Moshed in the Pit of Capitalism

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Moshed in the Pit of Capitalism

Sunday, 16 June 2013
By Arun Gupta, Truthout | Op-Ed

Delighted attendee Gupta opines that while the Coachella music and arts festival "may be the zenith of hipster culture" - with extraordinary food choices, music, flamboyancy and release, drugs and friendliness - "It's all Walmart economy."

Within 20 minutes I had been clocked in the face, pummeled by flying bodies and stripped of clothing. It was the best mosh pit of the day, and I wanted more. Hundreds thick of body or reckless by nature were circulating in a blender of whirling arms and legs propelled by the freneticism of The Descendents. It was exhilarating not knowing if I would be the bat or ball next. There was little risk of death or injury that led the Smashing Pumpkins and Fugazi to ban moshing at their concerts. When I fell down, hands pulled me up, backslaps were exchanged, and the good times rolled.

Bill, my companion at Coachella, remarked as another surfer was catapulted on top of the crowd, "It's a great way to let out your social aggression." I grinned in agreement as we dove into a wave of slam dancers surging and crashing.

After scoring a free ticket to the three-day Southern California music-and-arts festival, I cruised to the desert town of Indio with scant knowledge of the 175 acts rotating through eight venues, hoping I wouldn't be bored. As I entered the 2.4 million-square-foot polo grounds, my anxiety vanished because it was an ADD delight. I wandered from one act to the next, people-watched, self-medicated, and tripped out on colossal mechanical insects and wind-sculpted balloon chains painting the sky.

Star power like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Nick Cave attracted a record 90,000 pilgrims each of two weekends in April, but the real draw was the crowd itself. In the digital age, unlimited music is on tap anytime, anywhere, and music-discovery services have reduced the search for the new from prowling obscure clubs and rifling stacks of unknown albums to opening a browser. It's the shared live experience and the chance to star in your own social media firmament - by posting obsessively to Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr - that's elevated Coachella to the Superbowl of Rock 'n' Roll. ........................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/16873-moshed-in-the-pit-of-capitalism

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