go BV for not being afraid to show the world that! You have high ethical standards. That security guard is right but doesnt understand your truth of heart!

Learn how to spell aisles, asshole

Learn how to spell aisles, asshole

Pretty intelligent for a fucking security guard.

wow - the security guard wouldn't know sarcasm if it hit him the face

OWNED BY A SECURITY GUARD!

is it me or are security guards insanely self-important?

ha! i didn't know Win was quoting Reverend Ike when he said "The lack of money is the root of all evil."

Are you guys that gullible. Why do you automatically believe that the guy posting is ACTUALLY who he says he is. First of all the private security firm he claims to work for is called Starwatch. They also work the Beacon theater as well as places such as The Maury Povitch show. As for the fire dept shutting them down, i have been going to concerts for years where people have been in the aisles blocking everything. WHen was the last time you heard of the fire dept or nypd shutting down a concert at a "one of the biggest concert venues in the city"? He claims they are here to keep us safe and protect us from mini riots. Hmmm yet they were totally cool with making a deal with Iggy Pop (who he quotes and misses the sarcasam and double entendre in his song)to let audience members jam the stage in a free for all that could have endangered many people. Unlike arcade fire who did it spontaneously, it is no secret that The Stooges encourage fans to rush the stage right before No Fun. It is completely discussed with security before the show. So i guess pre planned endangerment is ok.

Wow. What an incredible non-story.

I dunno, smaller venues get shut down by "surprise" fire dept inspections all the time. Never heard of Coney Island High? They used to get raided all the time.

In fact, I was at Trash Bar Thurs night & that exact thing happened, right before the last band came on about 15 or so fire dept types, police offices (I'm assuming), & others came in & had all the lights turned on & inspected the place. Of course they found a couple of violations & shut down the club for the night. They definitely do this at smaller venues, I wouldn't put it past them to do this at a bigger venue if they felt like it.

I wonder if they let people pray and praise Jesus during Rev. Ike's shows.

I wrote a letter of complaint to the United Palace also. It was in regards to their rudeness to me while taking pictures of the show. One of the security peeps told me that he was going to take my camera and smash it on the ground if I took anymore pictures. I was so fucking appalled at being treated that way that I complained to the head security guy. He, in turn, told me that pictures were allowed, which made me even more upset. Hmph!

If you don't understand the difference between alerting security that the band often invites band members onstage and negotiating a SAFE way to make that happen (iggy), and the Arcade Fire madness, you have never been in a rush in a club where you were worried about getting out okay. Have you ever lost your footing in a stage rush? or gotten your glasses knocked off your face and smashed to bits?

You get to be spontaneous when you are playing for 50 people. When you get bigger, and play in bigger places, you don't get to tell 3000 people to leave their seats and dance in the aisles. if you do, people will get hurt. yes, the NYPD will shut you down for enough fire violations, and fire violations are people blocking the aisles, because the aisles are what you would need to use to get out of the theater if something happened.

it's a painful compromise, to plan being spontaneous. it's part of the tradeoff of getting bigger and playing bigger places. arcade fire isn't the first band to struggle with it and they won't be the last. but you don't get to play radio city with its gorgeous theater and stunning acoustics and expect to allow GA-show behavior. or, have your security people discuss with radio city security people how to allow for some exuberance. clearly, that wasn't done in either place. arcade fire are a band that cares about its fans and shows it in an obvious fashion, so it perplexes me that they wouldn't do it here.

it's part of growing up as a band. it sucks.

i'm laughing my ass off at someone being upset at a security guard being rude. wow. you must not get out very much.

Anyone who thinks he is smart "for a security guard" or gets on someone for one misspelling in a comment on a blog is an asshole. So your job is the reason you're smart? Or your ability to spell words correctly? That's sub-mental and elitist. My best friend worked for years as a security guard. He got the job after leaving the marine core. So, I guess that means he isn't smart. Now he is putting himself through Georgetown Law School. Oh, I guess that means he is smart now, right? Unlike the hard working people that have these kinds of thankless jobs you are probably more like me; a douchebag spending daddy's money on overpriced indie rock concerts.

I don't mean to hate on my man as I'm sure he's just doing his job, but I never understood the aisles open v fire argument. If a fire happens everyone's just going to spill into the aisles, and having people already in the aisles would actually facilitate getting people out more quickly. As Mitch Hedberg put it:

I was at this casino minding my own business, and this guy came up to me and said, "You're gonna have to move, you're blocking a fire exit." As though if there was a fire, I wasn't gonna run. If you're flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit.

I agree with the guard even if he cannot spell

you all are monkeys

anon 3:37 -
it's marine "corps".
had to do it.

Collectively the problem is disrespect. I've worked enough small-show-type security jobs to tell you, there is no person working a security job at any show that earnestly has any feelings of "self importance" and its mostly smug, vacant individuals who decide that its somehow characteristically awesome to be jerks to people doing security at shows.

Obviously, there are security guards that suck, but then again, its also a job that mainly consists of having to tell people what to do in minimal ways. Oh man! Total authority at the punk show! Let's bring down the system by inadvertently flagging down cops with our ridiculous behavior! Nothing is more rebellious than ruining a show for lots of people!

When security guards suck, its almost always because they don't listen to rock music or go to any shows ever and they base their etiquette on movies and television. STOP THE SMACK ON THE BOARDS!

Coney Island High used to get raided all the time because it was operating during the Guliani administration, which was intolerant of downtown clubs. This was the height of the No-dancing at clubs unless the venue had a cabaret license nonsence which was aimed at cleaning up the City and so called quality of life. This is the A-hole mayor who is now running for president.

Coney Island High and most of the small indepently run rock clubs which used to get raided constantly were targeted because they had no economic clout and no political voice. Whatever small live music venues still do exist currently get raided for the same reasons as downtown gentrifies rapidly.

A large venue which is having a concert that is presented by a corporate promoter is not going to be subject to the same hassles. Sure if something gets REALLY out of hand and becomes dangerous, the NYPD and the NYFD wouldn't hesitate to shut it down in a heartbeat, but they are not as prone to pounce on the event for a smaller infraction such as people crowding the aisles. there is big money changing hands at larger events, and a show at Radio City Music Hall isn't going to be shut down unless something REALLY serious is going down.

If people rush the stage or crowd the aisles and the decision is made to stop the show then there is going to be a bigger legal problem with promotors, venue, managment, etc. than whatever potential small phsyical hazard is presenting itself in the theater.

that said, I do agree that a band and it's fans should expect to act responsible when they are moving into larger seated venues.

And I don't see what's really any cooler about an unscripted, spontaneous invitation to the audience to jump on stage during a performance than a scripted one. Bands and performaers have been doing this for years. the Stooges have been doing it for a while now, but even they weren't the first. So Arcade Fire didn't plan it out in advance with security? So what. that doesn't make it any cooler since they were just doing what others had scripted anyway, just without the so- called script. What would have been cool is if they actually came up with something different. A different kind of audience participation, Somthing new. And by the way, how do you know that the Arcade Fire's antics weren't planned?

Security guard could kick 20 of you pasty white, zero muscle hipster losers' asses in his sleep.

Anonymous 4:22 PM

+1

Jukeboxgraduate, obviously you were not at the Stooges show cause there was nothing about the stage rush at that show that was safe and organized. It was the same mad dash and craziness that it was at the arcade fire show. I was at both and on stage at both so i know from actually being there.
And frankly your points have no creedence when you say that Radio City has stunning acoustics. It is well known and agreed upon that Radio City is one of the worst places to see a show. The sound is cavernous and echo filled. NOt good at all. Far from Stunning

Anon 4:14pm, you are just ridiculous and obviously biased having worked in security. Of course tons of security officers have a feeling of self importance. I mean even a blind person at a rock show could see that. Get out of here with your stupidity.

i am the king of all i survey... i am Anon 4:26 - here to disagree with all you say.

are you a SNL skit or what.

Hipsters bith if security does thir job. Hipsters bitch if security is not around.

Conclusion? Hipsters are whiney little bitches who have nothing better to do with their lives but bitch.

i was at the may 8th show and on stage
the security were all jerkoffs....physically throwing people off the stage when they are all rushing up is a lot more dangerous then the stage rush itself

SECURITY GUARD IS WATCHING YOU ALL!!!!!

KNEEL BEFORE SECURITY GUARD!

That said, I agree with the above posters who said that hipsters are little whiney bitches.

i saw rush in 96' at radio city and let me tell you, the security job there was TOIGHT! it was no steely dan at the garden 02' but it was far from a woodstock 99'.

Um, I don't get why there is a comparison between pre-planned chaos and spontaneous chaos. chaos is chaos, and if it has been previously discussed or just happens, it has the same exact potential for problems.

Um, I don't get why there is a comparison between pre-planned chaos and spontaneous chaos. chaos is chaos, and if it has been previously discussed or just happens, it has the same exact potential for problems.

Hey, pre-meditated murder and a crime of passion are two different things, but either way someone ends up dead.

Awwwww, some people crowded the aisles and jumped on stage? Awwwwww, were you frightened? Did you wanna run home becuase Rock shows are apparently scary events? Was the Arcade Fire a big spontaneous scary free for all? Did the big security guard yell at you when you wanted to take a picture?

OOOOOh. Scary. I'm a shakin.

You little whiny hipster scardy cats.

C'mon. You kids don't know what a real crazy messed up concert is. Back in the day people were throwing firecrackers and M-80's into the crowd. security guards were taking people out of the venues and beating the shit out of them. And a good old Punk show didn't seem to end without someone being taken away in an ambulance.

Stage invasion? Shows used to occur complete with non-stop audience stage diving during an entire performance.
Now you get all bent out of shape discussing on the internet which is better, a pre-planned jump up on the stage during a song or a spontaneous one. You guys wouldn't know about chaos if it jumped off the stage and hit you.

I just can't believe there is tension at an Arcade Fire show. Just because the band has Fire in their name doesn't mean it's time for violence. Shame all around.

Nice. Maybe you crybabies should just stop going to shows if you're going to complain so much. "Webster Hall sucks," "Security guards suck," blah blah blah blah.

Shows would be so much better without you hipster camera phone snappin' motherfuckers anyway.

Amen, Anonymous 5:12, Amen.

I think we should stage a hipster v. Security Guard battle to the death!

these pussy crumbs are making me ich....and I

you guys need to take the stick out of your ass...trying going to OZZFEST...or a metal show in the late 80's... then u would have seen hellfire at a show.

BTW! :

these pussy crumbs are making me ich....

Let's not forget the Who at Cincinatti 1979. Eleven dead. Oh wait, you can't forget something that you never knew. Most of you whiny little hipsters probably weren't even born yet.

Yeah hipsters, Man the fuck up!

JESUS! I bet even the Donnas could kick your whiny asses!

Hipsters suck like hell. Why don't they take their tight pants and just cram. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE WAY REAL ROCK N ROLL IS PERFORMED, THEN YOU CAN GIT OUT!!!

Oooh, the security guard was RUDE TO ME. Listen up, kids, you're not in your f*cking living room. You don't wanna be told where to stand or not to take pictures? You don't want someone taller than you in front of you? You don't want to listen to less-than-perfect sound or be crowded? Stay the f*ck home. Or better yet, go back to Kansas.

Bitches.

Me to Security Guard at United Palace Theatre: Can you tell me which seats are aisle DD # 114 & 116?

Security Guard: Numbers are hard here, dude.

This venue sucks in that there's no one around to help you find your seats. If you show up after the lights go out and last minute "general admission" seats have been sold 2 days prior to the show, you're shit out of luck because you've got to deal with hundreds of people hanging out in the outer aisles and blocking your access to the rows. Shitty.

Ummm... for all you newbies here too young to remember, the 1969 Stones concert at Alamont Speedway Concert in Liverpool California is a better example. 850 injured, two dead in a hit-and-run, another drowned and an 18-year old with a gun was stabbed to death by a Hells Angel. Even the Jefferson Airplane lead singer was knocked out.

Hey, Carl, next time go to the opera or a classical recital, you whiny little putz. Leave rock shows to the less pampered.

Er, security guards aren't ushers. They're there to maintain order -- yeah, sometimes, overzealously -- not to help some stupid douche find his seat because he's too afraid to say "excuse me" and make his way through a crowd.

Anyone who walks away from a concert compalining about the venue or the crowd instead of talking about the show, especially something as awesome as the Stooges or the Arcade Fire, probably shouldn't have been there in the first place.

oh yeah, well i used to walk up hill both ways in the snow to go see a concert. we used to beat punch each other in the face just for fun and we liked it.

Awww...the Stones in '69 was nothing. You should've seen what went on in the Colliseum in Roman days.

i killed natalie wood.

That's nothing, I killed Caesar.

et tu brute?

Hey, don't forget Disco Sucks Night at Comiskey Park! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco_Demolition_Night

wait, does webster hall suck?

Hello. It's me, "security guard" again. First off let me thank Brooklyn Vegan for posting my letter. I had no idea that it would get the response that it did. I will try to respond to all of the comments that my letter has generated.

I apologize for the misspelling of aisle.

To the conspiracy theorist out there (Anon 2:56), yes I do work for Starwatch. I was hesitant to mention the company's name because I didn't want people to think I was speaking on the company's behalf. I am speaking for myself.

I worked at the Beacon for two years until the lease was bought out by Cablevision (Jan. of this year). Cablevision came with their own security guards and we (Starwatch) were all out of a job. The people who used to run the Beacon are now running the United Palace and hired us to work that venue. For those of you who went to shows at the Beacon, you know that we were pretty lax. Our new bosses, the church security, are a little more hard core.

Yes, Iggy and the Stooges tour manager did have a meeting with security informing us that the band was going to have "twenty invited guests" come up on stage and dance. When it came time for the guests to get up on stage, Iggy told the entire audience to "invade the stage." The twenty invited guests quickly turned into a few hundred. I was watching the front of the stage buckle under the weight of all those people and thinking to myself, "I should get up there before the stage collapses." Just then a guy fell off the stage and cut his eye. I then decided that more people might get hurt, so I went on stage and started asking people to leave the stage.

Arcade Fire was different. There was no notice that people were going to be on stage. After the first night it was deemed unsafe by house security and the band promised not to do it again. The second night, however, they did it again. If the band wants to be close to their fans they should play a smaller venue.

For those people who think that security guards are inherently dumb, that's just ignorant. Security guards are just like the fans--some are cool and some are assholes.

A warning to anyone coming to the United Palace in the future--Don't smoke anything inside. The house security is hard core about this. Being an ex-smoker I know how much it sucks not being able to smoke but just wait until after the show. It really sucks seeing someone thrown out of a show for a cigarette.

Nobody ever gets thrown out of Webster Hall for smoking weed!

Dave,

Thanks for the inside scoop. It's nice to have a "security guard" here on BV exposing what's going on behind the scenes. BV ought to give you a weekly column!

Dave The Security Guy Said: "If the band wants to be close to their fans they should play a smaller venue."

Bingo. Do a residency at an intimate place if you want that kind of relationship with your fans. I don't know who Win thinks he is, but these "hardcore" antics are for the birds...and Ozzy...who then eats the birds.

Well said Dave the security guard!

boogie woogie.....everyone should hold hands and dance. la la la la la la la blogs are stupid and so are opinions* ( *note: fact).

The new Arcade Fire record sounds like John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. I would make a mad dash to my arm chair before I dashed to the stage.

Umm for those of you who think this guy DAVE is a real security guard at United Palace maybe you missed his slip ups. Arcade Fire didnt invite any of the crowd up to the stage the first night at United Palace. It was only on the second night that they did this. Furthermore the people who run the United Palace now are not the same people who ran the Beacon. The Beacon was a Clear Channel house. United Palace is run by Bowery Presents. 2 very different organizations.
This dude is a moron. If you are gonna pretend to be someone or something at least get your facts in order jackass.

Uh, Anon 6:13, you do realize that the Hells Angels WERE the security at Altamont, right? I find it a little hard to believe that anyone who was actually there would be posting about an indie rock show on Brooklyn Vegan, so cut the newbie crap.

To 4:16 AM:

You post shit on BV at 4:16 AM? What are you some sort of BV detective? Walked the beat all night to try and come up with facts to expose "Security Guard"? Well done!

Poiny remais, whether security guard is full of shit or not, that these whiny hipsters are losers.

To 4:16 AM:

You post shit on BV at 4:16 AM? What are you some sort of BV detective? Walked the beat all night to try and come up with facts to expose "Security Guard"? Well done!

Point remains, whether security guard is full of shit or not, that these whiny hipsters are losers.

The Colliseum in Rome? Hah, that was nothing. I went to a Caveman concert 1.5 million years ago. where all the teenage cavemen were beating each other over their heads with their clubs.

bourgeois assholes

Guess we haven't evolved much, at Altamont in '69 the Hell's Angels were beating people over the head with sawed off pool cues.

Anon 1010am who cares when the dude posted information on here or anywhere else. Are you kidding? So someone posts at 4am, maybe they just got home or maybe they were up late and reading a blog.
Are you that much of a fucking moron???????? Probably that guy trying to pass himself off as the security guard.

I went to a concert where the Dinosaurs were stomping on people after the show.

That was really dangerous.

I was one of the Hell's Angels at Altamont. You guys don't know how hard it was being a Hell's Angel back then doing security. People pointing guns at you, accidently touching the side of your bike with their bell bottoms, etc... we had no choice but to take out the pool cues.

I was at a concert in Atlantis when the whole place flooded. Everybody drowned. It was horrible. Security was very lax.

I was a security guard in the Garden of Even (before Live Nation bought it and made it The Fillmore at Garden of Eden). I told Adam no apple eating allowed, but he wouldn't listen. Wish I had the Hells Angels there to help me keep order. They also refused to wear shoes, but that's another story. I'm not sure who let the snake in, guess we should've been more careful checking bags.

Hi, I was Adam in the Garden of Eden. I don't remember you., Were you the security guard that repeatedly tried to stop me from eating the apple by stepping on my feet with no shoes? You were really a pain in the ass. Made me really not enjoy that show very much. Next time I'm gonna bring my own food.

Sorry Adam, but I got in big trouble with the boss after that show.

hahaha. Anon 12:41 pm. I think you are the typical hipster fuckface that everyone is talking about.

isn't everyone who posts on this site a hipster?

Anon 6:21...have you ever listened to any Wagner, man?

hipster haters

oh yeah ____ was nothing, i was at _____

none of these have been clever. you guys are as dumb as hipsters.