Crowd Surfing

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

• easy target
• there's something to be said about
• absurd
• house show

• crowd surfing
• packed
• eye level
• stage diving

• set
• plow into

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Ever since crowd surfing became common in the ‘90s, the image of a person sitting on top of a large crowd at a packed concert has become very familiar. When you’re crowd surfing, you’re at eye level with the band, and for a moment it seems like they’re playing just to you. But if you’re in the front and trying to watch the show and you constantly have to pause to hold people in the air, it can get kind of annoying.

Of course, crowd surfing can be dangerous too. Some people have died from stage diving and surely a lot more have been hurt. But the risk is part of the fun too. Listen to Jason and Beren talk about crowd surfing.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Jason

Beren

Jason:  If I’m ever in a band where, like, every single show you play there’s crowd surfing, like you’re that popular, I’m gonna make it widely known that I don’t want people crowd surfing because I think it’s dumb.

Beren:  Do you think it’s dumb because people could get hurt?

Jason:  Yes. It sucks. I’ll just be watching the band, having a good time, and then all of a sudden this kid just plows into my neck and my neck hurts for like a month afterward. That’s happened a few times. Maybe it’s just because I’m a little taller than the average person so I’m an easy target...

Beren:  Yeah. There’s something to be said about crowd surfing though. It adds an extra…I don’t know…kind of absurdity to any show, especially if it’s not a giant show with a big band it’s always hilarious to be watching a local band or just at a tiny club and somebody’s getting passed around by their friends.

Jason:  No, yeah, I see what you’re saying. That’s a little bit different if it’s like a local show, it’s just a few people crowd surfing and you’re just like, “Whoa, it just got so crazy in this bar that someone had to crowd surf!” You know?

Beren:  Yeah. That’s the best. Or house shows, too. I’ve seen people crowd surf and it’s always funny.

Jason:  More what I’m talking about is a big show where if you want to be up front you just have a constant stream of crowd surfers.

Beren:  I don’t know if I’ve been to a show like that since I was like 16 at Warped Tour.

Jason:  Alright, fair enough. I’ll give you that. But what do think about bands crowd surfing? What do think about when the artist jumps off the stage.

Beren:  Always fun. You usually get dropped too. I almost did it once but I forgot to do it by the end of the set and also I had a strange after thought, like, “I’m glad I didn’t do that. What if the crowd had parted?”

Jason:  Oh yeah, there’s always that, the comical crowd parting where you just fall on the concrete.

Beren:  Yeah, or whoever is directly under you can’t handle your weight and the momentum collapses. It could have gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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