Sue Donaldson served on the Seattle City Council from 1990 through 1999, and served as President of the Council during her 1998-1999 term. In 1994, when she served as the Parks, Public Grounds and Recreation committee chairwoman, Donaldson attended the January 7 Nirvana concert at the Seattle Center Arena in her official capacity. Her constituents were concerned about rock concert safety, in particular about the safety of the mosh pit, the area in front of the stage where concertgoers engage in a physical style of dancing, sometimes called "slam dancing," and they wanted Donaldson to sponsor legislation banning mosh pits. Herself the mother of a teenage daughter, Donaldson decided to get a close up view of the mosh pit by working with the security crew at the concert. Donaldson came away from the experience impressed with how the venue maintained order, and by the use of young volunteers as "peer security" to keep mayhem out of the mosh pit. After the concert, Donaldson reported to her constituents that she didn't see a need to ban mosh pits at rock concerts.

This is Sue Donaldson's ticket to the January 7, 1994 Nirvana concert at Seattle Center Arena.

Caption information source: "Parent in the Mosh Pit" by Susan Paynter, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 12, 1994, p. B1.