Fireworks by Fan
- 22 June 1973 New York Times
In the high-energy world of rock concerts, flying debris has become an increasingly concerning issue. Artists like Johnny Winter and Alice Cooper have been targeted by objects ranging from hotdog holders to jewelry, sometimes resulting in injury. Managers are hesitant to publicize these incidents, fearing they might encourage copycat behavior. While some artists like Melanie embrace the close connection with their audience, others are considering drastic measures like elevated stages or protective domes. The article explores the fine line between fan enthusiasm and safety concerns in the live music scene.
Fireworks by Fan
22 June 1973 New York Times
Ian Dove and Steve Paul comment on the throwing of objects during live concerts
By IAN DOVE
Johnny Winter stopped his Madison Square Garden show last Saturday to upbraid the audience for throwing things at him - cardboard hotdog holders, items of clothing and the like. Alice Cooper was hit and hurt at his Garden concert by a neatly aimed love token from the audience. Led Zeppelin (which winds up its current tour with three dates at the Garden next month)stopped its show at Tampa, Fla., because identified flying objects got in the way of the real action-the music.
Steve Paul, manager of Johnny Winter, call all the flying debris "an emotional release for the kids." Shep Gordon, Alice Cooper's manager, says: "In a sense, it's part of the show." Neither likes it at all because it makes the artists very vulnerable to damage.
Gordon admits that Cooper had "blood drawn" during a ball-park concert, and Paul worries about the fireworks let off inside the Garden on Saturday (probably a seasonal phenomenon so close to July 4) and the possibility of short circuits and fire in the amplification equipment.
Both managers are reluctant to speak out about this unruly form of fan behavior because they fear that publicity will promote escalation. "Like skyjacking," says Paul.
Winter freaks are apparently the most varied in their airborne appreciation. Paul reports that postconcert litter includes flowers, hats, blouses, shirts - "favored articles of clothing," he comments-letters and messages. Cooper people prefer just jewelry, paper airplanes "and the occasional bottle," says Gordon.
Gordon has toyed with the idea of a really elevated stage so that any missiles would be "low intensity" by the time they reached the group, and even a plastic dome covering the stage. "But then it would no longer be live entertainment," he says. "And that's what the excitement at a rock concert is all about."
Artists such as Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck, who sing in more restrained environments, are also exposed to low-level bombing. In their cases, it is more intimate 'items of female apparel and hotel keys. Melanie, on the other hand, gets the audience thrown at her. Invariably at the end of her concert, like lemmings, they will troop silently on stage, holding lighted candles, to sit surrounding their guru.