well... hello everybody, i decided to register to give my two cents to this interesting discussion.
first of all i apologize if my english is not perfect, i'm from italy...i hope i'll be able to make my thoughts and feelings clear for everybody of you
well... i've been attending to metal concerts for 16 years, many users here for more time,so i think i'm talking to people who knows what a metal show pit is, and how to menage.
i think that WOD, CP etc are part of the show, heavy metal is a very particular genre of music, musicians and crowd are in an energy exchange during the show... i think it's quite impossible to imagine a metal show with standing people... it's "part of our culture" as the first (perfect!!) comment says...
knowing that orgas worry about people safety is great, but i think that walls of death and pits are not a safety matter. metal people is one of the most "disciplinated" crowd ever... we help each other if someone fells down, we create a safe area if something is lost etc.
to tel the truth, in circle pits, mosh pits etc i feel safe, COMPLETELY safe, as i know that the other guys will help me (as it happened) if i'll have some problem.
and also i have to notice that i never got in a wall of death or circle pit i didnt' want to join, NEVER.
if i feel tired, if i don't want to join, i move away (a few meters are enough to be completely safe!) and everything is ok!
the evidence of this is that frequentely also my girlfriend joins me in the middle of the crowd, but never joins me in circle pits, as she doesn't like that... and later we look at the show toghether again, wth no problems.
i know that germany has been severely shocked by the Duisburg tragedy, everybody of us have been, i guess... but it's completely different! 75000 people vs 1400000... different mind attitude, different drug beahviour,different venue (wacken camp is not a tunnel!).
nobody can compare these two things,in my opinion...
well,that's my thought about this... i think that many poeple would be very disappointed by a ban...you can SUGGEST not to join walls and pits,but not ban...it would be IMPOSSIBLE to stop for the security guys,so the only result the ban would get would be make people angry and unleash more pits and walls
i hope my post is quite clear for everybody of you