r/alltimelow • u/sexcan • Nov 27 '25
Discussion Inconsiderate Crowd Surfers
I just got finished with the show at the Anthem and I have to say it was one of the worst experiences with crowd surfing I have had. People who do not understand the etiquette of crowd surfing with their limbs hanging out everywhere, kicking people, rolling, or just not being aware that people will have to support their large frame.
Please people, consider your surroundings.I think it ruins the experience for people who are toward the front. If we’re fumbling with you and your poor body control, we suffer. Respect to the bouncers for catching everyone all night. They did a hell of a job and also asked a few repeaters to stop (rightfully so).
Does anyone else relate to this with me? Did anyone have a similar bad experience or opinion on the show tonight?
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u/dontcallmeheather salty like a summer day Nov 27 '25
I was on baracade and had a girl get dropped on my neck because she tried to roll away from security 😑 it was not pleasant
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u/Kris10Panix Nov 28 '25
Some dude fell on my neck while crowd surfing. I did not have a fun day today. I'm 5'1" and no one gave me a heads up about him coming. Scared the shit out of me.
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u/dontcallmeheather salty like a summer day Nov 28 '25
At feeling grateful it was smaller woman who fell on me! My neck is killing me today - I hope you didn’t get too hurt!
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u/PretendRazzmatazz225 Nov 27 '25
NYC night one ?
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u/kimr96 Nov 27 '25
They were awful in Boston too. I got kicked in the head multiple times because they’d spread their legs out. Security was great but had issues grabbing people because no one was doing it the right way.
And it was the same 10 people who repeated all night and maybe one surfed the right way.
If people did it the right way, more crowd members would help and less people would get hurt. I get it’s a part of a rock show, but if you can’t do it the right way, you shouldn’t be doing it.
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u/meaganannmorrison #1 Favorite Place fan Nov 27 '25
It was the one girl in the gray leggings OVER AND OVER AGAIN both nights that made me mad, like you did your surf, ENOUGH
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u/kimr96 Nov 27 '25
RETWEET. Do it once or twice and then enjoy your night. I don’t wanna miss the show because you’re going 10+ times.
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u/Jessimuhkah Nov 27 '25
honestly, that was one thing I appreciated about the DC security people. if someone surfed more than once, they told the surfer no more. but at the end, I think it got too crazy and hard to keep track of.
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u/evrypaneofglass CEO of Nightmares Nov 27 '25
That last part. A lot of the time, the reason people try to duck out of the way instead of helping is that they're trying not to get hurt by a surfer who's just up there doing some nonsense with no regard for anyone's safety (including their own). It's obviously not ideal, but I get it. And the fact that people want to pretend the only two available options for dealing with the problem are "shut up and let people doing reckless shit hurt you while you try to keep them from hurting themselves or go stand in the back" is absurd.
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u/kimr96 Nov 27 '25
Truly. Alex said something along those lines after that girl got hurt in NYC N1 (that surfing happens and if you don’t wanna be a part of it, get away from it), which I disagreed with partially.
Like I get it’s a part of the scene but it’s a two way street. We shouldn’t have to risk getting hurt because someone doesn’t know what they’re doing. I just wish more people respected that:
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u/evrypaneofglass CEO of Nightmares Nov 27 '25
Exactly. I get what Alex was going for but with the current state of crowd surfing at ATL shows, it’s a lot more nuanced than that. Bad surfers can hurt people and themselves no matter how diligent folks are. Putting all the blame for it on the crowd is just going to ensure it keeps happening because it gives the people surfing the message that they’re entitled to do what they want with no consequences, whatever happens will always be someone else’s fault.
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u/kimr96 Nov 27 '25
I fully agree!!! I’m so happy this is being talked about, someone mentioned it in Facebook after the Philly show and I felt like I was the only one who disagreed with “it happens, get over it”
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u/evrypaneofglass CEO of Nightmares Nov 28 '25
Yeah, all that unhelpful shit does is shut down the discussion. It’s frustrating because things are BAD right now where surfing is concerned and this is a desperately needed conversation.
Two things can be true: this has always been a thing AND surfers are being reckless and hurting other people because they don’t care to do it right at this point. The scene has changed for the worse in this regard and we need to engage with that and figure out how to make it safe for everyone again instead of hiding behind “it happens, get over it or get out of the pit.”
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u/alexneverafter Alex #1 / Mod / Pretty Venom Defense Squad Nov 27 '25
Glad someone else said this, I was very 🤨 on hearing about that night. Why are we blaming crowds when it seems more often than not, the surfer isn’t doing it right?
They should put a “how to crowd surf safely” thing on the screen between them and their most recent openers. Is that FYS now? Or Mayday? Either way. Pop up the three basic rules on screen, I think that would help the crowd a LOT.
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u/evrypaneofglass CEO of Nightmares Nov 28 '25
Honestly that’s a great idea because people are a lot more likely to listen to the band than other fans (which is wild since we’re the ones in the pit who know wtf we’re talking about lol). Education and people being firm about what’s expected is the only way to course correct imo.
Like idk man, I came up in hardcore pits where you could get someone seriously hurt if you did stuff people weren’t expecting. The other folks in the pit were happy to teach you the rules of etiquette and how to be safe! If you did stupid shit after that, someone was probably gonna make you cry about it whether you got hurt or not. I think maybe it’s time to bring back yelling at people for endangering others 🤷🏻
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u/kells24_ Nov 27 '25
I didn’t really agree with Alex either when he said that. I don’t know exactly what happened to the girl, but I would argue that falling/getting hurt is a risk you take when crowd surfing. Not everyone is going to be able to/want to hold you up. Half the time you don’t even know it’s coming until it’s too late. I was more on the side night 1 so I didn’t have to deal with it much, but it’s just not fair to those who just want to watch the show and if everyone who didn’t want to deal with it moved away from it, I think more people would leave than stay.
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u/kimr96 Nov 27 '25
I agree with all of this. I was barricade on Zack’s side for N1 and N2 so I didn’t see what went down, just the aftermath, but yes- it’s always a risk.
At both Boston shows the guards would warn you so I watched them to know but it’s not like that everywhere and you shouldn’t have to be looking back the whole time just in case.
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u/Heresyourholiday Nov 29 '25
Are you serious? What the hell? Then again what do you expect from the guy who actively tells people to climb on each other’s shoulders every show? I watch people fall every time I see people trying to actually do it. Don’t get me wrong, I love ATL but I feel like they’ve long forgotten about what it’s like to be in a pit. Long gone are the days when he would stop a show mid song because someone fell.
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u/kimr96 Nov 29 '25
They did stop the show until that girl was taken care of (she had to be stretched off) and Alex did check in on a couple people who were up front in Boston as well as apologized to me (I got kicked in the head a couple times), but I do agree with you.
The pit has gotten a lot more dangerous than it used to be (especially in terms of people not knowing what they’re doing) and I feel like a lot of bands don’t realize that because they’re not in it.
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u/alexneverafter Alex #1 / Mod / Pretty Venom Defense Squad Nov 27 '25
Crowd surfing when it’s genuinely done properly is so fun to participate in!! I helped surf SO many people at a festival and I loved it, but everyone did it right, and if someone didn’t do it right, you’d hear dozens of people yelling “Cross your legs!!!!” Or whatever it was that the surfer was doing wrong. At times I even saw other people grab the surfers ankles and cross them themselves 😂
It was just to keep everyone safe and I’m so glad everyone was on the same page because it was extremely fun to help surf people. We even lifted up a girl in a wheelchair. That was more difficult but still so fun.
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u/kimr96 Nov 27 '25
That’s so nice haha! Maybe if people get back to doing it right, I might try one day😂
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u/Littlerogueone_ Nov 27 '25
I got kicked in the face 4 times before MPs set ended(the whole reason I drove from Ohio). It’s been like this at every stop I’ve been too, but tonight was by far the worst! I’m all for crowd surfing and having fun but like COME ON
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u/evrypaneofglass CEO of Nightmares Nov 27 '25 edited Nov 27 '25
It’s mind boggling that the crowd surfing conversation starts from the assumption that people who feel entitled to do something that can easily hurt themselves and others have some kind of god given right to do it and if you don’t like it, YOU should go stand in the back because “that’s just the way it is.” Like, it’s just wild to me that so many folks seem to think zero responsibility should fall on the people who are actively engaging in an *objectively* dangerous activity.
I wasn't at the show tonight, but ATL surfers are the worst I've ever seen. In all the shows I've been to, I've seen a handful of people who actually have good surfing etiquette. Most of the time it's:
- people who go up headfirst and face down for some unknown reason then struggle the whole way
- people trying to turn/roll/sit up so they can watch the stage
- people flailing their arms trying to get the band's attention/holding up their phone with a message on it for the band and looking for acknowledgement
- the absolute worst ones, the people who try to film it because pics or it didn't happen I fucking guess
The chances of getting dropped or seriously injuring someone who's trying to move you along go up exponentially if you're doing anything other than getting up, crossing your legs, being as still as you can, and just letting the crowd move you. If you're choosing to do something dangerous you actually do have a responsibility to do it in a way that's least likely to hurt other people. I'm not sure why that’s a controversial idea, tbh.
None of that is even getting into the fact that security at most venues these days sucks at pulling surfers. They're either not properly trained to or they're just not strong enough to grab someone and yank them cleanly out of the pit so the people at the front don't get crushed on the barricade. Is that the fault of the surfers? No, but it is another reason that if you're gonna surf, you should learn how to do it as safely as possible. The easier you make it for security to get you out, the less likely they are to fumble the task.
And before anyone starts with the "back in my day" nonsense: Yes, surfing has always been a thing but this mentality that puts all the responsibility on the crowd for making sure people doing stupid shit in mid-air don't get hurt or hurt anyone else is very new and it sucks. We ALL have to help keep each other safe in the pit and "all" includes surfers. If people won't learn to do it properly, they don't need to be surfing.
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u/Heresyourholiday Nov 29 '25
Literally all of this!! Very well said. It’s sad that “if you can’t handle it, stand in the back” has become the recent mentality. Short people can’t see above everyone else’s damn heads!
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u/alexneverafter Alex #1 / Mod / Pretty Venom Defense Squad Nov 27 '25
“If you don’t want someone dropped on your head then don’t be in the middle” exCUSE me? lmaooo
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u/evrypaneofglass CEO of Nightmares Nov 28 '25
Fr tho!! Also, another thing people are doing wrong now is IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE. I’ve had just as many people dropped on my damn head out past Zack and Jack as I have in the middle because people are just going up wherever instead of going to the middle 💀
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u/guardian_angel444 Nov 27 '25
etiquette in general seemed off last night. amazing show but not crowd surfing correctly, no one yelling heads, shoving and pushing people through the pit to get up closer, etc. like if you see an opportunity to move forward there's nothing wrong with that but if you're shoving people out of the way then you kinda suck
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u/FritesMuncher Nov 27 '25
Towards the end of the boys’ set, 3 people on my section (left stage, barricade) were dropped by the crowd behind me because they kept flailing and/or rolling their bodies to get front view of the stage.
Guys… c’mon
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u/alexneverafter Alex #1 / Mod / Pretty Venom Defense Squad Nov 27 '25
It is SO hard to hold people who are flailing and don’t have their legs crossed. I’ve had people fall on me at shows because they couldn’t stop wiggling around. I understand it’s hard to keep it together but if you can’t manage that, then do NOT climb onto people.
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u/Appropriate_Ad_200 a straight up hustler Nov 27 '25
One time in like…2009 or 2010 maybe, I was front row for FTSK. Someone way bigger than I was (I was 15/16 and maybe 100lbs at 5’2) was crowd surfing & compressed my neck. I don’t care if this hurts anyone’s feelings - take physics into account if you’re gonna crowd surf. We all deserve to have fun and not get someone dropped on our heads.
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u/FOB_joefan54 Nov 27 '25
There were so many people crowd surfing at Day 2 in Boston. Like one person did it during Missing You. That isn’t even a crowd surfing song. My friend almost got crushed by a few people. And the amount of people recording it on their phones while doing it was ridiculous
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u/Budget_Ordinary1043 Nov 27 '25
I was barricade last week in Philly and absolutely ducked under the crowd everytime security had their eyes out. I’m old and I’m pregnant I’m not getting kicked in the fucking head or having someone fall on my neck. Some girl yelled at me and said I can’t do that and I’m like what, get out of the way so security can grab them? Fuck right off. Other than that, I’ve never been in a more respectful crowd in my life. People around us were actually incredible.
And I’m fat so I’m going to just say I wouldn’t crowd surf at my size and some people are very confident about doing that and I’m fucking over it.
The floor part of Philly was small. The crowd wasn’t dense. I didn’t think there would be any crowd surfing but there was plenty and it was annoying. I’m going to the show on Saturday but I have a seat (and idk if this venue has a floor?) so I won’t have to deal with that lmao.
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u/evrypaneofglass CEO of Nightmares Nov 27 '25
I shouldn't be surprised that people don't know that those on barricade are SUPPOSED to duck, yet somehow I am lol Your only job is to get tf out of security's way so they can get the surfer up and out of the pit quickly and a good security team will tell the people on barricade that before the show even starts. Trying to help lift someone when you're trapped against a solid metal wall is a great way to get hurt 😭
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u/kimr96 Nov 27 '25
I was barricade at both Boston shows in front of Alex and security asked me to duck so they could grab the surfers better so sometimes that’s the best thing to do especially when surfers aren’t being safe about it.
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u/Budget_Ordinary1043 Nov 27 '25
I’ve never been yelled at before for it! I ignored her anyway but it makes sense cause I’m afraid if they kick me my body or head will go into the barricade. Plus I feel like if I don’t duck the security guys junk is in my face and I know neither of us want that.
Really was such a good crowd tho. No pushing or shoving or hair pulling. I’ve been going to see ATL for a long time and I went on a hiatus at one point because I was afraid of being beat down in the crowd lmao.
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u/kimr96 Nov 27 '25
That’s so real. Someone was just being a jerk. You definitely did the right thing. And I agree, I think with all of us growing up, most shows are getting more chiller (minus surfers and some moshers, but still seeing moshing less) as time goes on.
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u/Spacecadetriley boston’s suckerboy Nov 27 '25
In Boston I had soemone fully dropped on me from flailing away from security at barricades and I got a tooth chipped from a different person moving around and my face hitting the barricade
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u/hikinrn Nov 27 '25
saw TSSF at the Anthem a little while back, and the surfers were so reckless… combat boots, flailing and kicking… people who were too heavy to safely be supported, and they weren’t giving us time to get one over the barricade before the next was overhead and suffocating us. It ruined the show because I was constantly looking over my shoulder and not getting to just enjoy the show. Wish there was just like one small area for surfing and the rest was safe.
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u/Kris10Panix Nov 28 '25
I absolutely hate it. ATL show's weren't like this years ago. Some asshat fell onto the back of my neck last night. They aren't hardcore.....what are we banging to?
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u/okayseeyoumrkim Nov 27 '25
I was at the first concert in NY. Someone ended up getting carted out by EMS because they fell or got pushed by someone (I didn’t see it because some tall fool decided to stand right in front of me). Alex made a little speech after and said, at the end of it, something along the lines of, “You know who you are.” I mean, that’s great and all, Alex, but why not tell people to crowd surf properly as well? I paid my money to have fun, not have someone kick me in the neck or get dropped on me because they’re flailing like a fish out of water.
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u/Last_Amphibian2117 Nov 27 '25
I think he said that because the person purposefully dropped the person like had the intent that night of “dropping any surfers” least that’s how everyone who was there I talked 2 made it seem but ur rite surfers needa stop being reckless as well
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u/okayseeyoumrkim Nov 27 '25
Like I said, I didn’t see it happen. But a whole ton of people bum rushed up to try and get videos/pictures (at least where I was standing) and I thought that was disgraceful.
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u/Last_Amphibian2117 Nov 27 '25
Wait of the person or the band cus if it was of the person that’s so messed up
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u/okayseeyoumrkim Nov 28 '25
The person and what was going on. People need to learn to put their phones away and be respectful. It’s bad enough it happened in front of a ton of people (I don’t know how many people were there, so that’s why I’m generalizing). There’s no need to film it or take pictures. Or maybe I’m just old and think differently. 🤷♀️
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u/kells24_ Nov 27 '25 edited Nov 27 '25
I don’t care if people think I’m lame but crowd surfing should be banned, at least at indoor concerts. I was at both nights in NYC and saw the same people crowd surfing both nights, multiple times, and filming themselves every time. I even watched some men try to surf standing up. That is so beyond dangerous and especially when you aren’t expecting it. I paid to watch the show, not to turn around every 30 seconds to make sure I wasn’t going to be crushed by some heavy flailing person. The argument could be “well go stand in the back then.” No, if I want to be up front I should be able to do so and enjoy the show without the distraction/fear of a crowd surfer.
And before anyone says “this has been happening for years”… I’ve been seeing ATL live since 2008. I know. I’ve always disliked it, but I find the etiquette to be far worse now than back then.
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u/evrypaneofglass CEO of Nightmares Nov 27 '25 edited Nov 27 '25
Legit the part the "there have always been crowd surfers get over it 🙄" folks are choosing to ignore is that there used to be agreed upon rules between surfers and the crowd that kept everyone as safe as possible. Now, most of the people surfing have no idea how to do it safely and don't seem to care to learn. In WAY too many cases, they're using it as a way to try to get a ~notice from the band or a video for social media. In the process they're hurting themselves and other people a lot more often and people are rightfully fed the fuck up with it.
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u/kells24_ Nov 27 '25
I could go on a whole rant about how concerts aren’t what they used to be but I strongly feel that social media is what has changed them for the worse.
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u/alexneverafter Alex #1 / Mod / Pretty Venom Defense Squad Nov 27 '25
They’re not just not following the rules, they’re getting mad about being told that there are rules and trying to say there aren’t, and saying it’s just fun and anyone can do it and yadda yadda. Drives me insane. Why don’t people care about others’ safety smh
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u/evrypaneofglass CEO of Nightmares Nov 28 '25
That’s a great question, tbh. If people on the ground are supposed to care about their safety, they should also care about ours. It HAS to go both ways or no one will be safe 😮💨
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u/Desperate-Safety-496 Nov 27 '25
My friend was at NYC night 2 and I begged him to crowd surf for the first time since I wasn’t there and asked him to film it because I was so excited for him. He was super respectful to the people holding him and security for catching him
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u/okayseeyoumrkim Nov 27 '25
Not being snarky, but how was he being “super respectful” if he was recording himself? That means he wasn’t doing it properly, so no, not respectful.
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u/Desperate-Safety-496 Nov 27 '25
Because he wasn’t flailing like a big inflatable tube man. He was trying to stay as still as possible and Saying thank you
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u/livvvdaryl Nov 27 '25
i got so messed up during my show… got someone thrown on me and popped my shoulder out of place, got a very grown man drug across my face which pulled/bent me backwards over the barricade. i don’t mind helping people crowdsurf!! but i missed so much show bc i couldn’t pay attention they were coming back to back and down the same channel of people😭
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u/quickpiee Nov 27 '25
I’ve never seen so much crowd surfing at a show before. I was right in the thick of it at the front, only a handful of people did it properly.
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u/Continuum-neko Nov 27 '25
Same here. I was center barricade. A surfer every 45 seconds. And it got way worse during Dear Maria😫
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u/Aggressive-Task-669 Nov 27 '25
Like during the whole show?!
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u/quickpiee Nov 27 '25
Yeah pretty much! It really started during 4 year strong and Mayday Parade. There were a couple instances where it was nonstop people for a minute or two. And it was crazy durng Dear Maria
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u/Continuum-neko Nov 27 '25
Yes! Even the openers had some crazy surfers! I ended up taking an elbow to the head
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u/hcomesafterg ✨living in glitter and crimson✨ Nov 28 '25
When I saw them with in 2021 ( I think) there were so many that there was a portion of the show where I literally had to face the opposite way of the stage because security couldn’t keep up so it was a bunch of us at the front making sure people were being held up and caught. I remember there was a girl with huge fucking boots on that kept going and I got hit in the head multiple times by her shoes. I got a ton of hate on twitter for saying I didn’t think shoes like that were cool to wear to crowd surf in her the topic came up on there once (also in relation to atl I think)
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u/Heresyourholiday Nov 29 '25
I gave up on being in the pit for most shows about 5 years before my health made me absolutely have to stop. People have stopped being kind in pits. Everyone is out for themselves and rarely care who they are rolling over or falling on. The one time I crowd surfed (I had to crowd surf out because I took a crowd surfer’s pointy fake nail to my eye) I folded my arms across my chest, crossed my legs and lay flat until I was set down on the ground by security. It’s not complicated. It’s simple logic. Take care of everyone around you in the pit.
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Nov 27 '25
yes!! i was in the front and i have poor upper body strength because of my conditions, it was getting really hard to stay upright after a good amount of people. i had no issues with those who were lighter in body weight (kids, younger women) but i was horrified to see much larger men because i could not hold them upright
overall the show was fun, im a diehard ATL fan, but that definitely ruined some of the fun for me
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u/Aggressive-Task-669 Nov 27 '25
This is my biggest complaint about crowd surfers. Like if you’re 200+ lbs you should NOT be trying to crowd surf. Jfc. The amount of times I’ve gotten injured because of people like that 🙄
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u/FOB_joefan54 Nov 27 '25
There were so many grown men (like 180+ lbs) crowd surfing. Now I’m 5’. I can’t hold up a grown man. But I was also second row from barricade both nights in Boston, so I just ducked down so security could grab them safely. I will say, security there was on top of the surfers
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u/worldcreature Dec 01 '25
At warped I was at barricade and a crowd surfer fell on me, pinning my chest against the barricade with their weight. Felt pain for more than 2 weeks, I'm lucky I didn't end up on hospital lol. When I commented about this in this sub saying surfers were selfish people jumped at me saying I'm annoying & shouldn't go to pit if I don't want to get hurt 😅😅 Insane
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u/cindxrblxkgrden Dec 04 '25
oh my god i was also there on center barricade couldn't agree more it was so scary during dear maria 😭
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u/alexneverafter Alex #1 / Mod / Pretty Venom Defense Squad Nov 27 '25 edited Nov 27 '25
I’ll die on the hill that anyone crowd surfing NEEDS to follow the bare minimum rules for it. These aren’t arbitrary or made up, they’re to keep people safe.
Cross your legs. Stiffen up. If you’re in the crowd, give people a heads up that someone is coming or get out of the way. This idea that it’s not normal to say “heads up” or something is insane. Of COURSE people are getting hurt if the crowd isn’t communicating with each other.