I’ve got something to say, and I feel like it’s been said a million different ways by a billion different people over the last twenty or thirty years, but I think people need to be reminded occasionally.
We went to Hammonton, New Jersey to play a show last saturday. There were some rad bands, and overall it was one of the most exciting and welcoming shows we’ve ever played. As usual however, there was one there who didn’t seem to understand the idea of a music scene… or of just not being a complete douchebag.
Someone broke/lost his sunglasses during the last band of the night’s last song. As soon as they quieted down, he popped. On just about everyone, including the owners of the house we were playing in and the crowd of friends/show-goers that wanted him to basically shut the fuck up and put the High Life down. After about twenty minutes of Stone Cold Steve Austin 3:16 alcoholic cousin bitching his brains out and attempting to square off with anyone that said anything to him, he was arrested. So, there won’t be anymore shows in that shed. Thanks to that one guy. He successfully destroyed a brand new music scene that plenty of people were busting their asses to get moving.
Moral of the story: Leave your bullshit at home. Go to a show and have a good time, and most of all, let everyone else have their good time. I don’t think every show needs to be a “dry show” because we all have our vices and we all just want to enjoy ourselves, but with people like this out there (who probably “pre-gamed” with some Acacia Strain, a 5 dollar bottle of Svedka, and some mid grade) people aren’t going to stop calling the cops on punk shows. Or asking us why we waste our lives in sweat filled rooms. Or have any more faith in what we’re trying to do than they ever did before.
So yeah, fuck that guy. And any future “that guy” that you, me, us, your friends, your family, or any other random person in the world runs into.
and P.S. bands, leave your asshole friends at home. Sure, they’ll get the pit started or whatever, but they’ll also pull knives on people and throw the donation box into the dark woods.
-Chris
