Concert Survival 101

How to: Crowd surf

At most General Admission concerts that you go to there will be crowd surfers. A "crowd surfer" or "crowd surfing" is when someone is lifted up and they are carried to the stage by the crowd. Kinda of... Any band that is remotely "hardcore" will definitely have crowd surfers. So if you are one of those brave souls like myself who like to part take in the art of crowd surfing, here are some of my tips. 

**There really isn't a specific way to crowd surf, you kinda just go with the flow**

1. Where to put your stuff: So if you want to crowd surf make sure that all of your belongings are secure. If you have a small bag with you I suggest giving it to a friend to hold. Having a bulky purse when crowd surfing is not only annoying for you but also to the people lifting you up. If you have a phone with you I would put it in your pocket. I usually just hold on to it for dear life hoping I won't drop it. 

2. How to get up: When I saw Black Veil Brides I wanted to crowd surf so I just asked the guy standing next to me for a lift. Most of the time if you just ask anyone near you they will help you up. Also if you are too afraid to ask someone else, ask your friend if they are strong enough. Getting up is probably the hardest part of the whole crowd surfing experience. The two easiest ways to get up in my opinion is having someone lift you by the waist or someone cupping their hands and step up on it. 

3. What do it once you're up: Once I get going I usually take my phone out and attempt to get a cool video or two if someone exciting happens. You can throw up the old "rock and roll" or "punk rock" hand sign if you want. Personally, I like to keep my hands close to me once I get closer to the stage. 

4. What if you fall: I have fallen a few times crowd surfing and it isn't very fun if you aren't prepared. If you feel yourself fall try to get your head up so that you don't hit it on the floor. If you fall someone will help you get back up and possibly back to crowd surfing. If you think you really hurt yourself falling tell someone or security and they will help you from there. 

4. When you get to the front: The whole point of crowd surfing is to get to the front of the stage. When this happens security will grab you and bring you over the barricade/fence. From my experience security isn't very good at shows so don't be offended when they basically man handle you. They are just doing their job. Once they grab you they will direct you to the side and then you will go to the back of the crowd. Then this whole process starts all over again. At this time I suggest trying to get your favorite band members attention since you will be so close to the stage. At BVB I got noticed three times crowding so you never know what will happen. 

I hope these tips helped! If you've crowd surfed before comment bellow and share your favorite crowd surfing story!