Rules For the Unruly

The last thing one might think of when the words "Rock" and "Concert" come up in conversation is a set of rules. Although most smaller venues that host shows for harder bands have guidelines for the crowd to follow, they are almost never enforced unless that one guy pushes it way too far.

For example, a local bar in my town that hosts smaller punk bands when they come through on tour very boldly states on the door "NO MOSHING, NO PROBLEMS." However, only seconds after The Story So Far launched into their first distorted guitar riff, this large man in front of me begins throwing himself into the tall and small in his vicinity. Most of the bands I saw that evening encouraged the chaos below, conducting the orchestra of anarchy with pride.

Most of this can be accounted for the fact that these smaller bands tend to attract strong fan bases in a hardcore crowd. Once these bands progress into a more mainstream scene, they begin to shy away from their old antics.

WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE

In the video above, modern rock legend Dave Grohl shows his mature side. While initially the drummer from popular grunge band Nirvana, Grohl went on in the wake or Kurt Cobain's death and formed one of the biggest rock bands of our time, the Foo Fighters. In his younger years, Grohl was known for getting the crowd hyped up, much like the smaller bands I described earlier. But, as seen in the video, Grohl stops in mid-song during a recent concert in order to ask a pair of brawling boys to "get the **** out of his show."

While we've taken on two extremes of the spectrum, there are a few bands that can find a medium between their old, punk days and their modern, progressive ways, such as Blink-182.

Famous (or infamous) for their immature lyrics and hilarious music videos, Tom, Mark, and Travis have all grown up in the twenty years of their beloved band.

And it reflects in their music.

While they no longer write songs about Star Wars and making prank phone calls, they maintain their child-like humor at their shows. I can attest for this, considering I laughed harder than I had ever before when I saw them last October in Charlotte, NC. Inappropriate jokes and constant teasing between band members to transition songs provides Blink with an eternal youth as they approach their forties.

One thing most people don't understand is the fact that bands age, which will always lead to a sense of maturity one way or another. So although these old punk bands may have ended up conforming, the upcoming generation of punk rock can keep the spirit alive, while the seasoned vets keep the crowd in check.