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the storm.
This is what happened, as I remember it.
We got there and we were early, of course. Center, front of stage, of course.
During the opening band, some people in the back were moshing, and pushing, and I end up getting a beer spilled down the left side of my back. I’m annoyed, but I just go in the bath room, clean up, come back out and watch the rest of their act from a table in the back.
Once they’re done, I work my way back to where the kids were, and settle in. Islands comes out shortly, and starts. Well, the crowd is just that type…they’re dancing super crazy, pushing, shoving, etc. I’m getting pissed two songs in. (They fucking mosh-pit to ‘tender torture’) I’m getting continually beaten from behind, and occasionally I shove an elbow, etc. But between me and C** we weigh about 210. We were no force. These were actually hefty people, this group.
After the third song, nick says, “ok I know you guys wanna dance, but can you try to be considerate of those around you?” he’d been seeing my frustration and z and g getting nailed when I couldn’t hold back the crowd. Of course, it was not heard by anyone.
So these two girls and a guy are the main problem. They’ve worked their way up to being in front, merely because they landed on the poor people next to us, and those guys bailed. They’re all over the place, arms and legs flailing, and I’m not budging.
I can’t stress enough how bad this was. I have deep scratches on my arms, back. I have bruises on my arms. Every muscle in my body is sore from being in defense mode for an hour straight. C would go nuts every ten minutes and shove people away from us. I went apeshit one time, turned around just shoving, kicking, yelling. These kids are fucking obnoxious. And it was just a group; like 10 or so. Others were helping us.**
Ok, so fast forward to “swans”. Oh wait, right before that, the girl next to us had pulled out a joint. Perfect. But, I’m not making a deal, I figure security will be here shortly, and maybe they’ll actually mellow out now.
Nope. Fucking Detroit.
They smoke the whole fucking thing, and the scene continues. No security. So I notice that the one chick, with the joint, is now gone. And the two (big girl and boy) are now behind me, calmer.
“swans”. Starts out calm, then the crowd is starting to shove again. I’m trying to brace, because this is z’s moment. Her favorite.
I feel a tap on my arm, and it’s the guy. I’m like, shrug. he says, “can you hand me her purse?” pointing to the stage where her purse is. I am so pissed off, I’m debating dumping it on the floor, but I don’t. I shove it at him and go back to gazing at nick.
at this point, I learned later, miss z had turned to him, and said, “go die”
back to swans. (it is a 9 minute song, after all) I’m enjoying it for a minute, at most. He’s hitting the big guitar riff, when I feel a disturbance in the force behind me. I’m starting to get shoved again….I turn my face to the right, and then…..bam.
For a split second, I’m thinking, bottle? shoe? But then, my hair is getting ripped out of it’s ponytail, my arms are getting yanked, people are flailing everywhere….ok I’m in a fucking girl fight. And my vision is blocked in my right eye now, I’m seeing stars, literally.
It wasn’t more than a few seconds, I’d say, and then I’m sitting on the stage. The music has stopped, Evan has his arms around my shoulders, asking if I’m ok. Geordie is there too, nick is standing behind me, guitar on, numb. Evan says, “come one, let’s go, come with me”. I’m saying, “no…I can’t see…” but he just wants me out of there. Everyone is standing around, I’m asking where she went….she left, it was the girl.
So, I get up onstage, Evan behind me….I grab, or nick grabs, my hand…and guides me to the back, off stage and into the dressing room. apparently he also says into the mic, “not cool, guys”
Now I’m in the dressing room. With the entire band. And no kids. Where are my kids. Ok, well, geordie was out on stage with the girls, because in the melée, z’s $400 film camera had vanished off her wrist. He was helping her look for it.
They all come back into the dressing room about five minutes later. I now have a craftily made ice pack on my face, and nick has gotten me a bottle of water. He’s profoundly bummed. And pissed off. I keep apologizing, for my tears, for the show being ruined. They’re all like, “no, no, those people were nuts. You were just protecting your kids, etc…” in fact, nick apologized several times, saying, “I asked them to stop. I tried.” and when he hears about z’s camera, he’s really bummed. He says, “ok we’re not going back out there unless someone coughs up that camera.” Someone, I think Evan, says, “well it wasn’t the whole crowd, it was just a few….” so they agree, after debate on one more song.
The bar manager, who had checked on me several times already….and I’d let it known to him that his security was horrible, this was ridiculous, etc, and that z’s camera was missing….tells us to come out on stage for the last song. So we get to watch from by the sound board, pretty cool.
Nick ends the song, says, “goodbye” And walks off. He so pissed, it was great.
So, we all go backstage, say goodbyes….they say they’ll look for the camera, etc. Nick says he’ll “do some investigating”… When we go out to the room, z talks to a group of boys that say they saw the girl that hit me pick up the camera and put it in her purse. Awesome. We go back and tell nick, who’s talking to some girls. He’s bummed, hugs the girls goodbye and poses for pics with a group of people that you could tell he was not happy about.
Ok, anyway. Time to leave. Time for the three hour car ride home. I’ve regained my sight, I’m ok. Just really really upset. z is crushed about her camera,
We head down the stairs to leave, and I say to C**, “I should probably file a police report”. He agrees. At the bottom of the steps is the “head of security”.
I walk up to him and say, “I was punched in the face and my daughter’s camera was stolen up there. I need to file a police report” He was like, “ok that’s your prerogative.” As we are talking z grabs my arm and says, “mom! It’s her!”
The fucking bitch is standing outside, yapping away. Clear view of the front windows.
I tell him, “that’s her….go see if she has the camera. GO!” he goes out the front doors, I’m watching from inside. C** says, “mom, call the police.” I say “hold on a sec.” I give security under 30 seconds with her, then I’m like, “I’ll handle this”.
I tell the kids to wait inside, but C** follows.
The “security” guy is apparently hearing her bullshit story. later he tells me she says I punched her first I interrupt, say to her, phone in hand, “go get your purse and give me my daughter’s camera that you stole. I’m dialing the police.”
open mouthed, dumb ass look on her face
Her and her bf turn, and start running down the street…..toward their car?
C**: “mom, call!” Me to security guy: “you gonna run after her?” Security guy: “I ain’t runnin after no one.”
Fucking Detroit.
Me: “if she doesn’t get back here with that camera, and you didn’t help me, I’m calling the police and she’s not the only one that’s going to be in trouble.”
At this point mini security guy heads after her. Sure enough, they were going to her car. She hands him the camera. And he brings it to me.
I told the security guy, numerous times how horrible their security was, how the situation was ridiculous and I felt completely helpless, and yeah, he pretty much gave a shit. not.
we left. we all talked about it, over and over again. I cried again.
z said she felt like throwing up. every time we’d stop at a gas station, z would touch my arms and go, “mom, wow, look at these” (scratches) I tried to tell her that if we hadn’t been there (c** and me) they would not have survived. it was disgusting.z also commented at one stop when we were alone, “I just can’t get that image out of my head”…..
she saw her mom get punched in the face, and then attacked.
at a $10 islands show.
in Fucking Detroit.
*the returned camera had the film RIPPED out of it, which subsequently broke the camera.
