The first thing you should do when trying to reach the front at a
concert is decide whether you really want to do it. The
view is better, obviously, as you're closer to the
act, but the
sound isn't likely to improve, and
musical acts are there to be
listened to aren't they? The problem with moving closer to the
stage, is that the closer you get, the more time you're going to end up spending getting
kicked in the head by
crowd surfers, and being
crushed by the movement of the
crowd, both of which make it hard to
focus on the view or the
music. If you're sure its worth it, and want to try for the front row, read on, but consider yourself warned.
There is no set
strategy for moving forward, as a crowd is, by nature
chaotic and
unpredictable, but there are a few common situations that can be capitalized on if you know what you're doing.
1. The people behind/around you push forward. Don't help. pushing forward isn't nice, as there really isn't anywhere for the people in front of you to go, and you're just crushing them.
Security guards hate pushers as well, and will be looking for any opportunity to
haul one out of the crowd and send them to the back. It's just not worth it. Don't fight the pushers either, as it is counter-productive to your goal, and not likely to do any good. just
go with the flow, and let them push you forward.
2. The people in front of/around you push backwards Again, don't help. This time you wouldn't be hurting anyone, as the folks behind you have all the room in the world to move. But pushing backwards isn't likely to help your chances of reaching the front now is it? Fighting it doesn't work either, it seems to me to be remarkably similar to pushing forward which has already been discussed. Going with the flow isn't the best idea here though. Let them flow around you. Turn sideways so as to take up less space, and let yourself slip in the spaces between the pushers.
3. Someone near you wants to start crowd surfing. Help them up for god's sake. A crowd surfer leaves a path of
destruction behind them that allows you to follow them to some extent. Also, most initial crowd surfing attempts fail, and result in a
crash landing, which I'll cover next.
4. A crowdsurfer gets dropped on his ass near you A dream come true. The weight of a falling crowdsurfer knocks everyone nearby out of the way. Help the to their feet, and
weasel your way into the space made by them. Think about this. A crash landing clears out an area the size of someone lying down. Once they're on their feet, they take up alot less space, the rest of which will quickly fill back in. Stake your claim.
5. A crowdsurfer is passing overhead If you've been paying attention, and are an
evil bastard, the answer to this situation should be obvious. Do your best to ensure they get dropped on their ass in front of you, then proceed to step 4.
6. Someone in the crowd ahead of you starts to hyperventilate, and needs to leave the crowd in a hurry. This will result in one of two situations. They, and possibly any friends with them will push their way back out of the crowd, making a small, very short-lived path behind them that you may be able to squeeze through until it dissapears. Sometimes however, they are close enough to the front that they push their way forward and get hauled out for security. This is even better as it allows you to follow them, and spend much more time in the path.