"Post-concert drug orgy mob nightmare erupts on North 7th Street in Williamsburg thanks to the Open Space Alliance."

the calm before the storm @ Williamsburg Waterfront (photo by Schoetz)

As you may have heard/noticed (if you weren't at the Hold Steady at Beekman Beer Garden that night), jam banders (who weren't at the rescheduled Dave Matthews Band Caravan on Randall's Island) invaded Williamsburg Saturday night because Widespread Panic headlined the Williamsburg Waterfront.

Not surprisingly, some residents weren't too happy with the scene and widespread panic ensued. Gothamist points out that some people still aren't over it and the following open letter to OSA, aka the Open Space Alliance, was drafted:

On Saturday night, September 17, 2011 between approximately 9:40 PM and 10:20 PM the following events took place on North 7th Street off the corner of Kent Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

A lawless drug nightmare erupted on my street after Saturday night's OSA concert featuring the band called Widespread Panic.
At about 9:40 PM the noise from the concert in the East River State Park had finally ended. So I was about to try to get some video editing work done on my computer when my attention was drawn to loud popping sounds, sounds of gas rushing and the roar of large crowd outside on the street. When I looked out my front window I was horrified to see a huge mob collecting. A group of nitrous oxide balloon sellers had assembled next to a dumpster across the street. Hundreds of people, if not more, were gathering up and down the block buying balloons filled with the gas and inhaling them. Concert-goers already drunk from the East River State Park were becoming even more highly intoxicated from the nitrous oxide. They were wandering around like zombies holding fists full of balloons.

There was not ONE SINGLE COP to be seen anywhere. I called 911 and explained what was taking place. The 911 operator was having difficulty understand the situation so I gave him the location and pleaded, 'Just send the police now. We need help here!', and hung up. Afraid for my safety while filming on my stoop, I used my heel to keep the door open behind me just in case I had to escape. In one of the last clips you can see a couple of men coming toward me in a menacing way.

Anyway, I'm really sorry to anyone that appears in these videos, but there are videos which were posted to the StopOSAConcerts Youtube account (the quote at the top of this post comes from one of the video descriptions), and so, well, you can watch them below....

Continue reading ""lawless drug nightmare" after Widespread Panic concert! Nitrous zombies roamed Williamsburg!"

The Wrens @ Sasquatch Festival in May (more by Chris Graham)

tonight in NYC
* Phish @ MSG
* Flobots @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Robin Williams @ Town Hall
* Ian McCulloch @ Other Music
* The Wrens, 12:01 @ Maxwell's
* Phoenix @ PC Richard Theater
* Peter Evans Quintet @ The Stone
* Gil Mantera's Party Dream @ Europa
* Bear in Heaven @ Sound Fix Records
* Antibalas @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* The Figgs, Nouvellas & the Sights @ Bruar Falls
* Imogen Heap @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* McCoy Tyner Trio w/ Gary Bartz @ Blue Note
* Tim Berne's Los Totopos @ IBeam Music Studio
* The Queers, The Leftovers, Tabo, Hollis @ Southpaw
* Field Music, Wye Oak, Pulsars, Rumours @ The Bell House
* The Big Pink, Crystal Antlers, Von Haze @ Bowery Ballroom
* Cable & Liturgy (Until The Light Takes Us party) @ Fontana's
* Seabrook Power Plant, The Inbetweens, Father Figures @ Zebulon
* Your 33 Black Angels, Wakey! Wakey!, Casey Shea @ Mercury Lounge
* Soundpool, Neon Gloworms, Family Portrait, Dream Diary @ The Cameo
* Dan Friel, Dinowalrus, Knyfe Hyts 81 and Electric Tickle Machine @ Union Pool
* Good Old War, Cast Spells, Hezekiah Jones, Gabriel The Marine @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn

UPDATE: Field Music canceled!

"Echo & the Bunnymen's Ian McCulloch plays a rare acoustic in-store performance at Other Music. The show is at 9PM, free admission, limited capacity, first come first served."

The Wrens are playing three shows at Maxwell's. The first, tonight, is a set list by (advance) request. Tomorrow's early show is their album Meadlowlands in full, and the late gig is new songs.

Bear In Heaven play a free in-store @ Sound Fix today and they were recently added as the opener for Mew at Webster Hall tomorrow.

Antibalas play their first of a few shows they have scheduled at Knitting Factory.

Dan Friel (@ Union Pool) is a member of Parts & Labor who have a free show coming up at Brooklyn Bowl.

Goes Cube had to cancel their appearance at Fontana's tonight.

Bill talks more about tonight's Field Music show in This Week in Indie.

Phish return to Madison Square Garden for the 2nd night in a row tonight. Some footage of the nitrous party going on outside the venue last night, below...

Phoenix plays their 2nd NYC show in a row tonight. Video of a new Take Away Show they filmed in Paris, below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

"Police arrested eight people and seized 18 nitrous oxide tanks and dozens of balloons used to inhale nitrous oxide, from patrons at a Phish concert at the Comcast Theatre Friday night. Police sent a detail to the parking lots around the theater at 61 Savitt Way to investigate possible narcotics activity at around 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sgt. Dennis O'Connor said. In addition to the tanks and the balloons, police seized several grams of marijuana and $1,190, O'Connor said." [Hartford Courant]