It was Friday the 13th and I was at my very first Modern Baseball concert. Previously they had canceled their spring 2017 tour along with announcing that the band was going on break. This sat in the back of my head the whole concert, knowing that this would probably be their last.

I was standing so close to the stage that I could rest my arm on top of it in the already packed pit. Then the band came out and everyone rushed towards the stage. I was so squished against the people around me that my feet were dangling just above the floor. Once they started playing, it was as if the whole pit had come to life. Everyone — including myself — found motion in one way or another.

While we were all singing, the group around me was jumping to the beat, others were swaying, and some were throwing themselves into each other, thus opening the mosh pit. That night, it was as if the whole crowd knew that this concert would probably be Modern Baseball’s last performance together as a band. This meant that everyone let it all out, striving to have the best time of their lives before it was all over.

About halfway through the concert, I realized that something had changed since they started playing. I realized that I felt a sense of togetherness with these people. In my head, I now trusted the kid in the blue MOBO sweatshirt who was sweating profusely as he shouted the lyrics so strongly that his floppy blond bangs hit against his forehead with every word. I had never said one word to this kid and he most certainly didn't know me.

But after spewing out some lyrics myself and moshing with those around me, I felt like I had known these people my whole life. Being around all these people made me truly let down my guard, allowing my body to take over. It felt exhilarating. I could feel the heat from the bodies around me and see the sweat beading on everyone’s foreheads but at the time, it didn’t feel gross. All I could concentrate on was the band and how great it felt to be there, surrounded by these people, moving to the music.

After doing some research, I have come to understand how participating in a mosh pit causes feelings of togetherness and exhilaration to occur in people. According to the article “Why Do People Mosh?” moshing causes a feeling of camaraderie because of its “chaos with etiquette,” which is how people “playfully touch, push, press upon, shove, and butt each other” without aggressive intentions. All this touching while listening to my favorite band play music that I had been listening to for years, caused me to realize how similar I was to these people, and I unconsciously began to build bonds with them.

As explained by Karyn Hall, Ph.D., this happens because a “sense of belonging to a greater community improves your motivation, health, and happiness.” Our bodies are inherently built to seek out these bonds with each other because they keep us healthy. People don’t realize it, but that’s one reason why being in a mosh pit is so addictive. After all, this concert wasn’t my first time in the mosh pit and it most certainly won't be my last.

Moshing in the pit during a concert creates a place for the listeners of a band to express themselves. After all, you don’t have to be in the mosh pit to be a part of the crowd during one of these concerts (since it is inevitable for a crowd surfer to be carried over you or for a stray mosher to bump into you, or even for them to bump into another person who will then bump into you.) Just by standing towards the front of at a concert, you become a part of the movement without having to fully commit to the mosh pit. All this creates a sense of community within the crowd, allowing them to move as one to the sound of the beat.