A large, yellow sign in the lobby of the Vic Theatre spells out policies in big black letters: No body surfing, stage diving or moshing.
But it was a decidedly tame crowd that gathered in front of the theater’s entrance on Sheffield Avenue on a recent Friday night. On hand to catch the sketch comedy of former Monty Python-er Eric Idle, most of the fans had come of age when body surfing was something that you did in an ocean, not a crowded concert venue.
When a security guard told the crowd to form two lines, men on the left, women on the right, everyone gamely complied.
When the ticketholders reached a security checkpoint, a female security guard poked about in the women’s purses and lightly frisked each attendee.
On the left, a beefy male security guard smiled as he told one suburban dad to “spread ’em, just like your last trip to Stateville.”
