What the heck happened at The Exit last night?
UPDATE: The Exit has also put up a statement on its MySpace. This is also being discussed at Synthesis and AbsolutePunk.
ORIGINAL POST: Apparently things got a little, ummm, scary last night at the jam-packed Scary Kids Scaring Kids show at The Exit. Sources tell me it was nearly a riot, with blood, crying kids, pepper spray and people chanting for refunds.
There are some details on the news blog from the police side of things. Beyond that report, I've heard a lot of differing takes on what happened from people who were there.
Here's what consistent in those stories: The place was quite full. The fire marshal showed up and the crowd had to be separated into different rooms in the venue to keep with code. Later, a security guard dispensed pepper spray into the crowd of concertgoers, control was lost and things got plenty scary.
Stories differ when you start talking about why the pepper spray was used -- whether the band encouraged the crowd to get unruly and security stepped in or whether the crowd got unruly because of overzealous security and the band was just sticking up for its fans.
There are lots of questions to answer. Is everybody OK? What happened? How could this have been handled better? What kind of effect do you think this will have on future shows at The Exit? Were you there? What's your take?
Below is a statement about the show that the band posted on MySpace at 1 a.m. this morning.
From: SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS
Date: Feb 7, 2008 1:09 AM
Subject: Terrible people and Pepperspray. Fresno
We'd like to explain to everybody what happened tonight, and apart from it all we'd like to thank everybody who stood with us.
Shortly after Haste The Day's set, when we were about to play tonight, a member of security told everybody, including us for the first time that there were "technical difficulties" and that the show would be postponed for minutes at most. He also asked that everybody leave the main stage area and enter the merch area until they figured everything out.
we had personally been told that the venue had a visit from the fire marshall because they were over capacity, and were escorting people out of the show to reach the allowed number of people.
After the Fire Marshall left, We had heard that they might be shutting the show entirely down and after a short while, we decided we would play to ensure that everyone who had paid had gotten their moneys worth.
Then some **** went down. Security refused to allow people back through the only door that lead to the main room. We told security from stage that everybody should be let through to watch the rest of the show. We continued playing, until I was handed a phone with a text saying "people are being pepper sprayed. " We immediately stopped playing and told security that the police were being called and that we were ending the show in order to look out, and be there for all our fans stuck outside being sprayed.
The night concluded with police vehicles surrounding the venue and ambulances helping young girls and boys wash pepper spray out of their eyes.
We want everyone to know how furious we are at security, and venues that destroy the community we have built together.
We have worked for many years with little help to share love and will continue being true to our goals.
We are working to find a way to make it up to everybody who was put through this with us tonight.
Even if it comes down to playing a house party, I promise we will make it up.
much love.
Pouyan
Scary Kids
Comments:
Looks like their's three sides to this story. The bands, the security guard, and the truth. What a mess.
Posted by: Michael at February 7, 2008 3:12 PM
hahahahahah this is halarious
Posted by: asdf at February 7, 2008 3:22 PM
This is why shows should not be over sold. This is also a good reason why we need a bigger venue for these types of shows. When people like the inspectors from the city fire department step in becuase Life Safety Codes are being broken security and promoters don't have much choice. The show has to be shut down. Fans won't stand for being seperated into different rooms. They all want to be in the main room and I don't blame them. So then this kind of madness happens when the ones stuck outside get angrya dn aggro.
Posted by: Xanthus at February 7, 2008 3:51 PM
last night was rediculous...the venue is clearly the one at fault. the security was not legit and its heartbreaking to see a potentially great show to end up in ruins like this.
the fans just wanted to see scary kids!
Posted by: Tara at February 7, 2008 3:51 PM
Both and band and venue are too blame. Venue should have not exceeded there capacity in the first place. You only distribute the number of tickets that equal your capacity. Venue shoulders most of the responsibility for this thing.
However the band, after already knowing that the room had been cleared by the Fire Marshal due to capacity issues, starts playing again and trying to get everyone back in the room that had just been cleared. Inexplicable. The venue just got pinched by the Fire Marshal and the band is trying urging people back in. I gotta say, the band shoulders much of the blame for the escalation. Had they not urged people to come back into to the room, there could have been some accomodation made to get an acceptable amount of people back in, and refunds to to those who didn't. Not a result that everyone would be in love with, but not pepper spray in the eyes either.
Posted by: $0.02 at February 7, 2008 4:02 PM
Yeah my little 16 year old cousin got pepper'd last night along with other people I know who went and who did absolutely nothing wrong. What a waste.
Posted by: Rob at February 7, 2008 4:10 PM
Ok so I was in the middle of the crowd that got pepper sprayed and I think I Love scary kids even more for what they were and are doing. I probally will never go to the exit with the current manager. Well Haste the day was freakin awesome and I am sure scary kids would have been too. I wouldnt have minded for half refund but hey it was all fun in the end. And if scary kids are going to play fresno again I am there. Name the place besides The Exit.
Posted by: Daniel at February 7, 2008 4:19 PM
Pepper spray on kids? Get real. This is going way too far....
Posted by: Guido at February 7, 2008 4:28 PM
Pepperspray in the eyes ain't hilarious asdf, trust me.
Those kids were just there to have a good time. The venue overbooked the place so they screwed up and the band continued to play when they were told not to and they screwed up as well. Thankfully nothing happened like at that Great White concert a few years ago. Though this is why I dislike most security guards. They think they are in a position of power and try to act accordingly. And this is MY opinion, so you can argue all you want. I'll just laugh.
Sounds like I missed a damn good punk show. Though nuthin beats Social D. Especially when Mike Ness bashes Clovis. Good times.
Posted by: Michael at February 7, 2008 4:45 PM
The show was an outrage.
I was one of the lucky ones who didn't get pepper sprayed or thrown outside.
I was right in front, watching my band play.
Yes, I agree that SKSK took things a little too far, with their f*** you chant directed towards the fire marshals, but they had no right to use mace.
Come on.
Half of the people there are 14-19 year old kids.
And for the refund?
No.
These bands need the money.
Real fans should understand.
They got to see amazing acts by Gwen Stacy and Haste the Day.
(DDG seemed to be a little drunk, with Danny Stillman slurring his words.)
As for SKSK not coming back until a new venue is built, that's going to far.
Something smaller than the Ballroom, bigger than the Exit.
Posted by: dropdeadtiffany at February 7, 2008 4:54 PM
I hated the security guards there since the beginning,
they all are all a bunch of losers that dont know **** about anything
they should fire the ones that maced the kids,
Posted by: Matt at February 7, 2008 5:21 PM
WOW... me and my friends left after Haste the Day that night
Thank god we did LOL
Posted by: Julian at February 7, 2008 5:21 PM
Thats some funny ****. one of my friends got sprayed! Thats all the venues fault i cant stand the security at "the exit" **** "the exit" bring back Big Game Studios!!!
Posted by: Nick at February 7, 2008 5:23 PM
Complete insanity...very unfortunate
Posted by: Vernal at February 7, 2008 5:38 PM
i was there last nite.
it was totally bull wat happend last nite.
1st they lied to us to get us out of the exit then they pepper sprayed us totally not kool.
i love SKSK and they totally ruined it.
i was stuck outside with 200 other people wanting to see my fave band play.
and i noe sksk will be back!
Posted by: sol at February 7, 2008 8:05 PM
alright..
what happened wasnt cool.
i was there..the perrer spray and being trampled sucked!
but its not all the venues fault..
who sold all those tickets???
the f***ing promoters and tim..
their faults..
no doubt.
i read the exits blog and what they said wasnt all true..
the band was not encouraging a riot..
they wanted the security to lat us in..
thats all.
anyways if you read the blog on the exits page ...read my comment it explains more about what i am personally doing about it.
Posted by: rachel at February 8, 2008 11:03 AM
That was really bull**** and everyone f***ing agrees. WE NEED A BIGGER VENUE! seriously we do.. if we did none of this would have happened. I dont get how they let all those kids in except for the last 30 minutes. that was absoltely ****! ugh! Im glad pouyan f****ng stook up for everyone tho.. SK SK IS TRULLY FOR THE FANS!
Posted by: Jessica at February 8, 2008 8:05 PM
Post a comment
(read the comment policy before posting)