You know the “metalhead” stereotype. Long-haired, hard-drinking punks who always like to create mayhem. However, attending a rock concert provides a unique experience that cannot be found anywhere else. As the guitarist is shredding every note and the drummer makes complete use of the “fastest hands in all the land,” here are five things you’ll soon realize make concert-going an exciting experience:

1. The noise level

As you might expect, rock concerts are loud; yet, this very quality is what makes them so much fun to attend. My first concert was when Avenged Sevenfold, a highly popular heavy metal band, stopped by my hometown of Huntsville, AL to play a show. At first, I was quite overwhelmed by the noise level. However, as the show went on, I realized that the loudness was part of what makes metal 'metal'. After the show, my ears still rang a bit, but it felt good – the ringing sounded exactly like the songs I had just enjoyed.

2. The Pit

I don’t know how the mosh pit works for other genres, but in a rock concert the pit is the wildest place in the house – this is where all the headbanging and moshing and crowd-surfing goes on. “Moshing” is a highly aggressive style of dance found in such shows, in which participants push and slam against each other. This is not nearly as unfriendly as it sounds. Generally, concertgoers are some of the friendliest people around, and helping others enjoy the fun is what makes the mosh pit such a unique experience. If you’re not that kind of concertgoer, don’t worry – the gallery is just as enjoyable, and watching the partying from a distance does not take away one bit.

3. The Power Ballad

There’s always this point in a concert where the band shifts from thrashing, head-banger songs to a much softer, gentler song. This is where the lighters come out waving in the air, and the frontman shows his true vocal capabilities. Special effects are toned back, and often the subject matter of the song(s) is much deeper and down to earth – quite the opposite of the “sex, drugs, and rock n roll” stereotype. In the above-mentioned Avenged Sevenfold show, one of the power ballads was “So Far Away” – a song about the pain of losing a close friend or loved one. You really get to thinking about the world and how, at the end of the day, it’s not always about partying and rocking out.

4. The people

Like I mentioned above, heavy metal fans tend to have a bad, and often undeserved, reputation. For the most part, jamming with other metalheads is part of what makes concerts so exciting! Always yelling with each other (remember, it’s loud) about which bands they’ve seen, what albums they’ve listened to, which songs they like – that’s part of the charm! They’re extremely jovial as well, and often go the extra mile to make new concertgoers’ experiences good – the more, the merrier!

5. The Music Itself!

You wouldn’t go to a rock concert if you didn’t like the band, right? That’s why concerts are so much fun – you get to see your idols live and up close, playing in real time. If you know the songs, you’ll probably find yourself singing along, and you’ll certainly be screaming your lungs out either way.