SPECTRUM 2007-2008

“Woo, rock on!”? I screamed as Linkin Park finished their hit song “Breaking the Habit”? during their Somerset performance three summers ago. Like sardines in a can, I, along with hundreds of other fans, were smashed in the arena as we tried to maneuver our way as close to the stage as we possibly could. As another song started, the crowd began to simultaneously jump up and down along with the beat. Everyone in the front was shoved closer together as the people in the back began to push forward. To me, the excitement of a concert is overwhelming, and that is what keeps me going back to them. The experience that I have gained from attending numerous concerts has brought me to a conclusion. Concert goers can be classified into three groups: O’Doul’s, Strawberry Daiquiris, and Vodkas.

“O’Doul’s”? are people who hang towards the back of the concert. They lean against the wall, calm and content, with their arms crossed while they somewhat mouth the words to the songs. For example, my boyfriend, Michael, and I went to the Staind concert last summer at the DECC. We arrived half an hour early, and when the lights turned off, my excitement began to rise. When Staind came on stage, I began to get anxious. “Are we going to move up farther?”? I asked Michael. “No, I kind of like it back here. I can move, breathe, and actually see the band without having someone’s head in my line of vision.”? So, we stood in the back with our arms crossed as we stomped our feet to the beat. Ahead of us, the crowd gyrated back and forth, having an ecstatic time. An intoxicated man came and tapped me on the shoulder and said with a chuckle, “You know that you can have fun at a concert!”? Although being in the back isn’t all that exciting, “O’Doul’s”? really enjoy the relaxed atmosphere.

“Strawberry Daiquiris,”? who prefer to be somewhere in the middle of the crowd, are more rambunctious. They sway their hips and sing along with the music. When a song ends, they might even scream with delight. It seems they want to get to the front, but they are too timid to move any further. For example, my sister, Jacey, and I went to a Three Days Grace Concert this October at the DECC. We stood near the middle of the arena as we sang along with “I Hate Everything About You.”? At the song’s completion, I asked Jacey if she wanted to move closer to the front. After she thought about it for a few seconds, she agreed. We took a few steps forward and then stopped. Satisfied with the new location, we started to sing again. A popular song, “Pain,“? started to play, and the crowd began to sway back and forth. Everyone was squeezed closer together. A terrified look fell upon Jacey’s face, and almost instantly we were back where we started. Having strangers that close is not a “Daiquiri’s”? idea of fun. Sometimes, remaining somewhere in the middle is the safest place to be. For example, my friend, Justin, came to the Breaking Benjamin concert with me this past summer. We started out near the middle of the crowd and slowly worked our way forward. It was very hot among all of the people, and the smell of sweat lingered in the air. We were having a wonderful time, when all of a sudden, a body surfer came over our heads. I turned around to double check that Justin was still behind me, when I realized that he was in trouble. The body surfer had kicked him in the head, knocking off his hat and glasses. Luckily, he caught his glasses, but his hat was long gone, trampled by the hundreds of feet below. We decided to move back to where we started. Losing a hat was fine, but without his glasses, he would be lost. “Strawberry Daiquiris”? love the excitement of concerts, but they like a breathable radius to be maintained around them at all times.

“Vodkas,”? the craziest people of all, are highly adventurous and have an infectious energy. They love to be in the front of the crowd among hundreds of people. For example, I attended a Linkin Park concert in Somerset, Wisconsin, three summers ago. All night long, I fought to get to the front, and once I did, I was not about to give it up. People from the back pushed up against me the whole night, which left me with bruised hips. I sang my heart out and screamed until I didn’t have a voice. Because of the warm weather and body heat, the security guards sprayed the crowd with hoses and passed out glasses of water. When the night was over, I was exhausted. It’s hard to push people off, sing, and jump all night long. “Vodkas”? put themselves in the most intense section of the concert, and they walk away with the most invigorating feeling.

I love to attend concerts with these types of people. Even though “O’Doul’s”? are serene, they still offer a good time of togetherness in the back of the room. “Strawberry Daiquiris”? are more fanatical, but remain jovial with their personal space left unharmed in the middle of the room. “Vodkas”? are fanatical and eccentric. They offer a good time with a few expected bumps and bruises in the front of the room. I have learned a great deal about the types of people that attend concerts, and even though they all have their own spatial preferences, I enjoy being with them all.