This “failed stage dive” video has been circulating the web for the last few days and it brings up a very important topic: the art of stage diving. But I warn you… what we’re about to discuss is dangerous and extremely liberating.
We’ve talked before about fans who do crazy things during a show and we’ve explored the painfully unfortunate occurrence when an artist like Slash gets tackled on stage.
But after watching that video above, and thinking about the the Jesus Lizard’s David Yow painful leap, and Iggy Pop’s retiring from stagediving, I think it’s time to review a few things about the art of stagediving.
Now, you would think that stage diving is a pretty simple thing, right?
Apparently, some folks need a guide.
Think I’m joking? Just take a look at this ehow.com 6 step instructional guide on how to stage dive.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s a really helpful guide to make sure you safely and successfully convert a stage dive.
But the only part that’s missing is the perspective. I say that because this guide teaches fans how to do it. And as we saw in the video above, it was the artist who flopped down hard on a fan, not the other way around.
Clearly this artist didn’t read Step 1 or 6 of ehow’s guide, or he would have seen that the crowd was a bit thin and the timing of his leap was all wrong. I added a few tips of my own in italics just to make sure the guide was complete and the fans were correctly represented.
1. Ensure that there is a critical mass of people pushing forward at the front of the stage. If you can easily walk through the crowd to the front of the stage, then there are not enough people to safely stage dive.
5. When you are ready to return to the mosh pit be sure to look before you leap. The stage front is often littered with such items as stage lights, electrical cables and flash pots. It would be too bad if your flying body connected with any of this equipment, or crushed unsuspecting fans who don’t served to be smashed underneath the body of an uneducated and inexperienced stage-diving artist.
What Should We Do Next?
For starters, I think we need to add an interactive and educational stagediving experience to the list for improving Lollapalooza 2011.
Now It’s Up To You
What do you think? Do we need to stop the violence and protect innocent concert fans by offering workshops? There’s a lot of videos floating around YouTube, like the one below, that show the exhilarating benefits of a well-executed stage dive.
So do we need to start creating online video tutorials for artists who don’t know how to correctly stage dive?
What tips do you have about the art of stagediving?