On Tuesday, September 14, The Front Bottoms performed a show with special guests Oso Oso and Sydney Sprague at College Street Music Hall. The Front Bottoms played an hour and a half long set filled with some of their classics, like “Flashlight,” “Twin Size Mattress,” and “Skeleton.” WXCI, the radio station here at Western Connecticut State University, gave out tickets to WCSU students over the air.  

The Front Bottoms’ lead guitarist, Brian Sella, reminded the crowd that he “was so honored” to be performing in New Haven after the long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The mosh pit in front of the stage was electrifying. People were moving constantly and helping each other out if someone fell or needed to tie their shoe. The lights streaming into the crowd lit up everyone’s faces and smiles. To say it was a community would be an understatement. The camaraderie in the audience was uplifting, even if they were throwing punches and formed an endless sea of moving bodies. 

The energy of the crowd was contagious, and finally a safe kind of contagious. Concert goers were asked to wear their masks for the duration of the show unless they were actively eating or drinking. Prior to entering the show, patrons were asked to show proof of their vaccination card or proof of a negative PCR test. Inside the venue was mostly standing room, unless in the balcony or closer to the back of the floor area.  

From past shows I have been to, the energy of the audience matched that of other audience I was a member of. Most notably, Municipal Waste came to The Space in Hamden in 2019; there was crowd surfing, violent moshing, and lots of head banging. One marked difference between the two shows: a lot less touching, even if we were packed into the pit like sardines. Yes, at the Front Bottoms’ show we were touching each other and pushing each other into the center of the pit, but comparatively, people seemed to be more hands off. There was one distinct pit in the center of the stage singing along with The Front bottoms, but at the Municipal Waste show multiple pits emerged in the small venue.