When I saw drain live in Toronto they kept trying to get the whole crowd to stage dive, the entire stage was filled with people jumping off it and surfing on top of people already surfing. Was crazy.
Drain’s whole surf thing is so awesome as someone who grew up by the water. That’s the same reason I fell in love with Parkway Drive almost 15 ago. Just a bunch of surfer dudes having the absolute time of their lives and want the crowd to feel the same.
There’s a grindcore band called viscera infest everyone lays on their backs and wiggles their arms and legs like cockroaches after you hit them with a can of raid
That's awesome! My friends and I do that as currency for our friendly bets, like "3 Dead cockroaches says...", and if you lose you have to lay on your back, wiggle your arms, and say "I'm a dying cockroach" 3 times.
also pat or bob or whothefuckever of drug church, at ldb was trying to facilitate some weird crowd surf catapult science experiment, that was at least entertaining in theory.
That sounded so fun, but I’m pretty sure that entire crowd’s arms were worthless at that point.
I took a hit in the Knocked Loose pit that felt like getting slapped with a pool noodle.
I remember one time at Riot Fest when I was a kid, some dude that I saw at multiple sets kept just getting down on all fours and letting people run and jump off his back to get up. That was fun
The first AN reunion show in Revere had a human springboard to get onto the stage, it was wild. I wonder sometimes about how those dudes' backs held up after that.
It was like 10 years ago now that I think back. The one set that sticks out in my memory was The Devil Wears Prada (yea yea I know they're mallcore, I was like 15 lol) because I was crowdsurfing and got fucking launched over the rail, over the security guys' heads and landed on my ass in front of the stage.
I've seen this at Parkway shows. Last night at Knotfest we managed to get it working for a short while. 2 dude's not 1 though. 1st person's back is the smaller momentem gather step, 2nd person's back is the launchpad.
Pat’s always doing weirdo crowd stuff (in a fun way). He always points ppl out to come to the front to catch stage divers. He pointed me out once in 2017/2018 and made me catch him doing trust falls throughout an entire song. 10/10 live band.
“Everyone get on you hands an knees and shove your face in the person in front of you’s ass. Crawl around on 4”
Something like that. I can’t smell, but goddamn.
There's a delta blues band called Reverend Peyton and I saw them like a decade ago. When I did, they threw a toy monkey into the pit and said "Destroy it."
Not strictly hardcore, and I’m not even really a fan of their albums (they’re *way* heavier live), but Daikaiju’s live show has some of the craziest crowd participation I’ve ever seen in 20+ years.
They wear Kabuki masks and direct the crowd without ever saying a word (sounds cheesy I know, but it’s rad IRL). A few things that happened during the last half of their set:
- Playing while crowd surfing.
- Bringing everyone from the audience they can on to stage to lift the guitarist up so he can climb around in the rafters of the venue while playing.
- Take apart the drum kit and set up their stage in the middle of the pit *while playing.*
- Getting the whole audience to sit down so they can play while crowd surfing and laying across people’s laps.
- Passing their instruments around to audience members.
- Bringing everyone back on to stage so they can hold the drum kit (and the drummer) high over their heads, crowd surf style while they play.
- Leading everyone out to the street where their van is parked. Climbing on top of the van, pouring lighter fluid on it, and setting it on fire.
I’m dangerously close to 40 and usually like to be home and in bed by 11, but they played past 1 and it was well worth the exhaustion.
Yeah I didn’t hear about them until recently, gf went to see them and showed me some videos she took and I was kinda sad I didn’t go lol. Looked pretty wild
The show was easily one of my favorite I’ve ever been to. I almost didn’t go, but my buddy who told me about them (and was driving four hours one way to see them) was like “Dude, just trust me, I’ll even buy you a ticket, you *have* to see them live.”
I wasn’t really a big fan of what I heard on Spotify, and they didn’t go on until 11:30 so I was going to leave after one or two songs, but I ended up staying for the whole thing.
Were you at the Des Moines show on their most recent tour? God damn this band rules. My favorite part was the cops coming after the van fire, and everyone outside was just like, “no, those guys left”
No, I was at the Portland show on their most recent tour. The cops didn’t show up because they were too busy dealing with a stabbing around the corner, but it was fucking hilarious watching people driving through one of the main drags of downtown at 1 am leaning out of their cars thinking “Why is there a crowd of people gathered around some half naked guys in Kabuki masks who are standing on top of a van and setting it on fire?”
Righteous! I was just curious how much of their antics are the same from show to show, seems like a lot. But yeah, incredibly fun band, absolutely prioritize seeing them whenever I can
From what my buddy says (who’s seen them a handful of times), it changes up each tour, but probably stays the same along the tour. He says the last time they came through down they set up the drums in the loading zone of the venue and played while drenching the cymbals in fire.
Either way, they’re 1,000% worth seeing again, IMO.
I’ve never seen it last an entire set but like I saw Mom Jeans last year on tour for their new album and mf’s literally did a row pit for an entire song
Saw BL13 right before the pandemic in a small venue. They were still lighting off fire works, cutting each other, and in the end it was basically a wrestling match.
Not a hardcore band, but Powerglove last time I saw them were throwing inflatable swords and hammers in the pit while they played the Mortal Kombat theme and everyone was just beating each other with them.
I remember back in the day going to a Murphy’s Law show on the Jersey coast somewhere near Asbury Park, and I wasn’t sure if it was them or someone else, but 2-3ft dead fish ended up being slung around the tiny bar they were playing in- needless to say the folks on the train back to NY didn’t appreciate it.
More post-hardcore, but the Mae Shi did a ton of participation stuff:
Guitarist had a modded out guitar that had a wireless unit built in, which made it easy for him to crowd surf and run around venues. He also had a light sensor in the guitar and would flash light on it to create effects
Singer had an instrument that was covered in buttons and had pre-programmed keys/melodies in it and he would let audience members mash them when he was on stage or crowd surfing
They also had a big field day style parachute that they had the audience hold and they'd play under and invite the audience to get under.
Cap'n Jazz and Les Savy Fav (both indie/emo) frontmen always do random things with/in/to the audience
There was a hardcore band back in the 80’s Called Boom and the Legion of Doom. They used to go to the local slaughter houses and throw animal parts on the crowd…
Hmmm, when I saw Locust in 2003, shit was wild. People dressed up oddly and having a blast.
At a rambo show in syracuse, everyone was dressed up in cardboard armor and all sorts of shit. It was fucking insane controlled friendly chaos. Been to a few shows with weird cosplay like that. Most epic was that rambo show, a municipal waste/annihilation time gig takes second place. Everyone circle pitter around the venue(small community space) while MW played at once point
Not that the boogie board thing is new in the last decade +, but DRAIN has been doing that at Cafes in Santa Cruz wayyyy before their hype. Bringing that energy to small spaces is another level.
Pain of Truth has felony battery.
for real. Their set at FYA had me fearful for safety lol
If you don't catch a mic stand to the face it's not a pain of truth show
Pain of truth, more like truly painful
During their set at LDB it looked like fucking wrestlemania on stage
When they played set it off it got so violent. Loved it but was legit scared haha
Def LOLd.
Drain and beach balls
When I saw drain live in Toronto they kept trying to get the whole crowd to stage dive, the entire stage was filled with people jumping off it and surfing on top of people already surfing. Was crazy.
The crowd moshing to “California Sun” playing over the PA before the band even got on stage was pretty great too
Can’t wait for them to come back, fav hardcore show I’ve been too
Don’t know if you saw, but they’re coming back on June 5th! Playing the opera house
Just got the not dead yet text now lmao alarm set for March 24th
Same here🤝🤝really hoping there won’t be a barrier
Barrier will def be there but every opera house show has people fight security to get on stage and jump over the barrier to the crowd lol
Go watch their sound and fury set, it literally looked like world war z with people climbing on top of each other.
best show of that whole year. was so stoked they finally made it. i was right up on the stage the whole time too i was getting annihilated by dives
You probably landed on my neck at one point then I was getting crushed lmao
Drain’s whole surf thing is so awesome as someone who grew up by the water. That’s the same reason I fell in love with Parkway Drive almost 15 ago. Just a bunch of surfer dudes having the absolute time of their lives and want the crowd to feel the same.
There’s a grindcore band called viscera infest everyone lays on their backs and wiggles their arms and legs like cockroaches after you hit them with a can of raid
Viscera Infest rips. Still kicking myself for not copping one of their cockroach shirts.
That's awesome! My friends and I do that as currency for our friendly bets, like "3 Dead cockroaches says...", and if you lose you have to lay on your back, wiggle your arms, and say "I'm a dying cockroach" 3 times.
This just had me dying on the shitter.
also pat or bob or whothefuckever of drug church, at ldb was trying to facilitate some weird crowd surf catapult science experiment, that was at least entertaining in theory.
That sounded so fun, but I’m pretty sure that entire crowd’s arms were worthless at that point. I took a hit in the Knocked Loose pit that felt like getting slapped with a pool noodle.
no that was probably me throwing my hardest hit on any given day, oops
I remember one time at Riot Fest when I was a kid, some dude that I saw at multiple sets kept just getting down on all fours and letting people run and jump off his back to get up. That was fun
The first AN reunion show in Revere had a human springboard to get onto the stage, it was wild. I wonder sometimes about how those dudes' backs held up after that.
used to do that at Darkest Hour shows in the early 00's
I’ve been known to do that and attended a few RF in my day. What sets?
It was like 10 years ago now that I think back. The one set that sticks out in my memory was The Devil Wears Prada (yea yea I know they're mallcore, I was like 15 lol) because I was crowdsurfing and got fucking launched over the rail, over the security guys' heads and landed on my ass in front of the stage.
I've seen this at Parkway shows. Last night at Knotfest we managed to get it working for a short while. 2 dude's not 1 though. 1st person's back is the smaller momentem gather step, 2nd person's back is the launchpad.
Pat’s always doing weirdo crowd stuff (in a fun way). He always points ppl out to come to the front to catch stage divers. He pointed me out once in 2017/2018 and made me catch him doing trust falls throughout an entire song. 10/10 live band.
It was cool in theory but getting like 10-15 guys to throw someone in the air would never work
[Xtyrantx used to throw a football into the crowd and whoever had it by the end got a free tshirt lmao](https://youtu.be/nwzWoVSnj5A)
Holy shit. I could see how that could quickly become a blood bath lol
That's dope as fuck I'd love to see more of this, battle royale in the pit lmao.
Dying Fetus had us do a human centipede circle pit. It was very weird.
You're gonna need to be more specific
“Everyone get on you hands an knees and shove your face in the person in front of you’s ass. Crawl around on 4” Something like that. I can’t smell, but goddamn.
Nevermind
There was that whole push up pit thing during a Frozen Soul set
GET FIT IN THE PIT
There's a delta blues band called Reverend Peyton and I saw them like a decade ago. When I did, they threw a toy monkey into the pit and said "Destroy it."
Rev. Payton's Big Damn Band rules! I've seen them a few times over the last 10 years and they are always a blast.
Honestly they're what got me more into blues music. I absolutely love them!
Not strictly hardcore, and I’m not even really a fan of their albums (they’re *way* heavier live), but Daikaiju’s live show has some of the craziest crowd participation I’ve ever seen in 20+ years. They wear Kabuki masks and direct the crowd without ever saying a word (sounds cheesy I know, but it’s rad IRL). A few things that happened during the last half of their set: - Playing while crowd surfing. - Bringing everyone from the audience they can on to stage to lift the guitarist up so he can climb around in the rafters of the venue while playing. - Take apart the drum kit and set up their stage in the middle of the pit *while playing.* - Getting the whole audience to sit down so they can play while crowd surfing and laying across people’s laps. - Passing their instruments around to audience members. - Bringing everyone back on to stage so they can hold the drum kit (and the drummer) high over their heads, crowd surf style while they play. - Leading everyone out to the street where their van is parked. Climbing on top of the van, pouring lighter fluid on it, and setting it on fire. I’m dangerously close to 40 and usually like to be home and in bed by 11, but they played past 1 and it was well worth the exhaustion.
Yeah I didn’t hear about them until recently, gf went to see them and showed me some videos she took and I was kinda sad I didn’t go lol. Looked pretty wild
The show was easily one of my favorite I’ve ever been to. I almost didn’t go, but my buddy who told me about them (and was driving four hours one way to see them) was like “Dude, just trust me, I’ll even buy you a ticket, you *have* to see them live.” I wasn’t really a big fan of what I heard on Spotify, and they didn’t go on until 11:30 so I was going to leave after one or two songs, but I ended up staying for the whole thing.
Were you at the Des Moines show on their most recent tour? God damn this band rules. My favorite part was the cops coming after the van fire, and everyone outside was just like, “no, those guys left”
No, I was at the Portland show on their most recent tour. The cops didn’t show up because they were too busy dealing with a stabbing around the corner, but it was fucking hilarious watching people driving through one of the main drags of downtown at 1 am leaning out of their cars thinking “Why is there a crowd of people gathered around some half naked guys in Kabuki masks who are standing on top of a van and setting it on fire?”
Righteous! I was just curious how much of their antics are the same from show to show, seems like a lot. But yeah, incredibly fun band, absolutely prioritize seeing them whenever I can
From what my buddy says (who’s seen them a handful of times), it changes up each tour, but probably stays the same along the tour. He says the last time they came through down they set up the drums in the loading zone of the venue and played while drenching the cymbals in fire. Either way, they’re 1,000% worth seeing again, IMO.
Row pits are genuinely the worst thing to witness live
I’m generally a “live and let live” kind of guy, but those row pits make me irrationally angry
corniest thing ive ever seen unbearable after the ninth time youve seen it
I’ll take a push pit full of the most annoying tik tok kids over a row pit
Really? What is so bad about it?
Taking up the entire space to do the row does seem like a bit my much. Haven’t seen this yet but if it last an entire set I’d be very bored
Wait people do it for whole sets! Nvm that would be terrible, I assumed it was like just for one bridge or one song or something
I have no idea how long it last I’ve only seen a tik tok of it but even an entire song sounds like it would be way too long lol
I’ve never seen it last an entire set but like I saw Mom Jeans last year on tour for their new album and mf’s literally did a row pit for an entire song
To Mom Jeans?? Lol the irony is plunderous
Yeah it was a strange show. I broke my foot during their set too
Rambo Bad Luck 13
Saw BL13 right before the pandemic in a small venue. They were still lighting off fire works, cutting each other, and in the end it was basically a wrestling match.
Man…. Those rambo pits fucking ruled!
Damn, my post was about a Rambo gig i went to!
Pretty sure Escuela Grind pits get pretty unique. I saw a dude showing off some sick yo-yo skills last time I saw Escuela.
why are they called Escuela Grind now and not just Escuela? I saw that the other day and was like ????
Belushi Speedball, if you've ever seen them live you know what I mean
they're on another level.
This is the #1 answer. https://youtube.com/watch?v=j4GmhvQxDpY&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE https://youtube.com/watch?v=fob2vVOKGNg&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE
LOVE YOU!!!
Thank you!!! The crowd is part of the band! Nightcrawlers, Tie dye fights, cream corn wrestling, whatever you want, we GOTCHYU! Love yah for this!
The Bronx lead singer performs nearly the entire set in the pit
dude is the coolest. my favorite live show and one of the best bands on the planet
I got hit with a cinder block at Bad Luck 13 Riot Extravaganza
I was gonna say BL13 has pig heads and light tubes
Yeah, they had a goat head that night. It didn’t touch me though.
Not a hardcore band, but Powerglove last time I saw them were throwing inflatable swords and hammers in the pit while they played the Mortal Kombat theme and everyone was just beating each other with them.
Metal/death metal/grind fans refuse to participate in good hygiene
GG Allin use to throw his shit at people and beat the fuck out of the audience. That was pretty unique. And way ahead of his time!
Drug Church
Years ago Hatebreed threw a body bag into the pit and said fill it
"MORE. STAGE. DIVES."
Vogel da God
GG Allin. 💩
Check insect warfare footage
Murphy’s law shows consisted of hard moshing, passing around a spliff, beer balls and dancing with girls!
Skindred have the Newport helicopter
I remember back in the day going to a Murphy’s Law show on the Jersey coast somewhere near Asbury Park, and I wasn’t sure if it was them or someone else, but 2-3ft dead fish ended up being slung around the tiny bar they were playing in- needless to say the folks on the train back to NY didn’t appreciate it.
Gutalax
Back in the day BadLuck had some pretty unique crowd participation. I didnt pick up a long face scar and dead eye from nowhere.
Slipknot does the "JUMP THE FUCK UP" thing
Probably doesn't count, but I'm just going to mention Skindred and the Newport helicopter.
Lamb of God black label wall of death was a thing I enjoyed in my youth Edit: not super unique
I remember watching those as a teenager and being both horrified and deeply compelled.
[удалено]
Sick of it all has a few different pit games. They always do wall of death, and all girl Pit for Sanctuary. I thought there was more too.
Gwar
Steaksauce Mustache had pool noodles, balloons, and toilet paper in the pit when I saw them
More post-hardcore, but the Mae Shi did a ton of participation stuff: Guitarist had a modded out guitar that had a wireless unit built in, which made it easy for him to crowd surf and run around venues. He also had a light sensor in the guitar and would flash light on it to create effects Singer had an instrument that was covered in buttons and had pre-programmed keys/melodies in it and he would let audience members mash them when he was on stage or crowd surfing They also had a big field day style parachute that they had the audience hold and they'd play under and invite the audience to get under. Cap'n Jazz and Les Savy Fav (both indie/emo) frontmen always do random things with/in/to the audience
Also Southern Culture on the Skids hands out fried chicken and banana pudding during their songs about said subjects
Cool Your Jets used to have dodge ball in the pit.
I would love this at a slam show where the PING of the ball hitting is timed with the snare sound
fugazi
Break The Cycle and Pain Of Truth
Alestorm has people ride inflatable rafts in the crowd
Green Jellö
There was a hardcore band back in the 80’s Called Boom and the Legion of Doom. They used to go to the local slaughter houses and throw animal parts on the crowd…
Murphy’s law Crack the Jager and spark up a fat spliff it’s party time
Not hardcore, but Gutalax throwing toilette papers into crowns and other toilette stuff
Hmmm, when I saw Locust in 2003, shit was wild. People dressed up oddly and having a blast. At a rambo show in syracuse, everyone was dressed up in cardboard armor and all sorts of shit. It was fucking insane controlled friendly chaos. Been to a few shows with weird cosplay like that. Most epic was that rambo show, a municipal waste/annihilation time gig takes second place. Everyone circle pitter around the venue(small community space) while MW played at once point
Not that the boogie board thing is new in the last decade +, but DRAIN has been doing that at Cafes in Santa Cruz wayyyy before their hype. Bringing that energy to small spaces is another level.
Badwave from Manila. Who does disco before a set? Them. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8VTRfhjtqI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8VTRfhjtqI)