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Pit Stories: Crazy Characters In The Mosh Pit

We've been talking to bands and fans everywhere to get their favorite mosh pit stories. This week, D.J. Gilbert of Imbroglio tell of a horrific Halloween show experience last year, noting especially some characters in the crowd:

On October 31, 2010, we played in Huntington, West Virginia. It was during our most recent solo tour, entitled "Enjoy It While It's Dying Tour 2010". It was Halloween night and we were going to play this house show. On our way there our right passenger front wheel broke off 4 lugs and we were only riding on one for who knows how long. After pulling off the highway we find two drunken NASCAR fans to help us. They replace three of the broken ones because that is all the auto parts store had. After the NASCAR fans (C.W. & Eric) send us on our way with the spare, about 30 minutes down the road the spare tire blows. So we change the spare with the second one that we have. Once we pull up to the venue, our second spare deflates.

Now if the fun already hadn't begun... We set up and are getting ready to go on. There's a guy dressed up like Peter Pan, and there's a guy dressed up like John Wayne Gacy. They were the two that stuck out the most. They were completely intoxicated when we arrived. I feel bad not remembering their names but I am sure they didn't remember them either, due to their massive alcohol consumption.

As we start playing, "Peter Pan" is running around us acting like he is masturbating and doing weird voodoo-like dances. It was so obscure seeing a childhood fairytale icon be so exploited and adulterated during our set, along with the fact he said he was on peyote and a slew of other drugs later that night. Also, while playing our set, Devon is falling over constantly -- he's literally tumbling around like the town drunk. Apparently there was a big hole in the ground
because he couldn't keep his balance.

When we reach our last song, the cops show up and watch us while we are playing. While I am screaming/playing, I look over and see "Gacy" heckling the Cops and literally giving them the finger and screaming obscenities. It was priceless and so out of control. As soon as we stop, the cops ask me if he's a friend of ours and I say "no" for obvious reasons. After that "Gacy" tells the cops, "Fuck off. They are done, NOW GO DO YOUR JOBS!!!". I am sure he is going to be arrested but they just ignore him like he isn't even there.

Not only was Halloween a bizarre day in general (with the worst luck attached to it) but so were those two characters during our set.

Funny or crazy characters in the pit is a scenario many of us have experienced, with someone wearing a gorilla suit or the like becoming not an infrequent sighting at metal shows these days. Share your favorite or least favorite pit characters in the comments below.

Imbroglio's second album, "Sleep Deprivation" (reviewed here), came out on January 18th on The Path Less Traveled Records.

Be sure to check back every Tuesday for more pit stories.

A self-described "metal geek," Doug Gibson has been listening to heavy metal for more than twenty five years and designed and coded Metal Underground.com from scratch over ten years ago.