Did you ever have that one friend, the kid from the neighborhood that everyone knew was trouble except for you? Did your parents ever straight-up tell you that your pal wasn't allowed over at the house anymore? You weren't the only one. Music, usually specified by genres, has been kicked out many a house over the years. Check out the list below to find out how and (sometimes illogically, why) music has gotten the axe at these historic venues.
Rock 'n' Roll @ Memorial Coliseum (1956)
Elvis Presley was it for the music industry when he sprang on the rock 'n' roll, and he embodied everything that parents feared in the genre: hips shaking, vocals not always sung melodically, sexual innuendos just slightly less-hidden than the music that had been popular up until that point in history. Tom Davis, the city building manager of Corpus Christi, Texas, became alarmed when he read an article in Variety titled "ROCK 'N' ROLL B.O. 'DYNAMITE'," probably not realizing "B.O." stood for "box office," not actual dynamite. He bought into the idea that rock concerts would create animal unrest in the youth, resulting in riots and copulating in the streets, et cetera. It was too late to cancel Presley's stop at the Memorial Coliseum when he realized hell was descending on his town, but as soon as it was done Davis declared that never again would rock appear at the city coliseum, citing the obvious chaos it had created in the youth of the region. Facts that, oddly, the sheriff's department and the local juvenile court judge also denied a rise in crime following the rise of rock.
Rock 'n' Roll @ DAR Constitution Hall (1970)
Granted, although Presley caused roughly $0 in damages when he appeared at Memorial Coliseum, many concerts have cause legitimate property damage. Most venues plan for this and plot contracts to ensure that performers won't get away with destroying a perfectly nice set of stage monitors. The DAR (Daughters of The American Revolution) Constitution Hall wasn't ready for Sly and The Family Stone when it came through during February, 1979 however. The band caused more than $1,000 worth of damage and, to add fuel to the fire, played an hour longer than allowed. The Daughters declared that from that point on, rock would no longer be welcome at the Hall. They've loosened up recently...if you consider John Mellencamp's forthcoming April show. The DAR's history of banning performers isn't as clean-cut as the Family Stone instance however. Legendary opera performer Marian Anderson was once banned on account of being black, an action that got Eleanor Roosevelt to threaten canceling her membership if Anderson didn't appear as scheduled.
Rock 'n' Roll at Red Rocks (1971)
Jethro Tull has taken a lot of crap over the years, mainly for featuring a flute player. They deserve kudos for one of the most hardcore concerts in history however, when they headlined at the iconic Red Rocks venue outside of Denver. The band drew a huge number of fans, more than the venue could hold, and this was before marijuana was legalized out there. The police force, in its defense, ushered hundreds to a spot behind the stage where they could hear the band play without actually seeing them (seems like a fair deal, considering they didn't actually buy tickets). That wasn't enough for some however, and attempted to climb the rocks at the back of the venue. Another riot broke out backstage and the cops opted to put it down via tear gas...except the cloud of chemicals floated out over the crowd who were there legally, inciting more riots involving flipped cars, cops assaulted, fans brutalized...the whole shebang. Tull kept playing throughout. The mayor of Denver immediately banned all future rock shows, although the venue operator successfully sued the city for the right to host rock shows in 1975. EDM is currently under fire at Red Rocks as residents in the area complain of excessive volumes and sub-bass.
All Music at Three Rivers Stadium (1976)
Rock music has caused most of the legal trouble in the aforementioned examples, and indeed it once again created the problems during 1976 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Alas, it was all music that stood to take the beating. The former home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Three Rivers hosted many a legendary show, including four Pink Floyd gigs. Pink Floyd, however, does not inspire chaos like a good ol' blues rock concert however. And a ZZ Top/Aerosmith billing had people ready to go. More than 20,000 too many people were tailgating before the show, and many tried to rush their way in when the gates opened. More than 250 injuries were reported, most of which were the results of beer bottles been hurled every which way, although some interesting cases exist, such as the pregnant woman burned by an errant cherry bomb, Things got dark when a nude woman's body turned up in the Ohio River the next day. The city was about to ban all concerts at the stadium from there on out...but money won out. City representatives realized they were still in debt over the venue, which had opened in 1970. It would host two more concerts that year...with much more security.
EDM at Congress Theatre (2014)
This serves an example that you'll be seeing at many venues in years to come. The Congress Theatre in Chicago lost its liquor license during 2013, which is a death knell to concert venues. They make most of their money off of additional services sold to concert attendees throughout gigs, and nothing brings in the bucks with no questions asked as alcohol. The Congress was willing to make some dramatic cuts to get that license back. The most shocking new policy that came with the restored liquor license was a ban on EDM events, as defined by the city. Many hospitalizations and deaths have been reported in recent years at EDM shows, including at Skrillex's Navy Pier show last year in Chicago, but the Congress didn't have any black marks on that front. As people look at EDM as the new music form "killing kids," expect unjust acts like these to pop up at venues all over the country.
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