A Special Kind of Violence

Rock, metalcore, punk rock, whatever you call it the over sweeping genre that is metal has been an outlet for the disenfranchised people of the world to let off a little steam. Spurned by parents and non-fans as just noisy violence, a metal show can erupt in a mosh pit at any given notice, whether it is a heavy "drop" in the song, or being egged on by the band themselves; where you have metal, you have mosh. Add in a little liquor and a healthy dose of teenage angst and it can get a little out of hand.

So, why would anyone want to get beat up at a show that they willingly paid for? Who would ever want to risk getting hurt, or losing something important in the chaos? 

To the fans of the music, it's just par for the course. It is exactly the same thing that anyone does at a concert, just in a different form. To metal fans a mosh pit is just a way of dancing, and much like popular dances like: the Dougie, Gangnam Style, or even the Twerk, it is received differently from fan to fan. 

Metal fans go to mosh pits like pop fans go dancing, and a popular movement/marketing strategy by BryonStars, a YouTube channel that interviews bands, shows it. 

It's an almost perfect example of preference playing a key part of the consumption process. Fans of the genre prefer the concert experience for that genre. A Miss May I fan would feel about as at home at a country concert, as a Kenny Chesney fan at a punk show. Personal preference plays the pivotal role in choosing an experience.

For everyone else it's just violence, but for fans it's a special kind of violence. The kind that can be, and often is, worth paying for.