Mosh pits foil recent Fu Manchu show

I can now officially say not only that I've had a bad concert experience ? my first since the disastrous camp trip back in 1995 to see the Steve Miller Band and the Doobie Brothers ? but that I've also had a terribly disappointing one. And the ultimate tragedy in this all is that I don't even have any objections to the performance or the music, per se.

Fu Manchu have been underground favorites of the now-termed "stoner metal" scene since 1990, issuing six albums prior to their recent commercially successful California Crossing. Admittedly, I had no knowledge of this before the concert; I thought they were a new band in the wake of Queens of the Stone Age. Little did I know that Fu Manchu and QOTSA-parent, Kyuss, were the pioneers in their genre. Needless to say, the band has built up a fiercely loyal, if consistently intoxicated, fanbase over the years.

And did those years display themselves at the show. It was almost a little intimidating, being one of maybe five people in the room young enough to still have to get ink-crucified upon entry. Nonetheless, the three of us in my group who showed up at Fletchers that night sinuously wove through the crowd during the last opening act, landing a prime spot about four people back from the front center of the stage.

Maybe I should preface the rest of this article with the disclaimer that I don't have any tattoos, body piercings, black leather wardrobe ? much less a black wardrobe, period ? a mullet, a residence in Glen Burnie, an affinity for alcohol and/or THC and I'm ? I would hope obviously, despite the previous list ? male. I think I was the only one in the room who fit that description.

I should also mention that although I have always been a consummate nerd, consummation aside, I only really discovered rock music as an artform recently; I missed the entire alternative "revolution" and even the counter-revolution, and my own personal grievances didn't quite fit the mold of "punk" ? and even if they did, I wasn't really into the would-be lifestyle. Even so, if the crowd had been composed of punks, I think I would have been a little more sympathetic to suddenly finding myself less than two songs into the concert in the center of a mosh pit than I was.

Didn't moshing become herd mentality as early as the mid-'90s? Was it even ever not herd mentality? And why do fat 30-year-olds with shaven heads and black jumpers think it is cool to create a mosh pit that essentially enveloped the entire front of Fletchers? Why did they not stop even after knocking down several women, bruising countless non-participants, etc? Why did Fletchers still refuse to kick out the ringleaders even after they participated in reckless stagediving? Why did Fu Manchu do nothing to control the crowd, instead approving of this? Do I regret leaving the concert?

The answer to the last question is no. I know the answer to some of the other questions, but maybe my discomfort with the answers is leading me into denial. I'm probably an indie-kid at heart ? as revolting as that is ? but maybe it's time for these questions to be answered by others as well.

I'm also certain that some people are going to say that I am a prude, that there is nothing inherently wrong with any of these activities. And that could be the truth, except that it doesn't explain away the fact that most of the audience spent its time eyeing the mosh pit cautiously instead of paying attention to the talent shining onstage.