To be honest, much of rock music promotes bad things -- sexual immorality, drugs, rebellion, spiritism. This does not necessarily mean you have to swear off music, but the Bible does tell Christians to "keep on making sure of what is acceptable to the Lord" [Ephesians 5:10]. So you have to be selective and discerning when it comes to music.

How does your choice of music affect you? Does it make you feel happy, calm or peaceful? Or does it make you feel angry, rebellious or depressed? A youth admits: "I listened to rap and heavy metal that glorified sex and a worldly lifestyle. This music fed my mind, and the result was a craving for the things they sang about." Now if a mere recording can have such an effect, think of the power of a live performance!

Consider too: just how loud will the music be? There is a world of difference between a loud shout of praise to God and ear-splitting rock music. In the latter case, the loudness is often used to stir the crowd into a spirit of wild abandon. But the Bible condemns "revelries" or "wild parties". And respect for your body would rule out music that is so loud that you risk damaging your hearing.

In harmony with this, you should "test out" the song lyrics! One Christian youth admits: "I started listening to the lyrics of some of the songs I liked, and to my surprise they were not fit fir a Christian to listen to. I found it necessary to get rid of that music."

In addition, you should be sure the music has no demonic overtones -- something particularly prominent in forms of heavy metal music. Heavy metal bands are notorious for adorning themselves and their albums with demonic symbols and satanic paraphernalia.

Out-of-control behaviour is common. At one concert the band helped instigate a riot that caused 60 injuries! True, most concerts do not end up in rioting or injuries. But there is an obvious need for caution.

So if you should think of going to a concert, get the facts. Does the band have a reputation for inciting out-of-control behaviour? What type of audience does the band attract? To what extent does use of alcohol and drugs go on? And what about the concert hall itself? Has it experienced problems with security in the past? What will the seating arrangements be? When seating is a free-for-all, the likelihood of someone getting hurt is greatly increased.

Drug and alcohol abuse are epidemic at rock concerts. "People don't come for the music," said one disillusioned Christian man who in his youth attended a concert by a rock band. "They come to get drunk." He decided that it was his last rock concert. One teenage Christian girl similarly reports: "I went to a concert where a `progressive' band was playing. It was awful! People were smoking pot. The language was horrible, and many there looked like Satan worshippers."

You might feel, though, that there's no need for you to worry about how those around you behave as long as you don't join in the mayhem yourself. However, your environment does affect you. Note that this world has a "spirit", or dominant mental attitude. It is everywhere, as pervasive as the air itself. You simply cannot breathe in this powerful air and be unaffected. It is safe to say that most rock concerts involve risks that overshadow any benefits one might gain by attending them.