In high school I saw Sting at The Ritz (not The Roxy, my mistake) just before Dream of the Blue Turtles came out. The girls in our group brought a little teddy bear for him and wrote their names on the ribbon around its neck. A guy named Kenny was elected to throw it on stage maybe 50-60 feet away. Kenny succeeded too well. He pegged Sting in the chest while he was introducing a song. After a moment of surprise, Sting picked up the teddy bear at his feet and put it on the piano. The girls squealed and jumped like you can imagine, shrieking, "He touched it! He touched it!"
Note: At this same show Sting produced a copy of "Interview with the Vampire," explaining how it influenced "Moon Over Bourbon Street," and for a moment I was happy to be in Mr. Sumner's English class. Then I got the book and devoured it and the first two sequels. Great great show.
"So the anger isn’t coming from the music. It’s coming from the broader culture."
My first thought is that this is a reflection of peoples' ambivalent attitude towards those who make their music these days, as well as the music being produced (and the broader culture as the article points out). It is a very love-hate relationship. Lots of gratification of a certain kind but other deep needs left unmet. But then again I'm a psychiatrist, so I would say something like that...
In agreement with your assessment of the rage around up versus down; concert violence is one of many manifestations. I just published an essay about algorithms, and even customer service now perpetuates this up-versus-down tiering: we've gone from "Delight the customer" to "Delight the best customers, the rest don't matter much," and it sucks. AI will probably make it worse unless we consciously, as a society, pull back on the tiering. People *know* when they're perceived to be in a bottom tier--and are treated that way. And like a thousand tiny cuts over many years, it can build cynicism and then rage.
As a musician I never saw this anywhere but Haiti, where I toured often during the reign of Baby Doc Duvalier. I always played with the top band and this never happened to us, but inferior bands often played behind a wire cage which fended off projectiles. My situation was the opposite: at Baby Doc's palace or a ritzy hotel, when I played a particularly good solo people would approach the stage and throw bills of various denominations into the bell of my saxophone.
Even considering inflation over the past 50 years ($6 to see a headliner in 1970), the price to go see an established star the past decade is insane. These stars' fans, though, are too enamoured of their music to stay away, but, conflicted, are also pissed that they have to shell out half a G to sit in the nosebleeds to see their heroes on a jumbotron screen. The ones in the pit can make a more direct statement of their feelings.
Fun article. My ex-husband was a bass player (I know. I know but a great guy and world class musician. He trained at Denton) Anyway, one of his yearly gigs was the house band at The Buffalo Chip campground in Sturgis opening for- oh god. You name it. Blue Oyster Cult, Motley Crew, The Classic Rock All Stars...
Those thousands of bikers were totally behaved. Gentlemanly, even. Such a weird time.
In my nearly half century on this planet, I have seen the norms of civility decline, slowly at times and faster at times, but always in decline and eventually too severe to ignore. I would like to think that this will reverse in the decades to come but I see absolutely no reason to believe that.
I wonder if there’s a certain ideology behind most of those concert mass shootings you listed… Maybe there is a “cultural” commonality, and it isn’t music?
Important point - Cardi B ASKED clients to throw water at her because she was hot. She didn't expect to get hit in the face with ice cubes. And now SHE is under investigation for assault for the mic toss. Audiences have hurled tomatoes at bad actors since Shakespearian times. Honky Tonk bars have long featured chicken wire barriers to keep beer bottles from nailing crooners in the noggin. Jazz and classical fans are just lucky enough to not have to sit next to the drunken rabble.
Not that I condone this sort of thing... But loving an artist doesn't necessarily mean you LIKE that artist. Why are there men who hit their own wives only to console them afterward? It's an ugly thing. I suspect it comes from a feeling of dependence and insecurity. To feel as though you want, or even need someone, far more than they could ever want or need you, can be intensely frustrating, and some people respond to that discomfort in terribly hostile ways in a desperate bid to exert control over the source of their own satisfaction.
This has been a topic of discussion on the talk show Daily Blast Live (it comes on after my local news) for weeks or months now. Most of the panel has concluded that netting or a screen will become necessary just as it did at baseball and hockey games.
Curious about what you think of that? I personally hope it doesn’t come to that. Reminds me too much of the raw hide scene in Blues Brothers *sigh*
If I paid 100 dollar or more for a concert, I want to hear a life concert not someone flapping there lips pretending to sing
In high school I saw Sting at The Ritz (not The Roxy, my mistake) just before Dream of the Blue Turtles came out. The girls in our group brought a little teddy bear for him and wrote their names on the ribbon around its neck. A guy named Kenny was elected to throw it on stage maybe 50-60 feet away. Kenny succeeded too well. He pegged Sting in the chest while he was introducing a song. After a moment of surprise, Sting picked up the teddy bear at his feet and put it on the piano. The girls squealed and jumped like you can imagine, shrieking, "He touched it! He touched it!"
Note: At this same show Sting produced a copy of "Interview with the Vampire," explaining how it influenced "Moon Over Bourbon Street," and for a moment I was happy to be in Mr. Sumner's English class. Then I got the book and devoured it and the first two sequels. Great great show.
Edit: Found the setlist! http://www.thepolicewiki.org/Police_wiki/index.php?title=1985-02-26_(Sting)
It's due time to roll down the stage cage for protection! Remember Jake and Elwood.😉
"So the anger isn’t coming from the music. It’s coming from the broader culture."
My first thought is that this is a reflection of peoples' ambivalent attitude towards those who make their music these days, as well as the music being produced (and the broader culture as the article points out). It is a very love-hate relationship. Lots of gratification of a certain kind but other deep needs left unmet. But then again I'm a psychiatrist, so I would say something like that...
Whatever the reasons for this behavior, anyone acting in such a disruptive and dangerous manner, should be removed from the concert/event.
In agreement with your assessment of the rage around up versus down; concert violence is one of many manifestations. I just published an essay about algorithms, and even customer service now perpetuates this up-versus-down tiering: we've gone from "Delight the customer" to "Delight the best customers, the rest don't matter much," and it sucks. AI will probably make it worse unless we consciously, as a society, pull back on the tiering. People *know* when they're perceived to be in a bottom tier--and are treated that way. And like a thousand tiny cuts over many years, it can build cynicism and then rage.
As a musician I never saw this anywhere but Haiti, where I toured often during the reign of Baby Doc Duvalier. I always played with the top band and this never happened to us, but inferior bands often played behind a wire cage which fended off projectiles. My situation was the opposite: at Baby Doc's palace or a ritzy hotel, when I played a particularly good solo people would approach the stage and throw bills of various denominations into the bell of my saxophone.
Even considering inflation over the past 50 years ($6 to see a headliner in 1970), the price to go see an established star the past decade is insane. These stars' fans, though, are too enamoured of their music to stay away, but, conflicted, are also pissed that they have to shell out half a G to sit in the nosebleeds to see their heroes on a jumbotron screen. The ones in the pit can make a more direct statement of their feelings.
Fun article. My ex-husband was a bass player (I know. I know but a great guy and world class musician. He trained at Denton) Anyway, one of his yearly gigs was the house band at The Buffalo Chip campground in Sturgis opening for- oh god. You name it. Blue Oyster Cult, Motley Crew, The Classic Rock All Stars...
Those thousands of bikers were totally behaved. Gentlemanly, even. Such a weird time.
In my nearly half century on this planet, I have seen the norms of civility decline, slowly at times and faster at times, but always in decline and eventually too severe to ignore. I would like to think that this will reverse in the decades to come but I see absolutely no reason to believe that.
I wonder if there’s a certain ideology behind most of those concert mass shootings you listed… Maybe there is a “cultural” commonality, and it isn’t music?
I do agree that we're approaching the peak, but I wonder how far we are from seeing the results if a cooling cycle.
Music certainly is in the battlefield. Trumpets were blown before the walls of Jericho fell.
Important point - Cardi B ASKED clients to throw water at her because she was hot. She didn't expect to get hit in the face with ice cubes. And now SHE is under investigation for assault for the mic toss. Audiences have hurled tomatoes at bad actors since Shakespearian times. Honky Tonk bars have long featured chicken wire barriers to keep beer bottles from nailing crooners in the noggin. Jazz and classical fans are just lucky enough to not have to sit next to the drunken rabble.
Not that I condone this sort of thing... But loving an artist doesn't necessarily mean you LIKE that artist. Why are there men who hit their own wives only to console them afterward? It's an ugly thing. I suspect it comes from a feeling of dependence and insecurity. To feel as though you want, or even need someone, far more than they could ever want or need you, can be intensely frustrating, and some people respond to that discomfort in terribly hostile ways in a desperate bid to exert control over the source of their own satisfaction.
This has been a topic of discussion on the talk show Daily Blast Live (it comes on after my local news) for weeks or months now. Most of the panel has concluded that netting or a screen will become necessary just as it did at baseball and hockey games.
Curious about what you think of that? I personally hope it doesn’t come to that. Reminds me too much of the raw hide scene in Blues Brothers *sigh*