One of the worst cases of out of control security I've ever experienced at a concert was at Grateful Dead in NJ 10/89. I was at these shows and they were literally riding around in golf carts beating up people after the show in the Brendan Byrne Parking Lot.
It seemed each night that they got away with it - the next night it got worse. Unfortunately, this poor guy paid the ultimate price.
"Hey, listen asshole, one more fucker throws a fuckin' quarter up here and we're outta here, I'm tellin' ya, FUCKER! What the fuck, you're blowin' it for fuckin' everybody. Hit me with a fuckin' quarter again and, fuck it, I'm outta here. We're all outta here. Fuck you, and if anyone sees someone throw fuckin' change right next to them, you have my permission to beat the fuckin' holy shit outta them."
If you were there and you saw it- yeah I'm that guy. First and foremost, sorry for the disturbance that was caused that night, but I just need to vent a little. Here is my side of the story:
My wife and I were seated most of the way back on the floor where we could not see much. She kept trying to snap a picture of the band with no luck. After some careful observance, she decided there was enough foot traffic up and down the aisles that she could walk toward the stage, snap a pic and come back to her seat. I decided, "what the hell, I'll go with you." When we got close enough for a pic, we were met by a security guard who told us to go back to our seats. My wife quickly tried to take the picture before she turned around and that bastard security guard deliberately shined his flashlight right into her camera. She tried to move his hand (my wife is all of 5-foot-2 and anything BUT a threatening figure) and he began shoving her violently, grabbing and pushing her right on her breast. When I saw this, my natural reaction was to jump in and DO something. So, I pushed the guard. Things get a little fuzzy at that point. He took a swing at me and I dodged it and when the pushing and grabbing was all over, I was in an armlock and being escorted outside.
I'm sure there will be people on here who will lambaste me as a trouble maker. You know, one of THOSE people who show up to the concert and ruin it for everyone. But, I can assure you that it is completely out of character for me to get into or cause anything like this to happen, and in the end, it really only affected my wife and me, but I still think the security guard could have been a lot less zealous.
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.
That totally sux..in no way did security have a right to lay a hand on any part of her..and for taking a pic in the aisle? come on people you really think security was justified? that's ridiculous and she should file a complaint as should you. security's there to defuse situations, not incite them
hope yr going to more shows and have a better experience
To the OP, I can't say I'd risk anything to snag a picture of the band, but if I was in you situation I'd be in jail right now. Good on you for not letting a security guard get away with some bullshit! Sorry you two missed the show, but glad you're "okay".
i was there on the aisle (row 19 seat 1) and saw the entire thing happen, and your story is way over exaggerated. At first I thought it was two different incidents but now i see they were related. What I saw was a ton of people walking up the aisle to take pictures and every one of them being turned away by this little old white lady and a younger looking guy with big head phones. Only once did I see head phone guy shine a light directly into someone's camera after telling them to go back which i guess it was your girlfriend. There was absolutely no physical contact by the security guard or your girlfriend, after he told her not to take a picture, she tried taking one anyway so he flashed the light directly into the camera. Your girlfriend just turned and left. Moments later that same security guard is pushing some skinny white dude out towards the back. My guess is that you got offended that he shined that light to ruin the picture and decided to be Mr. Macho to impress your girl. I hope it worked.
Down in the hole, Jesus tries to crack a smile beneath another shovel load.
Don't worry Norm here in NY we are so use to seeing the band every yr that no one takes picts anymore you have to actually throw something at the band to get kicked out ..
Don't worry Norm here in NY we are so use to seeing the band every yr that no one takes picts anymore you have to actually throw something at the band to get kicked out ..
ed and i are buds...we bonded last year when i was front row at la2 :P
We were told by the staff there that the BAND specifically asked that the rows be kept from people clogging them up for safety. The staff took to that seriously, which they should have. People that weren't heading to their seats were told to clear the isle and go back. I don't see anything wrong with that.
My wife and I had row 27 (floor section 1 - 323xxx) seats at the isle and she was so excited because she's 5'2 and gets shafted every time we're on the floor. A couple of douchebags kept walking up and standing RIGHT in front of her. We asked them to move and they kind of did...then staff moved them. I appreciated that. The other time, another guy was standing right in her way and she asked him to move...he just did a 360 and gave her a look. No staff was around so I told him to move. He was giving me sh*tty looks so I said "You don't have a ticket up here, right?" To which he agreed. I said "Do you want me to go get security?" He just looked at me and then I got pissed. I said "GET THE F**K OUTTA HERE!" He was sizing me up a bit and said "You're gonna talk to me like that?" I told him it wasn't working the other way..then he walked off.
Security NEEDS to take care of those situations so they don't escalate and ruin it for those of us trying to have a fun time. Losers that don't want to shell out the money to get a good ticket, or aren't big enough fans to have joined the fan club, don't need to be ruining it for the rest of us. I was fortunate it didn't escalate because that's the last thing I wanted to do was get kicked out, but I was tired of the disrespect...especially to my wife.
Kansas City 6/12/03 ** Kissimmee 10/9/04 ** Atlantic City 10/1/05 ** Denver 7/2/06 ** Denver 7/3/06 ** Chicago 8/23/09 ** Chicago 8/24/09 ** Kansas City 5/3/10 ** Dallas 11/15/13 ** Oklahoma City 11/16/13 ** St. Louis 10/3/14 ** Tulsa 10/8/14 ** Chicago - Wrigley Field 8/20/16 ** Chicago - Wrigley Field 8/22/16 ** Oklahoma City 9/20/22 ** Ft. Worth 9/15/23
i was there on the aisle (row 19 seat 1) and saw the entire thing happen, and your story is way over exaggerated. At first I thought it was two different incidents but now i see they were related. What I saw was a ton of people walking up the aisle to take pictures and every one of them being turned away by this little old white lady and a younger looking guy with big head phones. Only once did I see head phone guy shine a light directly into someone's camera after telling them to go back which i guess it was your girlfriend. There was absolutely no physical contact by the security guard or your girlfriend, after he told her not to take a picture, she tried taking one anyway so he flashed the light directly into the camera. Your girlfriend just turned and left. Moments later that same security guard is pushing some skinny white dude out towards the back. My guess is that you got offended that he shined that light to ruin the picture and decided to be Mr. Macho to impress your girl. I hope it worked.
If that is what you saw, then you did not see the whole thing. I'm not here to stir up any crap, but why would I make up a story like that?
* Oklahoma City Ford Center - Apr 03, 2003
* Kansas City Sprint Center - May 03, 2010
* Alpine Valley Music Theatre - Sep 03, 2011
* Alpine Valley Music Theatre - Sep 04, 2011
i used to have a feisty little girlfriend like yours, so i know the type. she thinks she can put her hands on a security guard or cop b/c he won't have the balls to return the favor. she got what she deserved, and so did you. stay in your god damned assigned seats, assholes. i get sick of being crowded in by a bunch of dumbasses roving around the arena trying to score better seats, take pics, or whatever the fuck else dumb douche nozzles like you and your girlfriend do. no disrespect.
That 'no disrespect.' line made coke come out of my nose. (Cola not powder btw.)
All in all, venue security guards are overzealous. IMHO.....They should act in a professional manner consistently, remembering that the people are there to have a good time and paid a lot of money to do so. If there were no complaints by other patrons or there was not an attempt to disrupt the show, I think there should be some leeway there. It was only a picture for crying out loud.
BTW.. if Ed saw that, he would have flipped a bit.
Yeah, Ed isn't afraid to confront overzealous security guards...
I heard at one of the Hartford shows, 96 or 98, that Ed took a flashlight and pointed it at the security guard because the security guard was flashing his flashlight on people in the crowd. Gotta love Ed for sticking up for the audience.
I love that video. But why during a Beatles song?
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
Good for you man. You gotta stick up for your woman. 9/10 security guards I've ever met are assholes.
I agree with this, and I'm a security guard. I'm only doing this while I look for a better job since I'm right out of college, but you have to understand that most security guards are hopeless failures that create this ideal in their heads that they are this great authority figure with the power to rule over everything they see. I would say only 30-35% of security jobs protect the people or things they are assigned to protect. The other 65-70% is spent protecting those things from security
2006- Boston I
2008- Boston I+II
2009- Toronto, Philly III+IV
2010- Bristow, Hartford, Boston, Newark
just curious as to why your wife couldn't just take a pic from the aisle where you were? why did she find the need to go all the way to the front? i wasn't their so i can't give an accurate opinion. i can only say that I would agree with security. they gave you a chance to leave. your wife didn't listen and started to put a hand on the security guard. if it was an actual police officer who did the exact same thing with the flashlight, woudl your wife have even touched him/her? my guess is no. like i said i am basing my opinion on what you wrote.
I was at the kc show, didn't see the incident, but, i was at the show with my bro and he tried to sneak up the aisle for a pic of the band as well and security shined a flashlight at his camera, the security was doing what they were told, sucks your wife got harrassed by the guard though...
I couldnt fucking imagine, some security guard, putting his hands on my girlfriend. It would get real fucking ugly, real quick. No doubt in my mind I would be the one who ended up in jail, and I certainly wouldnt be facing misdemeanor charges. They would be felonies. And Mr. Security Guard would be in an ambulance.
And I am not trying to sound all hard assed here.....hehehehehehe
The second he pushed my girlfriend, the situation would get real ugly real quick.
The security guard should absolutely do his job, and escort myself and my girlfriend out of the aisle, and either throw us out, or escort us back to our seats. But the second he physically touched my girlfriend, I would rip his fucking ear right off his fucking head. Then for fun, I would bite his fucking nose off.
Yeah, as you can tell, im in a great mood tonight....hehehehehehehehehehehehe
Take me piece by piece..... Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
I couldnt fucking imagine, some security guard, putting his hands on my girlfriend. It would get real fucking ugly, real quick. No doubt in my mind I would be the one who ended up in jail, and I certainly wouldnt be facing misdemeanor charges. They would be felonies. And Mr. Security Guard would be in an ambulance.
And I am not trying to sound all hard assed here.....hehehehehehe
The second he pushed my girlfriend, the situation would get real ugly real quick.
The security guard should absolutely do his job, and escort myself and my girlfriend out of the aisle, and either throw us out, or escort us back to our seats. But the second he physically touched my girlfriend, I would rip his fucking ear right off his fucking head. Then for fun, I would bite his fucking nose off.
Yeah, as you can tell, im in a great mood tonight....hehehehehehehehehehehehe
Would go nice with some fava beans and nice chianti.
What I'd like to know is what's everyone's hard-on with taking pictures at gigs? Why can't peeps just sit back and enjoy the music? I love taking pictures like anyone else and posting them online. I have a phone with an 8.1 MP camera but I mainly use it for taking pictures of my daughter to send to her grannie.
This is a real shame, my experience with this type of security personel is never that positive, my impression of them is always that of the power hungry heavy handed idiot. Sure i have come across some awesome security going to gigs, like Nottingham Rock City - that place always impresses me, but on the other hand the security at MEN in manchester is unreal, wannabe police with the mentality of a moron....time and time again i see them going in over the top on poor people for no apparent reason or barking out orders.....thankfully being the non confrontational type ive never ever had a run in yet, but i can sure see how they sometimes go out of their way to be obstinate and to rile you......
If you were there and you saw it- yeah I'm that guy. First and foremost, sorry for the disturbance that was caused that night, but I just need to vent a little. Here is my side of the story:
My wife and I were seated most of the way back on the floor where we could not see much. She kept trying to snap a picture of the band with no luck. After some careful observance, she decided there was enough foot traffic up and down the aisles that she could walk toward the stage, snap a pic and come back to her seat. I decided, "what the hell, I'll go with you." When we got close enough for a pic, we were met by a security guard who told us to go back to our seats. My wife quickly tried to take the picture before she turned around and that bastard security guard deliberately shined his flashlight right into her camera. She tried to move his hand (my wife is all of 5-foot-2 and anything BUT a threatening figure) and he began shoving her violently, grabbing and pushing her right on her breast. When I saw this, my natural reaction was to jump in and DO something. So, I pushed the guard. Things get a little fuzzy at that point. He took a swing at me and I dodged it and when the pushing and grabbing was all over, I was in an armlock and being escorted outside.
I'm sure there will be people on here who will lambaste me as a trouble maker. You know, one of THOSE people who show up to the concert and ruin it for everyone. But, I can assure you that it is completely out of character for me to get into or cause anything like this to happen, and in the end, it really only affected my wife and me, but I still think the security guard could have been a lot less zealous.
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.
I didn't read through all the comments here but just wanted to say I'm very sorry you missed the show. I know the anticipation and how excited you were to be there, you and your wife. I sometimes think if security understood this enthusiasm they would be kinder and gentler with the fans. And flip side also some fans can be a little disrespectful and rude to the security, not your situation but I've seen some. I've seen security actually get their feelings hurt.
I'm sure you are both very disappointed and I hope you get a chance to see them again soon, don't wait too long, just make it happen somehow. It'll replace this experience and make it a thing of the past where it belongs, just a lesson learned.
Good for you man. You gotta stick up for your woman. 9/10 security guards I've ever met are assholes.
I agree with this, and I'm a security guard. I'm only doing this while I look for a better job since I'm right out of college, but you have to understand that most security guards are hopeless failures that create this ideal in their heads that they are this great authority figure with the power to rule over everything they see. I would say only 30-35% of security jobs protect the people or things they are assigned to protect. The other 65-70% is spent protecting those things from security
I saw the incident from row 14 and here's the objective retelling. For the record, this security guy WAS a dick.
A couple (I'm assuming you guys) walk up the middle stage right (Stone & Boom's) side to snap a close photo. Security comes and tells you to go. You don't. Wife tries to snap another photo. Security guys shines flashlight into camera. He tells you to go again. As you start to leave, your wife AGAIN tries to snap another photo, at which point he moves her hand out of line of sight. At this point you say, "get your hand off of my wife!" and you push him. When he pushes back you throw a punch, at which point he puts you in an armlock and drags you out.
This could've been avoided if you'd have just turned around and left as he'd asked you to. But in your defense, he didn't have to be such a raving lunatic dick about it.
This won't make you feel better, but an older man brought what looked to be his 9 year old daughter down to get a closer look, and they were turned away, too.
7/27/1992: Lollapalooza, St. Louis; 7/11/1995: Soldier Field, Chicago
7/2/1998: Riverport, St. Louis; 7/3/1998: Sandstone, KC; 10/9/2000: Rosemont Horizon, Chicago; 10/12/2000 Sandstone, KC; 6/12/2003: Sanstone, KC; 6/13/2003 MAC Center, Omaha
Dude, you said it yourself: your wife tried to move his hand. She instigated physical contact, and that is wrong.
Just like someone else already said too -- What if everyone thought it was their right to sneak up closer to get a lousy picture, it would be complete chaos.
And you always gotta go into these situations assuming security guys are dicks, so steer clear and be good.
Dude, you said it yourself: your wife tried to move his hand. She instigated physical contact, and that is wrong.
Just like someone else already said too -- What if everyone thought it was their right to sneak up closer to get a lousy picture, it would be complete chaos.
And you always gotta go into these situations assuming security guys are dicks, so steer clear and be good.
What is all this sticking up for the man shit? Worst case scenario here.... The dudes wife stands there for 2 or 3 minutes snaps some photos, has some great memories and souvenirs and then goes and sits down.
I think that everyone has learned a valuable lesson here... and that is that seated concerts are utterly fucking shit. :thumbup:
oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
Comments
It seemed each night that they got away with it - the next night it got worse. Unfortunately, this poor guy paid the ultimate price.
http://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/12/nyreg ... gewanted=1
That totally sux..in no way did security have a right to lay a hand on any part of her..and for taking a pic in the aisle? come on people you really think security was justified? that's ridiculous and she should file a complaint as should you. security's there to defuse situations, not incite them
hope yr going to more shows and have a better experience
'00 12 shows / '03 4 shows / '06 6 shows
'08 3 shows / '09 5 shows / '10 6 shows
Don't worry Norm here in NY we are so use to seeing the band every yr that no one takes picts anymore
My wife and I had row 27 (floor section 1 - 323xxx) seats at the isle and she was so excited because she's 5'2 and gets shafted every time we're on the floor. A couple of douchebags kept walking up and standing RIGHT in front of her. We asked them to move and they kind of did...then staff moved them. I appreciated that. The other time, another guy was standing right in her way and she asked him to move...he just did a 360 and gave her a look. No staff was around so I told him to move. He was giving me sh*tty looks so I said "You don't have a ticket up here, right?" To which he agreed. I said "Do you want me to go get security?" He just looked at me and then I got pissed. I said "GET THE F**K OUTTA HERE!" He was sizing me up a bit and said "You're gonna talk to me like that?" I told him it wasn't working the other way..then he walked off.
Security NEEDS to take care of those situations so they don't escalate and ruin it for those of us trying to have a fun time. Losers that don't want to shell out the money to get a good ticket, or aren't big enough fans to have joined the fan club, don't need to be ruining it for the rest of us. I was fortunate it didn't escalate because that's the last thing I wanted to do was get kicked out, but I was tired of the disrespect...especially to my wife.
EV - St. Louis 7/1/11 ** Tulsa 11/19/12
You mustn't have smelt the good stuff.
If that is what you saw, then you did not see the whole thing. I'm not here to stir up any crap, but why would I make up a story like that?
* Kansas City Sprint Center - May 03, 2010
* Alpine Valley Music Theatre - Sep 03, 2011
* Alpine Valley Music Theatre - Sep 04, 2011
That 'no disrespect.' line made coke come out of my nose. (Cola not powder btw.)
I heard at one of the Hartford shows, 96 or 98, that Ed took a flashlight and pointed it at the security guard because the security guard was flashing his flashlight on people in the crowd. Gotta love Ed for sticking up for the audience.
I love that video. But why during a Beatles song?
"Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
Fire regulations usually require that aisles be clear, so security is simply doing their jobs when they keep the aisles clear.
Obviously security shouldn't overstep their bounds, but based on how some people behave, I bet it gets very frustrating.
I agree with this, and I'm a security guard. I'm only doing this while I look for a better job since I'm right out of college, but you have to understand that most security guards are hopeless failures that create this ideal in their heads that they are this great authority figure with the power to rule over everything they see. I would say only 30-35% of security jobs protect the people or things they are assigned to protect. The other 65-70% is spent protecting those things from security
2008- Boston I+II
2009- Toronto, Philly III+IV
2010- Bristow, Hartford, Boston, Newark
And I am not trying to sound all hard assed here.....hehehehehehe
The second he pushed my girlfriend, the situation would get real ugly real quick.
The security guard should absolutely do his job, and escort myself and my girlfriend out of the aisle, and either throw us out, or escort us back to our seats. But the second he physically touched my girlfriend, I would rip his fucking ear right off his fucking head. Then for fun, I would bite his fucking nose off.
Yeah, as you can tell, im in a great mood tonight....hehehehehehehehehehehehe
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
Would go nice with some fava beans and nice chianti.
One can only laugh at these kind of comments.
sorry this ruined your night.
I'm sure you are both very disappointed and I hope you get a chance to see them again soon, don't wait too long, just make it happen somehow. It'll replace this experience and make it a thing of the past where it belongs, just a lesson learned.
a very good take on it right there
that right there is a really pitiful comment. I believe all the floor seats are the same price anyway.
A couple (I'm assuming you guys) walk up the middle stage right (Stone & Boom's) side to snap a close photo. Security comes and tells you to go. You don't. Wife tries to snap another photo. Security guys shines flashlight into camera. He tells you to go again. As you start to leave, your wife AGAIN tries to snap another photo, at which point he moves her hand out of line of sight. At this point you say, "get your hand off of my wife!" and you push him. When he pushes back you throw a punch, at which point he puts you in an armlock and drags you out.
This could've been avoided if you'd have just turned around and left as he'd asked you to. But in your defense, he didn't have to be such a raving lunatic dick about it.
This won't make you feel better, but an older man brought what looked to be his 9 year old daughter down to get a closer look, and they were turned away, too.
7/2/1998: Riverport, St. Louis; 7/3/1998: Sandstone, KC; 10/9/2000: Rosemont Horizon, Chicago; 10/12/2000 Sandstone, KC; 6/12/2003: Sanstone, KC; 6/13/2003 MAC Center, Omaha
Just like someone else already said too -- What if everyone thought it was their right to sneak up closer to get a lousy picture, it would be complete chaos.
And you always gotta go into these situations assuming security guys are dicks, so steer clear and be good.
Stay in your seat and enjoy the music.
+1
I am with RATM here.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu2pSHFwRyo :twisted: :evil: :twisted: