BBR and the Busted Ankle

The lyrics to this song always remind me of an experience I had in - well, near, actually - a mosh pit.

I know the guys in the band called Blinded By Rage. This band is amazing. They are talented in manipulating the energy of their audience. I know this because I don’t listen to their style of music (hardcore). In fact, I pretty much just plain don’t like it.

But when I see them live, as I have twice now, I am transformed and cannot stop myself from going crazy. Their front man Trevor, in particular, is extremely skilled in connecting with his audience. If you watch BBR and you are not gravitated toward the front of the room with your fists in the air, your eyes are not open.

They got the whole place going. Pretty soon it was a full-on mosh pit behind me, with bodies being thrown everywhere. I don’t mosh myself. Not being particularly coordinated at such things unless I have practiced them a lot, I’m afraid I’ll either die or kill someone, or possibly both. Plus I’d rather watch the band.

I was deep into the music, completely unaware of my surroundings, rocking out to Sands of Time (and probably more than a little drunk) when all of a sudden, someone got tossed into my back. It was with enough force to send me to the floor, but not before my ankle tried to support my entire body while being folded in half.

I almost threw up, it hurt so much.

I limped outside to get some cool air and try to see if my foot was still attached. Luckily, it was. Eventually I was able to hobble back in and get up front again to watch 5 Seconds Expired (I know Jeff, their singer, from a ways back when I tried to get a project started with his wife.) They were also awesome.

The next day, I could barely walk and my ankle had become like a balloon. But I could not help laughing with delight every time I looked at it.

Because I went to an awesome metal show, saw my friends play awesome music on stage and came home with a busted ankle to prove it, like a badge of metal honor.

I’m sure I’d feel a little differently if it was actually broken instead of only badly sprained. But as it is, the night was a full success.

MASH IT MASH IT
BASH IT BASH IT
HASH IT HASH IT
CRASH IT CRASH IT
MOSH PIT MOSH PIT
MOSH PIT MOSH PIT
respect your neighbors
expect no favors
attention all listeners
take no prisoners!

- Violent Femmes, "Mosh Pit"