Punking: Fun and Dangerous (But Mostly Fun)

by Madison Herin

Last week I went to my first concert here in Atlanta; I saw Four Year Strong at the Masquerade. It was an amazing experience, and I’m so glad it was my first experience with the alternative scene here. I’ve seen Four Year Strong in the past, but this time around, they went all out playing songs off their new self-titled album, and the crowd was insane. If you haven’t been to the Masquerade yet, I would highly recommend going before you leave Atlanta. It is an icon, for obvious reasons. It’s rickety, old, and worn down, but with a real punk vibe that you don’t always get at other places. The level I was in was small and close, with dark peeling wood and an atmosphere that made it seem like a lot of cool stuff has gone down there in the past. Surprisingly, it reminded me of a venue back home in South Florida, Revolution Live. I was super excited for the concert and the rest of the crowd was equally as rambunctious. Four Year Strong and the opening band, Defeater, tend to draw a crowd of large, 20-something year old men. As you can guess this meant, moshing, crowd surfing, and stage-diving. It was insane and I loved every minute of it.  Now I don’t usually have anything against moshing, and in most cases, have actually partaken in circle-pits and similar forms of raucousness, but Four Year Strong did me in. Halfway through the set, a guy jumped off the side of the pit (which is below a second level of standing and seating) without any warning. And fell on top of my head.I’ve had it happen before, and will most probably have it happen again, so I’m not super upset about that, but when he fell, he kicked me hard (by accident, most likely) in the side of my head, very hard. I shook it off and kept on going, though the decision would eventually came back to bite me. After a week of perpetual headaches and a steep decline in health that included dizziness, sleepiness and a lack of concentration, I decided that I may have suffered a concussion. My Saturday night was spent in the ER and after being told that I indeed have a concussion, I spent my past weekend in a dark room sleeping. If anyone has ever had a concussion, then you know how bad it is.This is just a word of advice to any avid rock-concert goers, but please do not put moshing too hard or throwing yourself all in during a concert over your health. I did, and I have nothing but a sore head to show for it. While I definitely will still be going to concerts, I will have to make sure to be more aware and recognize when its getting too rough. You should too- it’s not worth the risk. Despite everything that happened, I don’t blame anyone, and it didn’t diminish the amount of fun I had at the concert. I’m still glad I went, and if anything, it’ll be an interesting reminder of my first concert in Atlanta. To Atlanta's alternative scene, keep on rocking.