Types of People That Attend Hardcore Shows

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Music concerts, especially those involving more brutal music, tend to attract a large and diverse crowd of people. However, just because all of these people are all attending the same show does not necessarily mean that they are all there for the same reason. Normally, a show-goer's motives and intentions can be easily recognized using simple observations of their hair, style of dress, how they act during a performer's set, and sometimes even their gender. Heck, there are even a select few who choose to attend shows like this for the sole purpose of people-watching! When doing this, one will--as expected--discover an eclectic mix of looks and attitudes and may even find them difficult to categorize due to the amount of variety. Grouping these individuals, though, is surprisingly easy. Basically, showgoers are able to be summed up into three main categories: those that are not very interested in their environment ( otherwise known as "scenesters"), those who take the entire event far too seriously ("tough guys"), and those that have found that perfect middle ground between the other two groups ("normal kids").

"Scenesters" typically are at concerts strictly for social and reputational benefit---in other words, just so they can truthfully say that they attended. In fact, most of the time, most scenesters are not able to name more than 1 or 2 (if any) of the bands performing at the venue! Scenesters (typically girls but not always) can usually be recognized by their lanky, waifish build; straightened, backcombed hair (usually black, platinum blonde, or a mix of the two); brightly-colored skintight clothing; and general aura of apathy. This species tends to travel in herds, especially to the watering hole that they call a "hardc...

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...of all, unlike a scenester, a normal kid has no certain "uniform" since he or she does not view the show as any sort of fashion contest or mating ground; most experienced showgoers know that part of the fun of a metal/hardcore show is jumping around and becoming extremely sweaty and nasty! The second reason refers back to the statement about these people being "highly respectful". Normal kids are highly aware that respect must be given before it is received; therefore, the tough guy concept of a show being a testosterone-marinated free-for-brawl is fairly foreign to a relatively normal kid at said show. Finally, the best characteristic about a typical normal kid is that there IS no "typical normal kid". Aside from obviously not physically resembling their "scenester" and "tough guy" counterparts, there is no proven method of categorizing a large group of normal kids.

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