Pete Townsend curses out fan at concert

Thirty Bills Unpaid

helplessdancer wrote:

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

Using your child as a prop.
Where have I heard of this behavior before?

oh i get this totally, and bravo speedy!!

after it went down in hamilton the dad and daughter went back to their seats they sat down for the rest of the show sulking like their lives were over and someone kicked their puppy...then they left 2 songs before the end of the show...

and i'm bringing my 6 year old, cute as a button, niece, to the next PJ show cause i want a tambourine

I'm not saying the guy used good judgement... but how is the scenario you describe a great thing?

There are way more offensive concert behaviours to single out and attack than some guy and his daughter holding a sign.

lukin2006

So he told this kids father to F-off ... Hardly worthy of him running to the press about. As for those judging his past based on 1 incident ... Get real ... Do the proper research and reading on the subject ...

meveret

I've always found The Who to be overrated. I like a few songs and I respect Pete Townshend as a songwriter, but after this and the whole child porn thing this guy sickens me.

mickeyrat

brianlux wrote:

Although he explained to her that the band doesn’t do that anymore, she still made the sign in hopes that it would cause a return to Townshend’s old stage antics.

Doesn't sound like dad put the girl up to it. Sounds like it was her idea. Too bad Pete could have just made a joke out of it. A sad reminder that some of our heroes have character flaws that are not always admirable. On the other hand, I'm sure artists like Townshend get awfully tired of people wanting them to act like they're still in their twenties.

Actually there's nothing totally new about this though. I saw The Who at the San Jose Civic Auditorium in (I believe it was) 1968. Most of us in the crowd expect Pete to dutifully smash his guitar. I guess it didn't occur to some of us that at that time even The Who couldn't afford to buy new gear for every show. He did toss it around a bit and bumped it on the floor a few times but that was it. No complaints though (now or then)-- it was a GREAT show!

how about dad excercising better judgement for his daughter. I wonder if she was wearing hearing protection?

redrock

A storm in a teacup.

Dad getting his 15 minutes of fame by, yes, using his daughter (and maybe 'covering up' some embarrassement?)

"At the show, towards the end of the band's first set when they played their famous Quadrophenia record, Costello hoisted his daughter on his shoulders and they walked towards the stage. (ie the 'using' the daughter - wouldn't have done that without her)A couple in the fourth row who thought the sign was cute offered the family their seats, he said. (Look at that - someone got 'taken in' by the 'cute' kid on daddy's shoulders)

Then Townshend dropped what appeared to be the F-bomb to the sound of cheers and applause (oh dear... could have rubbed dad the wrong way).

"It all happened so quickly," Costello said. "Some people have explained that (Townshend) had thought that I was using her (to get up to the front) (Yep)and I want to make it perfectly clear that is not what happened at all (of course not....)and I support my daughter in what she wants to do."

Furthermore, he says that no one speaks to his daughter like that. Well... Pete was clearly addressing him and not his daughter.

Townsend is no saint, far from that, but the Dad really lacked judgement here. But hey... the guy tried and it backfired. So be it.

Again... a storm in a teacup.

pandora

making memories ...
too bad the way that all turned out

mickeyrat

Ok, Pete is a douche according to many here for mouthing Fuck off to the father.

What do the faithful have to say about Ed and his "mosquito bites" comment to a female fan at that show many years ago?

Saying fuck off is a bit different than a verbal personal attack

Indifference

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

Using your child as a prop.
Where have I heard of this behavior before?

HA - first thing I thought of was EV/PJ shows.

josevolution

I blame the dad .

Jason P

Ed lashed out at a girl at a solo show in Chicago a few years ago because she didn't agree with his politics (or didn't want to hear about them). I felt bad for her for (assuming) being a huge fan and have your idle single you out with the "F" word.

rearviewross

Jason P wrote:

Ed lashed out at a girl at a solo show in Chicago a few years ago because she didn't agree with his politics (or didn't want to hear about them). I felt bad for her for (assuming) being a huge fan and have your idle single you out with the "F" word.

What did she say or do to get him to lash out?

Jason P

rearviewross wrote:

Jason P wrote:

Ed lashed out at a girl at a solo show in Chicago a few years ago because she didn't agree with his politics (or didn't want to hear about them). I felt bad for her for (assuming) being a huge fan and have your idle single you out with the "F" word.

What did she say or do to get him to lash out?

He was talking politics in between songs and I think she yelled at him to shut up and Ed gave a very directed 'Eff You and a 30 second dressing down.

I think Ed realized he exploded rather harshly and gave a semi-apology half-way though, but he was pretty worked up. I just remember being thankful I wasn't in her shoes.

This was in '08 right before the elections. Sean Penn was at the show ... I can only imagine that led to more politics being involved then usual.

helplessdancer

mickeyrat wrote:

how about dad excercising better judgement for his daughter. I wonder if she was wearing hearing protection?

indeed! the dad should not be taking his little kid to this show
5:15 has some lyrics and a chorus that is not for 7year olds
leave your kid at home i say.

and to answer your question...yes she had ear muffs on...and they looked like good ones to me

helplessdancer

Thirty Bills Unpaid wrote:

helplessdancer wrote:

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

Using your child as a prop.
Where have I heard of this behavior before?

oh i get this totally, and bravo speedy!!

after it went down in hamilton the dad and daughter went back to their seats they sat down for the rest of the show sulking like their lives were over and someone kicked their puppy...then they left 2 songs before the end of the show...

and i'm bringing my 6 year old, cute as a button, niece, to the next PJ show cause i want a tambourine

I'm not saying the guy used good judgement... but how is the scenario you describe a great thing?

There are way more offensive concert behaviours to single out and attack than some guy and his daughter holding a sign.

are you saying that I SAID it was a "great thing" ?
show me where i said that.

Jeanwah

Jason P wrote:

rearviewross wrote:

Jason P wrote:

Ed lashed out at a girl at a solo show in Chicago a few years ago because she didn't agree with his politics (or didn't want to hear about them). I felt bad for her for (assuming) being a huge fan and have your idle single you out with the "F" word.

What did she say or do to get him to lash out?

He was talking politics in between songs and I think she yelled at him to shut up and Ed gave a very directed 'Eff You and a 30 second dressing down.

I think Ed realized he exploded rather harshly and gave a semi-apology half-way though, but he was pretty worked up. I just remember being thankful I wasn't in her shoes.

This was in '08 right before the elections. Sean Penn was at the show ... I can only imagine that led to more politics being involved then usual.

This is the thing. The one with the microphone has the floor. Where does any audience member feel that they can tell the one holding the microphone to shut up? How did she think he would respond to her telling him to shut up?

Jason P

Jeanwah wrote:

This is the thing. The one with the microphone has the floor. Where does any audience member feel that they can tell the one holding the microphone to shut up? How did she think he would respond to her telling him to shut up?

Good question ... I don't know? If you pay to see a music show and the act decides to do magic tricks in between songs, does the payer have the right to vocally demand music be played?

I just kind of grind through it whether I agree or not. Politics can make me feel uncomfortable in large groups and create a weird vibe.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

helplessdancer wrote:

are you saying that I SAID it was a "great thing" ?
show me where i said that.

I'm not saying you did. I realize it might have come across that way.

What some are forgetting about is that regardless of whether or not the dad needed to be addressed the way he was, there was a little girl there that was affected as well.

I feel badly for her.

Who Princess

I don't do Facebook but as of yesterday, in what I'd like to hope is the final word on this, the dad has posted that actually the daughter didn't pick up on the insult (I'm guessing that 7 year olds typically don't read lips) and that she had a good time at the show. He now regrets putting the story out on the internet. He also says that one newspaper ran the story without his permission.

Apparently this information is only on his Facebook page; none of the newspapers who originally reported the story have written a follow up.

rearviewross

Jason P wrote:

rearviewross wrote:

Jason P wrote:

Ed lashed out at a girl at a solo show in Chicago a few years ago because she didn't agree with his politics (or didn't want to hear about them). I felt bad for her for (assuming) being a huge fan and have your idle single you out with the "F" word.

What did she say or do to get him to lash out?

He was talking politics in between songs and I think she yelled at him to shut up and Ed gave a very directed 'Eff You and a 30 second dressing down.

I think Ed realized he exploded rather harshly and gave a semi-apology half-way though, but he was pretty worked up. I just remember being thankful I wasn't in her shoes.

This was in '08 right before the elections. Sean Penn was at the show ... I can only imagine that led to more politics being involved then usual.

Look if you are in the audience you have ZERO right to say something like that. I don't care what you think of his political view. Shut up and listen or leave. I wouldn't go see Ted Nugent and then tell him to shut up when he calls Hillary Clinton a C#@t. If you want to see Ed or PJ you better be ready to hear some liberal political things come out of his mouth, deal with it or don't go.

Cosmo

Who brings their fucking little kid to a concert to get attention for themself?
Did the daughter make the sign and want to see Pete smash a guitar... or did the DAD want it?
...
And yeah... I've seen it at other shows... there parents will take their kids and hold them up to get attention. Have your kids hold up a sign asking McCready to give them a guitar pick... or Dave Grohl to sign an autograph. The kid doesn't want that shit... the fucking parent does.