The first few hours of the concert allowed for socializing and finding familiar faces. It was nice to see there was enthusiasm in the first few bands that came on. Several people were already stumbling through the fairgrounds, drunk from tailgaters. Smoke billowed from the grills at the various vendors, occasionally being pushed towards people standing in line. Cigarettes and beer were plentiful. Everything was overpriced. People came to have a good time, and nobody aimed to ruin it for anyone else. Not much could be said about the concert at this point. The sun did not beat down upon us, and there was an occasional breeze. It was very relaxed.
We swarmed to the left stage when Halestorm started playing on the right. We were not going to move, we were waiting for All That Remains. This is a smart move, mosh pits are a hard thing to get in or out of. Enthusiasm rose when the band came onto the left stage. It became very hot, and whenever I rose my arms in devil horn salute I could feel the air above me was cooler. When everyone started to mosh, I became surprised with how hard it was to breathe. I had to step out with another of the group I came in with. After catching our breath, we pushed our way back in. The screams of people and the sound of the music tickled my eardrums and vibrated my chest.
Despite the madness, the people there helped in any way they could. Crowd surfers that fell or dipped low were helped back up. If a crowd surfer was thrown at a group of people, they merely put their hands up and moved them onward. If someone was holding another person upon their shoulders, they were left alone. People that were pushed aside as one moved through the crowd did not hold it against them. Whenever a ring opened up in the mosh pit, people were pulled back into the crowd if they needed. After the ring would close, the participants would shake hands or otherwise show camaraderie. Even though we were hitting each other in the face, we were still united.
The day went on. The sun was nearly down. Within the crowd, I could smell occasional sighs of alcohol. The occasional whiff of weed or cigarette smoke. No one dared to have a lit cigarette in the pit when everyone was moshing. We lost one of our group, but I was not particularly worried. She was probably somewhere in the mosh pit. She would be impossible to find. At one point, I was hit in the head with a crowd surfer so hard that I went blind and deaf for a second. I recovered without any worries. Avenged Sevenfold was on stage. Everyone was fired up. A few people had too much too drink, and started making the experience harder to enjoy. Some poor soul started having a seizure, so the band stopped and the lead singer told everyone to step aside so he could get some help. My hat goes off to M Shadows, he is a good man. Happy birthday.
It was the end of the concert for us, and we were reunited with our lost group member. We left to the sound of Flyleaf. It was a good 44$ dollars spent. Drink your fluids, concert goers, and enjoy yourselves.
