screamed. "Lets form a circle of death right there". Suddenly everyone backs away from me like a dived into a pool poo....or I got a 'Big Brother is cool' T-shirt on.

I turn to see a very large shaven headed muscular man diving right at me and I got the hell out of dodge. I got pushed back in, avoided 3 other guys bouncing off each other, turned round to see my mate body slamming someone and enjoyed the rest of the gig at the front where Bouncers were ripping people apart for being idiots.

It was a good gig.

 

Since its Trivium don't expect chavs, do go because it will be a great experience, they will probably be challenged trying to find you in a big crowd, and knowing the attitude and adrenaline at these kinda things, other people may help you out, say even if you go up to a group of people and explain that some guys are out to hurt you. This is from my experience at these kinda gigs.

 

Wrong.

Having sexual relations with a girl that is 14 years old is not 'paedophilia'.
Hate to be a stickler here... but you guys are bandying terms about without much regard for their actual definition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paedophilia

14 is NOT prepubescent. As for whether he goes to prison or not... that's anyones guess... it could all depend on what phase the moon is in and whether or not saturn is in alignment.

disclaimer: My original post was completely tongue in cheek. A jest. And besides I've seen some 14 yr. olds that were so ridiculously hot....

 

As already said, I wouldn't let it spoil your night out. Just keep a significant amount of awareness about you, and if you see anything potentially kicking off, just get out. Hope you enjoy yourself.

You gotta love them circle of deaths. The last one I was in just over a week back ended up collapsing and was at least two layers of people high by the end of it. Awesome stuff.
Incidentally, mosh pits I find are great as a MA conditioning exercise, I've taken hits in there which rival some of my sparring sessions!

 

No, but a healthy dose of awareness will keep you alive and healthy enough to keep doing it. Generally going to concerts shouldn't involve too much danger, but if you know that there will be a fight and that some of the fighters may be armed (knives), the best bet is to avoid it and catch the show another time/date.

Avoiding the troublesome areas is best, and you can arrange to come in a bit late and leave a bit early so that you don't "have" to be where the danger is most (and won't get dragged in by friends).

Although I sound like an old man, hanging out with friends who get involved in fighting (especially with weapons involved) is a good way to get into lots of trouble... and this can impact your life and what you do with it. I was lucky to get away from that type of scene after a brush with the law... those weren't the kind of friends that I needed if I wanted to live a good life.

Best thing is to get out of there and hope no one sticks you from behind with a knife.

Again, weapons make the whole deal a lot more different. Fighting someone one-on-one is bad enough but adding in multiple attackers and weapons in a crowded area and you are looking at a lot of danger.

I am not trying to sound like a conservative old man, but in my mind "personal safety" is the most important thing. 10 years from now, my guess is that you probablky won't care anything about this band and probably won't be hanging out with these same people. Take care of yourself.

 

Well I guess I'm an old man too as I find myself agreeing with Thomas, except I'd say you should go. I mean why miss the concert just because of some idiots. But like many have said already, just be aware. If it looks like trouble is likely to kick off then just vanish into the crowd and enjoy the rest of the concert on your own.

And please bear in mind that you're under no obligation to stand up for your friends or to be there to help them if they're stupid enough to start a fight!

 

Chav's won't really be at a Trivium concert, I expect the most these guys will do is jump in after you in a mosh pit and try to deal some blows to you.

 

I've witnessed a lot of fights at concerts, and basically they all go down like this:

Someone throws a haymaker at someone else (usually while the person's back is turned), the two will "clinch", and by clinch I mean grab each others shirts, push each other around, and throw wild punches at each other. If one of the guys have friends, the fight will be joined in a few seconds by all of them who will manage to get the other guy onto the ground and administer a beatdown until they feel they've made their point, or until security, the crowd, or the other guy's friends break up the fight.

So, unless you're good at fighting in the clinch or using someone in you guard as a human shield from multiple attackers, I'd suggest you learn how to look like a pansy and run away.

 

My cousin (who does Wing Chun and Tae Kwon Do) was telling me about a fistfight he got into at a rock concert a couple years ago (his brother started the fight, by the way). Essentially, a guy walked up to him with his hands up, my cousin puts his hands up.... knocked the guy out with a straight left to the upper lip. Another guy walks up to him, puts his hands, my couisin puts his hands.... knocks him out with another straight left to the upper lip.

Not the most exciting story, I know. But aside from the two marks he had on his knuckles the the next day, my cousin came out of it fine.

 

thanks for all your help.

I did go in the end and the fight did start, but no one pulled a knife(luckily) and I evaded any injury. It did come down to a clinch between me and this one guy(as someone said it would) and needless to say a bit of practise with some Muay Thai people gave me the advantage with knees and the like.

there were townies(chavs) who strated the fight but after attacking me and my friends it looked as if we had started a mosh pit and no one would let them leave(it was a dash of white in a sea of black) They were trapped in it for most of Triviums act(about 2-2 1/2 hours)

well thanks for the help, good to sea you can get a swift response!

 

death and dating a minor

It doesn't matter how hot a 14-year old looks like.

I don't know your laws over there, but where I'm from, having sex with a minor is STATUTORY RAPE. Ergo, prison.

Second, what concert is worth either your life or a lifetime of disability? I mean, it's stupid to know that you are going to be attacked in a crowded area, knowing there will be a knife or knives used on you, and then you decide to go anyway.

When I was still a reporter covering several beats, I was assigned to cover a rock concert that was supposed to be a kind of Anti-Aids Awareness effort. They were giving away free condoms.

Now this was a free concert so it attracted a lot of the local gangs of hooligans, who promptly came to the concert all drugged out, with their shirts off, wearing scruffy jeans and slippers and packing knives.

The cops were called in but they couldn't do anything short of actually pulling out their guns and shooting. Of course they couldn't do that unless they wanted to shoot the law-abiding concert goers as well. Some of the cops, afraid of being overwhelmed by shirtless, stinking, knife-wielding druggies, decided to bring four-by-fours with huge nails sticking out of them.

The show was cancelled mid-way because three people got stabbed to death--three gang-members taken out by rivals who used the crowd as a cover to do their killing then get away clean.

I don't care how good you are as a fighter. Don't get into a situation that's that risky. If these people are serious enough to pack knives and start a fight, don't risk it. One concert isn't worth it. :bang:

 

I'm sorry for the slightly off topic post, but I've never heard of either a townie or a chav. What exactly do they mean?

 

Crowds are NOTHING to mess with especially if the leader reconizes you as a fighter as tries to pull you into the thick of things or they ALL
jump on you at once..You may get lucky and land a few good blows before the weight of the crowd pulls you down, then you'll be on the ground amid a sea of feet..So I guess I agree with Thomas's posts..