I'm convinced that the crowd mentality at a concert serves two explicit, yet simple, purposes:
One, to make you feel like you're part of something bigger than yourself. You can sing out loud, dance like a fool, scream your head off, and still utterly blend in.
Two, to make even the worst dancer feel like they have a fighting chance.
At the Bon Jovi concert last night, watching the show from an upper level box, we had a bird's eye view of the crowd. While Jon sang (quite well, thank you very much), he gave instructions to the crowd about what to do with their hands:
Raise them up! Wave them side to side! Pump your fists now! Two hands spastically waving, a la Jazz Hands! Double fist pump! One, Two, Three!
It was hilarious to see this from above. We decided that it was simply an adult form of the hokey pokey. Basically, a guide for white people with no rhythm.
It worked. The crowds moved en masse to the bass drum beats, and the adoring fans were one.
Only the waving mullets were off beat.
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