Slowly but surely the weather is getting nicer in the north east. The warmth of sun brings green new life, light outlasts darkness, and it all leads to one thing for me...outdoor concert season.
Now, I have had some incredible experiences at shed shows, arenas, and festivals. These events aren't necessarily my favorite but they are the only way to experience certain bands. I couldn't imagine seeing a band like Motorhead without an atmosphere to absorb the sound that passes through each of your cells. RIP Lemmy, maybe we'll talk about him more on the next Rock N' Roll Conspiracy Party – Metal Edition, coming up here soon?
Anyways, besides my usually pale skin taking abuse from the sun, and my feet hurting from standing all day on concrete, mud, or a gravel parking lot, the other thing I always have to worry about is the crowd. I love concert goers. I will meet some random person at a show, never remember their name, but spend a half hour between sets talking to them about deep, emotional understandings of abstract concepts based on their choice of t shirt. Every show that I get to attend and come home safely is a blessing for me. But I've seen it go wrong, and when it does and you can't control it, you can't scream loud enough, and you might not make it out is a very sobering feeling. That feeling taught me that you can love everyone in the crowd, and they could love you back, but when dozens if not hundreds of people are behind you pushing towards the stage, you move with the herd. The herd can trample, crush, and even terminate you, not because it means to but just because that happened to be the direction in which it was moving. Like an elephant stepping on a mouse, it may even pull back afterwards in horror from what its done, but very few people in the crowd had the choice to stop it.
I've had the weight of a massive group of people press me and others around me into a steel barrier that wasn't one of those bike rack looking ones, it was one that had those long legs on the back of it and made with heavy gauge steel. No give...at least on its side, on mine it was my ribs that were about to give. To be a grown, and not the smallest man in the crowd, watching others smaller and larger than me get pushed and crushed into the barricade reminded me of the limits of the power that I had been given as a relatively healthy young man. That you can't overpower a group of people just like you can't overpower a wave in the ocean and the two are both a force of nature.
That day in the sweltering heat, the mud and woodchips mosh pit (boy, that sucked), and nearly cracking my rib cage into shards of bone wasn't my last concert experience. I have been to many since and taken other physical risks in doing so. For some people, one experience like that is enough. That feeling of hopelessness when you are no longer in control of what happens to you is a frightening one for me and that's why I love people and not groups.
We talk a fair amount about community here on the show, but my concept of that community is that we all bring our lessons and wisdom from our individual experiences and we contribute them to one another through conversation. Its been quite beautiful to watch our tiny community grow as it has over the past few months. I want to extend our appreciation for everyone new to us and to those who have been here since John Henry and I started this. I'm proud of The New Prisoners and our crew but I never want to be any kind of leader. I don't wanna be a big star. I just wanna make you think.
The most powerful weapon that we can use against our own nature to be swept up in the madness of a group is critical thinking. It stops you from mindlessly moving forward and trampling what's beneath you. Deep, spiritual thinking can have me frozen for hours. Its meditative, therapeutic, and it can save your life. It saved mine.
For those of you that have ever had the “Why am I still here?” conversation with yourself, yes you, you are not alone. For those of you who can't drink responsibly or eat responsibly, you are not alone there either. For those of you who can't pick a romantic partner that doesn't destroy your life, you are definitely not alone. You experience those things on your own, in your solitude. But when you bring them to a discussion and share them you weaponize those experiences for good as long as you treat those whom you're sharing them with in respect and them the same to you.
Forcing the knowledge you have on others, most uses of negative reinforcement, and reverse psychology aren't really necessary. There are some tougher nuts to crack whenever it comes to getting a point across. I have been a pigheaded jerk most of my life but I've learned that to get along in the crowd that its easier for me to politely excuse myself or apologize to others when I push past them towards the stage. I don't just start running and pushing people over, because I know what that can start. I try to treat people as best as I can. I still yell at people in traffic sometimes, but most yelling these days is along to my music playlist.
I want to encourage everyone this week, no matter how you feel about the stories we are talking about here, to step out of the crowd and think. Take as long as you need. And when you rejoin the crowd, treat everyone with love and respect. That could make the difference of getting out of these situations unharmed.
I prefer a community of individuals to a mindless crowd, no matter the purpose or setting. Don't let any “leader” tell you run towards any stage because you never know who or what you can step on when following orders.
A little lesson Mr. Trump never learned. "Always treat the people you pass on the way up nicely, because someday, you're going to see them again on your way down."
Well done Mr. Six! Who is numbah one?! Where is that Drake? He's late!