A woman has been facing backlash after bringing her 10-month-old to Sleeping With Sirens’ October 21 show at The Sylvee in Madison, Wisconsin. The fan was standing in the pit area with a sign that read “Plz No crowd surfing (I’m 10 Months Old) – Thanx.”
A fellow concertgoer commented on the situation:
“Hey Sylvee do better…. I am all for shows being a family event but seriously allowing this woman in the pit at a rock show with a 10 month old baby???? Why wasn’t she moved somewhere safer for that infant???? People around her screaming for everyone to stop mosh pits and crowd surfing???? How does she think she can or has the right to control hundreds of people with a sign telling people to stop because she has a baby. Why was this allowed? Where was security? In all the shows and festivals throughout the years this is a first and I hope a last…”
She later added:
“Never did I see this going as crazy as it has but I want to set the record straight on a few things. As reality is getting diluted for a handful of people.
1. This post was 100% about The Slyvee allowing this baby to be in potential harms way and the need to review policy. Crowds for these concerts are unpredictable and are subject to change in an instant. Just because something is allowed does not mean it should happen.
2. Yes, SWS is not a heavy band…. But yes there were crowd surfers and circle pits all night one directly behind her. This and every venue is full of drunk people with no regard for their or a baby’s safety.
3. Yes, we were helping to protect the baby we were tossing crowd surfers the other direction all night.
4. I have no idea how this became about race but I absolutely am not a racist and nothing about anything I said had anything to do with race.
5. Yep I’m old captain obvious. Been going to shows longer than most of the crowd has been on this earth. Didn’t know age could define what music you’re allowed to listen to. We love going to shows with and without our kids. It’s a huge part of our life. And we absolutely love seeing young children enjoying a show with their family but most shows are no place for an infant.
6. Common sense just use it.”
The mother has since responded as well:
“NO i did not post this for clout!! this is a direct response to some woman posting my baby and i at a concert. i really do not know how all these people are just reading some old yt woman’s post and then getting all their information from there and the worlds most blurriest pictures someone asked if they were A.i earlier as they couldn’t make my face out, so as plain as i possibly can and THIS IS NOT A METAL METAL SHOW!! its a Sleeping With Sirens Show with OTHER CHILDREN THERE!! two babies including mine and 5 toddlers from what i saw but there may have been more:
1) my baby had on the best headphones money could buy for noise and fell fast asleep during the first two sets
2) i was not in a mosh pit, that picture is of me at a regular standing show that only has standing and balcony seating which is extremely limited. not out of my price range, its extremely limited. i’m not just down in a most pit or specifically went out of my way to buy floor tickets. they’re mostly all floor tickets aside from the extremely limited balcony seats
3) it’s not that i didn’t have money for a sitter this was quite literally planned to be my baby bats first show and so it was.
4) most of the tickets are just standing tickets so i made the sign for no matter where i was standing within the venue just in case as people can start to crowd surf from all angles and from anywhere. it was not necessary but i always take extra precautions no matter what’s going on with The Bat
5) we started at the back near the stairs/exist. i did not push my way to the front, i did not ask to be in the front, i did not slowly make my way to the front. all the people standing where i was standing invited us up there.
6) they were not all “strangers” 5 of them were friends of my best friend who i went to the show with and a bunch of them behind us were nice folx that assured me they would make sure they kept things safe for us at the front when i flat out said“i do not know if it would be safe, as long as it’s safe” and every single time they even felt like someone was gonna come near us they literally made a brocade with their bodies unprompted and unrequested.
7) who is moshing at the rail? like have you ever been to a show? most of the moshing is happening in the middle further to the back and we were to the far right front of the stage.
8 ) security made sure we were safe the whole show
9) my sign was not so that no one would crowd surf it was to let people know, hey push them in the other direction if you do because i am protecting much more precious cargo and will not be lifting them so direct them towards people who will and they did exactly that. i just obviously did not fit that whole statement on a piece of poster board. it was through constant communication with the crowd, friends new and old. i didn’t even have the sign up for more than a few minutes and it became clear i did not need it as everyone was mindful of us being there as they were the ones who literally invited us and insisted they would protect us and they did.
10) there is no looks to keep up. i posted that i was going to a show here where ive made all my fellow alt parent friend at and no where else. i have thousands and thousands of followers other places and did not say anything there so what appearance did i have to keep up?
this was my baby bats first show ever and the crowd there made sure to make it extra special. i was fine in the spot i was at and excited to share a moment with my Baby Bat and others there also wanted to share in the moment too i suppose because everyone showed up for us even when no one had asked. yall seem to not have a sense of community. at shows i go to people care about the young people there, the babies, the pregnant womxn. it’s not just every man for themselves. i went with one friend who i consider my baby bats aunt snd they gained so many one night aunts and uncles that i did not expect. if you want to be mad because you would not take your kid to a show, that your decision. my Baby Bat was safe and i made sure of it at all times. no bat didn’t over heat, there was a fan. no bat wasn’t dehydrated they had an entire meal before the show and had a a big bottle at the show and constant access to water , yes baby’s diaper got changed before the show started and after, no they didn’t scream, or cry they went to sleep for 2 1/2 of the sets and woke up for the second half of SWS and just looked around like everything was so magical. they didn’t go to sleep because our house is usually loud, they went to sleep because i have them in a very strict schedule of in bed by 7pm so they will always go into sleep mode after 7 not matter what. the fact that your concern for my baby seems like it’s wrapped in you trying to directly cause harm to my family or worst case, cost us our lives is extremely frightening. more frightening than anything we experienced that night. we were met with love and affection and community and you all have put my life and my baby’s life in jeopardy here today. your words and your random out rage for a stranger that you do not know and do not have the full context of the situation for can cause real world repercussions for a family that you clearly do not care about. if you did, you would have asked me questions about my child’s safety, you would have opened up a conversation and gotten all the detail before you started spewing hate, fat shaming people, threatening to have my baby take away, throwing around the R slur, rallying behind people with screen names such as “Marylin Manson” trying to call the police on a black person knowing i and my baby could end up dead in this political climate if you are paying any attention to the news and Kohen Wiley’s case, law enforcement isn’t above mùřderring black babies and considering it “justified” so all this virtue signaling that you care for my babies safety when you could all have a hand in their unaliving is absolutely vile.
the reason you can not fathom that i was surrounded by empathy that night is because you lack empathy yourselves. you can not see what you do not have and you personally would not have looked out for my baby and i at a concert so you can not fathom others doing so. i know you wouldn’t have because you have put our lives in danger countless times today and i hope that your 20 mins of internet fame or being able to dog pile someone on the internet you do not even know was worth it. you all have truly lost the plot and if i feel like you are causing my family anymore distress i can afford and will get a family defense attorney to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. you have ruined what was a one of the sweetest nights of my life with my child, memories for they’re baby book and stories they could grow up hearing and turn into a full circle moment when they’re older. so know when and if the time comes, i will not hesitate to ruin your life.”
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