Becky Sheetz Building fracas

[Jim Price]

Did anybody get the lowdown on what happened at the Becky Sheetz Building this past Friday night? There was a little blurb in Saturday's Altoona Mirror about it, apparently police were called there for a "riot" during an all-ages show, and a window in the building was broken and other damage reported.

One person told me that it supposedly started when the powers that be ordered kids not to mosh during the show, and then shut off the power midway through the show. I guess people got pissed off and the trouble began. Reportedly almost everybody had already left the venue by the time the police arrived.

My guess would be that Friday night probably marked the end of all-ages concerts at the Becky Sheetz Building.

Anybody else hear the scoop on this?

[ZappasXWife]

Yea Jim, I heard the whole story from my daughter who was there. Man, was she pissed! Apparantly everything was fine until this one band started getting everyone all worked up, and kids (or she might have even said some kid in the band) started throwing chairs at each other and fighting, not just moshing. So when the lady in charge turned off the power because she was scared, some kid went over and punched her right in the face, hard. My daughter watched all of this happen and knew the kids involved. Not ordinarily a snitch (she gets in her share of trouble too but not by hurting others) she stuck around to talk to the cops. She is really upset that people got hurt, and frankly, mostly because this is the end of shows there and that was something she enjoyed very very much.

[badreligion]

The pipebombs gave me the scoop on this...their drummer got his face slashed by a fan and was in the hospital...they played a show the day after with us and had to have their guitarist play drums...thats terrible...

[byndrsn]

This type of thing seems to happen a lot at these all age things. I think it is very sad. These kids (and not all of them are bad) always complain about having nothing to do in the area and then there are always a few of them that ruin it for the rest.

That is a real shame!!

[Jim Price]

What also makes it sad is that with this incident and the Arandale Elks reportedly not running all ages shows any more (I heard somebody new took over there, and doesn't want the facility used for all ages shows any more), there are very few places if any left in Altoona for all ages shows to take place. And incidents like the Becky Sheetz fracas aren't going to make it easier to convince other hall or facility owners to let their facilities be used for these shows, either.

Like byndrsn said, a few bad apples ruin it for everyone...

[rug]

this kind of incident actually DOESN'T usually happen around here. i've been running, playing & attending all age shows here since 1987 & this is the worst thing i've heard of in a long, long time, there's been some broken mirrors & what not, a hole it the wall or cieling here and there but nothing like this. These bands were from out of town mind you and they are known for bringing a rowdy bunch from time to time so don't lay all the blame on "our" scene. i will say that whoever booked this show should've been ready with a security crew or had someway to help defuse a situation like this. regardless we are out of another all age venue and that is a shame..we don't need this shit here!!!!

rug....INVERSION

[ZappasXWife]

I agree with rug, this sort of thing has not been happening at these shows...it was a cool scene. The band was from out of town. And yes, my daughter was just as frustrated at the organizer of the show (who my kids and I know and has been in my house before, nice kid) , I guess he got scared and freaked and just took off when the cops arrived. She thought he should have taken more responsibility to prevent this, or at least stuck around instead of running.

[AtHopesEnd]

Let me make a statement on this situation. It was my band that was playing when this whole mess started. First of all, my band At Hopes End was hired to play this show.We were told that we would be playing at 8 pm and didnt get on til 930 or so. Anyone who knows this band and even my old band (ninesixnine) knows that we play heavy music. We did not get the crowd worked up, we played our music like always and we have no control on what the crowd does.We didnt say, okay eveyone, lets get rowdy and wreck the place. We have alot of followers who at our shows like to "dance". It is what they always do, not hurting anyone which amazes me cause I would never do what they do, but they somehow know when to stop and if someone accidently gets hit then they help that person up or make sure that they are okay. So after we played 2 and a half songs the power was cut, which to me was the wrong thing to do especially with all of the equipment running off of the power. I agree after that, things did get out of hand, but it wasnt the band who started everything. Yes we were mad like anyone else playing would have been but, come on we are not a band consisting of teenagers, heck three of us are over 30, I myself spoke with the gentleman who shut the power off and told him that I wished he would have asked us to just stop instead of cutting the power, and anyone who knows me, knows that I never get mad or upset, (and I never post my opinions on here but I needed to let everyone know that my band wasnt at fault)... but the way that the situation was handled was wrong. I never raised my voice or anything to the man and he apologized to me and said that he was told not to let the kids "dance" "mosh" "whatever you want to call it " but come on, are the kids just supposed to stand there on little colored circles and not move. After that I walked back out and proceeded to load my equipment up and the next thing I knew a crowd of people were running outside and then I heard the glass break, which I agree 100 percent ...THAT WAS WRONG. I just shook my head cause I knew that was the end for all age shows there. My band has always supported all age shows and it is a shame that all of this happened, but like I said my band did not start the "riot". I did not see who threw the first chair or the window chair,but I know for a fact that it wasnt any of my band members.I did not see the fan either but again it did not come from my band. I know there were some people standing beside and behind the band so I could see how it looked like we could have done it but we didnt,and I only heard about someone getting punched the next day.The band before us had a pit going but they werent shut down, it was just our luck that the power was cut during our set. I even heard that the kid who set up the show, took off when everything started, he didnt even stick around to help.Like I said, I didnt see alot of things cause I was tearing down and loading equipment, but that is what I KNOW happened. I am greatly saddend from this event cause it is a shame that the kids have somewhere to go and it gets ruined.There are few places left that care about the kids and I apologize to all of the kids who this affects.As far as security goes, I did see one or two guys there but that was it. I agree with having security, but then again you have to let the kids have fun and not just stand there like zombies. I hope this helps to clarify what went on, its kinda hard to type all of this out but I tried. Again I apologize to the kids, it is a shame that this has happened. Ken - At Hopes End. If anyone has any other questions feel free to email me at kwagner01@verizon.net

[rug]

hey, i know you're good ppl ken my brother, i know it wasn't you guys, that's why i didn't mention your name in my previous post. you guys have always respected us here in toona...and much respect to you for steppin up and speakin out..( i knew you would ). my problems are with the ppl who did this and the responsible party(s) who let it come to that and then ran off. you have my welcome here anytime you know that.
cheers
rug

[wake up drumming]

I have played many shows with Ken, Frankie, and the boys from at hope's end, 969, N.W.R. etc. and I can say that I've never seen trouble from these guys before, ever!

Frankie is a great frontman who has on many occasions spoken out about being careful out on the dance floor and NOT letting anyone get hurt. Plus, these guys are all laid back, down to earth dudes who don't want any trouble with anyone. They've been my friends for a long time, I should know.

It's a shame that this may end all age shows at this venue, but I suggest you get the facts before you just start blaming the band. These guys are a heavy band and just can't book an easy gig at their home-town pub, they play wherever they can, whenever they can, and appreciate each and every show they have. They take care of their fans, AND the venues they play. They wouldn't do anything to ruin an opportunity for themselves, simply because they don't have as many as your everyday cover/bar band.

This whole situation is a shame, but it's also a shame that the blame is already starting to fall on at hope's shoulders!! These guys are really good guys who are about as non-violent as you can get. Sounds to me that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and that some teenage kids wanted to start some trouble and mess things up. It's hard enough being a heavy original band around here, and 9 times out of 10 when unfortunate things like this happen it's NOT the bands fault.

Keep rockin' guys
Jim

[wake up drumming]

BTW, ever notice that when stuff like this happens it's usually "Oh it was that heavy, rowdy, band from out of town's fault"? It sure couldn't be OUR own local kids who started trouble, or our own venue who didn't have proper security, who obviously didn't have proper problem solving skills (turn off the power?? run away??!!, what the f*#*!!), and if it WAS a teenager in charge of this event, then shame on the coordinators of Becky Sheets building shows for having shows that draw a large amount of kids and well...putting a kid in charge!!! Were there any adults even present? If so, did they do anything?? How many times has a band had power shut off mid set and a riot insued?? This is the absolute worst thing you could do. Let the band calm the crowd down and stop the show and talk to the kids through the pa system. The kids will listen to the band way before any type of authority. This gives security a chance to single out the "bad apples" and handle the situation properly without pissing off a hundred kids at once. That is, if security is even available.

This kind of thing is a realy downer, and the same things happen over and over, the kids lose a place to see live bands, and live bands get all the blame for everything that goes wrong. One more nail in the coffin for our local music scene.

[ZappasXWife]

Thanks to hopes-end for writing in to tell their side...sorry if what I said was taken the wrong way, but I did not say a violent band was to blame. All I said was they got the kids worked up, but that is what a good (hard-core?) band does! That was not a bad thing, I blame the kids who turned it into violence (yes, local kids, I said my daughter knew them), NOT the band. I said they (the band) were from out of town...they are! I also agree that turning off the power was a bad move, as well as putting a kid in charge. Good luck to At Hopes End...we are ashamed of our youth for this violent outburst.

[FatVin]

Isn't it funny that these things never get out of hand until the Authorities step in to "restore order".

[wake up drumming]

Sorry if I took your posts the wrong way. I was just sticking up for my friends in the band. Sounded like the blame was already trying to be put on the entertainment and that's bullshit. Some people have pre-conceived notions that a "heavy" band means trouble or violence.

[RobTheDrummer]

Yea, jim has a good point. I bet most of the violent occurences like shootings and stabbings happen at "dance" clubs of hip hop places. Heavy music always seems like a good scapegoat.

[wake up drumming]

Absolutely Rob, it may be because heavier music is not as socially accepted as other forms of music. Rap and Hip-Hop genres are enjoying mainstream success these days while the heavier scene continues to stay underground for the most part. Nobody wants to point the finger at P Diddy when their kids are buying up the albums and the clubs are pumping out their tunes, and a ton of people are making a living off of it.
I'm not trying to "diss" rap fans, hey whatever floats your boat, but heavier acts have always felt the heat on issues pertaining to violence, crime, satanism, suicide, etc. Even though I think Frank is the devil I highly doubt any of this had anything to do with At Hopes End.

[bassist_25]

Jim, as always, I find your posts to be the most sensible in threads like these. I can't come to any conclusions because I wasn't there, but to me, it's sounds like this was more of a case of mismanagement rather than some teens getting a little rowdy. People do associate violence, drug use, and mayhem with bands that play this style. Well, geez, many of the bands that play that style of music are straight-edge, so much that it's became a cliche. (and we know that we don't want role-models telling kids not to do drugs. ) Sometimes the cathartic method is the best, and I enjoy putting on the occasional Tree or Biohazard CD to get some angst out.

A similar situation happened a few months ago. Anyone here who knows me, knows I live in Houtzdale. It's a little blip in Clearfield County; nothing goes on here; there is nothing to do. An all-age show was organized to take place at the firehall. Everything went fine during the first 3 or 4 bands' sets. During one of the sets, the band was asked to shut down. It's not like the sound was at a noticeable level outside of the firehall, but people like to complain; you know, it makes them feel enpowered, because people are egocentric individuals who only care of how reality effects their own little subjective experience. So the final band didn't get to play. The fire chief was courteous about the ordeal; he wanted to let the show continue, but they couldn't afford a fine. Two of the bands were from Washington DC, so they needed to find their way to I-80. I started talking to some of the guys about how to get to the interstate. Unfortunatley, our town clown decides to pull in and let his presence known. (this is about 25 - 30 minutes after the show's plug got pulled) He began harrasing everyone in site, especially the bands. He asked what they we're doing, in which they replied they were loading equipment. He asked why they didn't have any equipment in their hands, and they replied that they were looking for a way to get out of there. (Keep in mind they had maps open on the hoods of their vehicles) He then gave them 30 seconds to leave or he would start handing out citations. Meanwhile, I'm trying to ignore him, while asking the guys, "Do you know how to get to 80?" By then, they had an idea on how to at least get to Kylertown, so they could find the interstate. For once, something positive was organizied for the kids around my town; nobody was bothering anybody; but it was shut down because a few people had to be curmudgeons. God, just typing about it pisses me off all over again.

[songsmith]

I played the firehall in '85, with Black Angel. We had face paint, a wall of Marshalls, and a 400 lb. guitarist. We played Motorhead, Raven, Wasp covers and you can judge the originals by the name of the band. We just crushed, Tim Mann was the other guitarist. Giant PA system by those days' standards. Now here's the really surreal part... it was a wedding... and a bluegrass band played during our breaks. I think you could hear us all over town, because kids came running up from everywhere... they dug us, but we thinned out the older folks pretty quick. Oh, and they liked the bluegrass band, too.----->JMS

[ERiC_AiXeLsyD]

This type of thing seems to happen a lot at these all age things. I think it is very sad. These kids (and not all of them are bad) always complain about having nothing to do in the area and then there are always a few of them that ruin it for the rest.

That is a real shame!!

The Pipebombs! AiXeLsyD played with them at the Mousetrap in Bedford once. It was AiXeLsyD's worst show, ever. By far. But the PipeBombs kicked ass. Glad to hear they're still around & still rocking, sucks to hear their drummer has injuries from simply playing a show...

[HometownZer0]

hey i was at that show and the guys that i guess set up the show kept shutting off the power during a set of 2 different bands in the middle of their songs when their time was up. i was pretty mad but left before the riot let out i should have stayed it was totally uncalled for for them to shut the power off in the middle of a set and also kind of uncalled for to have a riot but hey kids are kids and you know how that gets

by the way all the bands rocked

[ERiC_AiXeLsyD]

Yeah, it smelled pretty bad in there, & there were more people anging around outside than inside watching the bands. They didn't seem too organized there...