Talk:Circle pit

Contradiction?

A search for Mosh Pit redirects to this article, implying that a circle pit is just another name for any form of mosh pit, but the very first sentance states that a circle pit is just one type of mosh pit. Surely both statements can't be true?

It would seem more logical to have 'mosh pit' redirect to the mosh article. 144.124.16.28 10:32, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

• Yes, and I have fixed it, because I believe that makes more sense. XAlpha 01:15, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Punk dancing has two main variants

Punk dancing has two main variants: the slam dance and the pogo. The slam dance has a "runner" variant. In the former, invented in Los Angeles, dancers create a circle in the pit and begin moving in a circle. After getting up some speed, they run toward the center, slam into another dancer, and bounce off. After a few slams, they return to the circling mass. The pogo, on the other hand, has dancers bouncing up and down, but not vertically. Dancers hit each other chaotically, with no real rules. The entire dance floor can pogo, but the pogo slam dancers tend to get segregated near the stage. "Mosh" refers to any of these dances, these days, so this article was redirected there. Geogre 13:36, 20 Aug 2004 (UTC)

"Circular motion" aspect

I don't think this article is clear enough about the "Circular motion" aspect. To me the circle pit is more about running/skanking chaotically in the circle, as a "positive" alternative to people pushing randomly at each other and injuring each other. To me a giant "Circle" of people who are "push-moshing" each other does not consist of a circle pit. Dan Carkner 03:25, 26 October 2005 (UTC)

I agree, in all the circle pits that I have seen people are running around in a circle and running into each other. Bradman3001 10:29, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

I wonder how common the circle actually is. I've been to punk shows for over 20 years and it was only just recently I saw my first circle pit and I've only seen it once ever. // Liftarn (talk) 20:10, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I'm in a hardcore punk band in Connecticut and I go to punk shows all the time. In modern day punk its extremly common. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.200.162.134 (talk) 18:51, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

Circle pits - heavy metal

"Circle pits at heavy metal shows are usually a lot more dangerous, because of blatant disregard for the rules of Skanking." How can metalheads have "blatant disregard for the rules of Skanking" if they don't skank in the first place? 65.25.27.81 03:40, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

Can we have some evidence for the part that says:"It is not uncommon for people in these pits to be deliberately shoved to the ground, even in outdoor cirles on hard asphalt or gravel. Minor injuries and sometimes more serious injuries, are usually ignored by others, as these injuries are expected consequences of participating in vigorous mosh pits." My experience says this is not correct.

Seconded to the comment above. I have attended many many black and death metal shows and although the pits are usually much more active there is no less a sense of community and concern for those around you than any other show. I have never seen anyone deliberately shoved to the ground and injuries are NEVER ignored by the majority of the community. That whole section is a complete missrepresentation of the metal community, one which many find highly offensive. You may be refering to 'Hardcore Dancing' which is not part of the core metal community and is highly frowned upon to the point where at many shows observers will take it upon themselves to remove those with a disregard for those around them from the pit.

I agree with the two comments above - I have experienced both "mosh" pits and "circle" pits, and far from being antisocial, where there are just people running around, flailing their arms and punching and kicking people to, and on, the floor; they are actually fun places to be in. Mosh pits are slightly more dangerous, since there'll always be the tanked up loonatic who'll try to punch anything in sight, but I've seen, on many occasions, these people being chucked out by the attendees to the event. Circle pits are less dangerous, since people just run around, skanking and such (yes, we do skank, user 65.25.27.81). Tomflaherty (talk) 08:42, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Other music genres

It is not only punk or metal shows which have circle pits. I have been to many shows, from experimantal, metal, dark and new wave, even classical, and there were circle pits. 19:48, 26 December 2005 84.9.13.98

I hope you mean classical metal, not classical music :D Tomflaherty (talk) 08:43, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Beginning seould say that this is about punk music

I think the article should say at the beginning that this is about punk music. I don't know anything about punk (or other Californian beach concerts) - I found the article by clicking on Random article - it was only in the last paragraph that I understood this was about punk. I'd rather not make the edit myself, as I don't know anything about the subject, but I think it would be nice if it said "punk concerts" in the first line, instead of just "concerts". (Or, in the light of the last comment before mine, "concerts, mostly of punk music".) 13:35, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Why is this about punk music? Circle Pits are not only punk music - in fact they're not even a type of music - they're dance pits associated with music, and they happen with pretty much any type of hardcore music, from hard rock, to doom metal. Tomflaherty (talk) 08:45, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Personal experience

i was just at a punk show the other day w/ the casualties the briefs the wenesday night heroes and south side punks. and yes the was a circle pit, mk during fast songs the circle pit is just basically just running around in a circle(like it said) and pushing each other, and pushing people on the outside of the pit and just shoving anything in ur way, no matter the size of the show or band, and for ska, or even just slower songs u can skank to them, but when u skank w/ a bunch of people u can tend to get hurt, by getting hit in the face by someones elbow or getting kicked, circle pits arent really dangerous, (unless ur liek 12 or 13) but u will more and likely leave w/ a few bruses, if u fall peple will pick u back up, i fell and i got lifeted up right afterwords69.40.49.22 01:12, 3 November 2006 (UTC)ryan

Notable Bands With Circle Pits

Come on .. this is mildly ridiculous.. its more of a signature of a style of fan that is at the show than the band or even the music. mostly depending on what is perceived to be the most popular band at the concert. I think this section should be removed or seriously re-worked.. there is no way you can attribute circle pits to bands... they happen when the right people are into the music, or the vocalist calls for one, this is similar to saying a certain university is prone to students smoking in groups of 5 or more.. it happens...that is all.. Penner 02:18, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I agree. In addition to the ludicrous nature of the section, it was poorly written as well, and citation free. the only references to bands needed in this article are to those who originated the style, and even then that can simply be broadened to the Huntington Beach punk scene, ~79.

If nobody objects I'm gonna remove all the less notable bands who do not have a good citation for why they are notable to have started circle pits, since virtually every Hard Rock / Punk / Metal / Hardcore band and most RockI've ever seen have had mosh pits, and circle pits. ≈ Maurauth ^(Ravenor) 17:00, 5 August 2007 (UTC)

Emphasis on safety

At nearly all gigs I've been to the bands have encouraged the audience to help people up if they fall. Obviously some of them have been told to do this, but the emphasis on safety by the organisers and bands is there. Is this worth flagging up in the article that people are encouraged to have the "community spirit" (although to most it comes naturally)?

--6D617474 21:12, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

safety in metal pits??

Despite some people insisting safety is encouraged in mosh pits (even though i think a mosh pit and a circle pit are completely different things) these people have obviously never been in a proper thrash metal mosh pits.

In these pits people are punched, kicked, thrown to the ground and trampled on.

There are (in extreme gigs, such as slayer and rammstein) fight pits, where people go in and fight, ganging up on each other and such.

There is another kind of pit, which i have only heard of once, in which the most fatalities or injuries occur.

It is called a suicide pit.

People bring knives into these things.

community??

where?

81.145.241.5 16:36, 30 April 2007 (UTC)

I've been to Slayer a few times, and that has never happened. Sure, there's the one guy who does something stupid and a fight goes on, but they usually get security to kick them out. And a suicide pit? Try: no. Most (pretty much all "big" acts) have security pat you down and swipe you with metal detectors. At The Rave (In Milwaukee), you can't even have pens or studded belts.

Every time I've been to a show - EVERY time - Dimmu Borgir, Cannibal Corpse, Slayer, and I've fallen down, I've always been picked back up. Every time. And whenever someone gets knocked out or gets the sense knocked out of them, there's always two or three guys picking them up and helping him out. I don't know who you talk to or what venue you go to, but it's never like that. Gas.mask.man 02:57, 5 May 2007 (UTC)

Never heard of what you're talking about, have you ever witnessed this? Or was it just a friend telling you? PS. Slayer and Rammstein are not 'extreme'.≈ Maurauth ^(Ravenor) 17:02, 5 August 2007 (UTC)

I also don't know what you are talking about, I've never heard any accounts of anything like that. Sure occasionally some idiot might object to a single person and a fight might break out, but on all accounts that's either stopped quick by security, fellow moshers or by either party losing conciousness at which point they'll be removed from the pit too. 193.61.85.126 (talk) 14:11, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Dude - you're talking absolute trash - I've been in several Rammstein pits, and even more Slayer pits (not to mention countless pits for Slipknot, Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth, Cannibal Corpse, LoG, CoB, Dimmu Borgir..... I could go on) and have NEVER, I repeat, NEVER seen, or heard of, a "suicide pit", and even in proper thrash pits, people pick each other up - there are no organised fight pits, since they would get stopped by either security, or the attendees who are trying to enjoy themselves. This is all a load of "my friend told me about this one time when his neighbour's uncle's brother's daughter's cousin's best mate went to a gig"....Tomflaherty (talk) 08:55, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Possible Merge into Mosh Pit

Hi gang - this article (Circle Pits) seems to be a bit small, and so I was thinking that perhaps someone (I could if no-one wants to) merges this article into the much larger article, Mosh Pits, and just have a sub-section, since a circle pit is a variation on a mosh pit. Discuss. Tomflaherty (talk) 08:55, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Sounds like a great idea. Neowulf (talk) 13:23, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

I agree, and have proposed the merge. If nobody objects I'll merge it into Moshing. Anjelen (talk) 23:11, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

Support merge. Dlabtot (talk) 17:41, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

Merge, it's a similar type of thing which only needs to be a section in the Moshing article. Keytar Shredder : Talk To Me 08:10, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

Metal

Why is (heavy) metal listed as a sub-genre? I understand that "Heavy" makes it one, but why isn't "Metal" listed in the main genre area? Because you can't tell me that metal concerts aren't one of the bigger places that a circle pit happens at, because everyone I've ever been to, has had one. Parad0x130 (talk) 23:02, 30 October 2009 (UTC)