Then Play On

Here’s an article entitled “Fight Breaks Out At Boston Pops”. The brawl preceded a performance by Ben Folds. Evidently, Ben draws a rough crowd compared to those who usually play the Pops. Here’s a quote…

Television video of the fight Wednesday night showed two men struggling in the balcony—one with his shirt pulled off—as several people stood around them and the orchestra performed a medley from the movie “Gigi.”

Conductor Keith Lockhart briefly halted the performance while the men were escorted out.

The story goes on to say that, Lockhart stopped the show for a full couple of minutes. Looks like Keith made the right call.

Although I have never played the Boston Pops before, I have worked some rough joints. When a fight does break out, the decision to keep playing or stop can be a tough one. If possible, it’s best to leave that quandary to a venue owner’s discression. But, that isn’t nesessarily a point that you want to bring up while negotiating the gig. You don’t want to give the impression that your performance often incites violence. Although, very early on in my career, I asked a club owner in eastern Missouri; “What are the hours you want us to play?” He replied; “From nine until the fight breaks out”. It was no joke either, every time we played that bar a ruckus started around midnight and the show was over.

Back to the issue of whether or not to stop playing when the fight erupts. I remember a New Years Eve we played somewhere in Wyoming. We were told that this was the first time they had ever had a band so, it was an experiment. Late in the third set, we noticed some pushing and shoving. We immediately stopped playing and the brawl was escalating, involving I’d guess, 8-10 people. When we stopped, the club owner (who had owned other bars in different areas and presumably was experienced even though this was the first time for live music at this place) came running to the stage shouting; “Never stop playing, the music will calm them down”.

I don’t know if it calmed them down or not. I remember that a guy got thrown through a plate glass window and, a waitress, who was trying to stop the fight, got hit in the mouth with a pool cue and lost her front teeth. But, maybe, it could have been worse.

A little side note; after things did calm down and the night ended, we went back to the hotel. I was talking on the phone with the steel guitar player, Randy, who was in the next room. The conversation was suddenly interrupted and I heard some shouting. I quickly went next door and this is what I saw. Randy (a very feisty, ex-Navy Seal) butt naked, with the town sheriff pinned against the wall, the sheriff’s badge ripped off his shirt, in Randy’s hand and Randy shouting at him about entering his room without a warrant. The sheriff, it turns out, also owned the hotel and had a master room key. He had heard some noise, probably our drunken drummer, and being nervous after the violence at the bar, went to check out what he thought was the source. The sheriff apologized for the room entry and no hard feelings.

Now, the next week we were down in Colorado playing in a small town on the western range. Early on the first night, I sensed trouble was brewing. There was a couple sitting together and they were obviously arguing. I said to the band, “If something goes down, remember just keep playing”. The advice of the previous club owner was still fresh in my mind.

Anyway, this couple is sitting there arguing and pretty soon another guy comes over and asks her to dance. She sat back down with her date and the argument seemed to escalate. Then, the second guy asks her to dance again. The first guy is sitting at the table and I can see the wheels turning in his head. He is fuming. He stands up and approaches his date and the other guy while dancing. Now, we know something is going to happen but, we play on. The two guys exchange words and the first guy flat out decks the guy dancing with his date. Then, and I’ve never seen this ever happen again, the guy turns as if he’s leaving, turns back around and smacks his date. He knocked her out cold.

A strange thing happens sometimes when a bar fight starts; everybody else wants to join in the fray. This thing looked like a Hollywood movie. There were guys hitting each other with beer bottles and swinging chairs and all the while, we keep playing.

The guy that owned this bar was named Mike. Mike was a great guy. He had limited use of his legs and made his way around on crutches. During the heat of the battle, and I’ll remember this vision as long as I live, I saw Mike, seated in the middle of the dance floor, grinning like a goblin, and randomly whacking the hell out of people with his crutches.

After it all ended, they shut the place down early and started clearing the wreckage. Mike called me over to the bar and said; “Son, I like a good fight as much as anybody but I’m trying to run a decent place here so, next time a fight happens, dammit’ just stop playing”.

So, there you have the dilemma. You always want to make the club owner happy but, what works for one, may not for the next one.

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Tags: bar fights, Ben Folds, Boston Pops, Kieth Lockhart