Jay Reatard Fans Rush Stage, Rock Comments

 

Have you left a comment after a live review since we discussed Jesus Lizard lead singer David Yow’s painful crowd-surfing incident?

If you haven’t, don’t worry. 

Because I found another one to inspire you.

But this time the concert drama comes from Emo’s in Austin, TX.

It’s not surprising that another punk-rocker, Jay Reatard, is involved.

Like Yow getting injured while stage-diving, getting into fights with fans onstage is not out of the ordinary for Reatard either.

But where things get interesting is in the fan comments after the review. 

I say this because the fans responded in a way that not only added to the concert’s dramatic storyline.

But the comments also entertainingly captured the essence of punk rock culture.  I loved how each fan speaks their mind providing solid commentary and context explaining Reatard’s infamous live show reputation. Heck, if you wanted to, you might even be able to take the fan comments and turn them into punk rock lyrics.

What Happened at Emo’s?

According to the Austin 360 report, Jay Reatard played a “40 minute” set that was “too short” for two fans who charged Reatard after he ended his set.

Patrick Caldwell’s review put me right in the middle of the action and made me remember crazy punk shows I’ve been to. I also enjoyed how Caldwell paints the scene and speaks his mind on the whole incident. And even takes some heat in the comments. I feel ya bro.

And make sure you check out the fan comments. They’re classic. And they come fast and furious, just like a punk rock show!

I’ve included two of my favorites after this review/report snippet.

“While the set had all the makings of a fun night of pop-punk, it was sadly abridged at only 40 minutes — less than the opening performance by Austin’s own Harlem — after two rowdy fans attacked Reatard on-stage shortly after he announced he was playing the night’s final song. He retaliated by swinging his microphone stand and departed mid-song, giving the at-times rambunctious audience the finger as he exited the stage. There was to be no encore — the lights went up and the PA music kicked in as the two intruding fans were arrested by police outside the club’s Sixth Street entrance.

It was a good show — while it lasted. And Reatard can’t be held responsible for violent fans. But at less than 45 minutes and with a buzzkill of an ending, it’s hard to regard the night as anything more than an initially promising disappointment. That’s the sad thing about punk rock — sometimes the anger overtakes the fun and an audience walks away let down. With a too-short set and a combative ending, Reatard’s Wednesday night show ultimately felt less like a satisfactory set from a skilled player and more like a sad tease of the fun evening that might have been.”

 And here are two of my favorite fan comments:

1) “buzzkill of an ending?” man, talk about blaming the victim. Last night was by far the longest set Jay Reatard has played in Austin, which isn’t super newsworthy except Caldwell seems to imply the brevity of the set somehow mitigates the actions of “two rowdy fans”. The real story here is that Jay Reatard was subject to an unprovoked, attempted assault by two audience members. If the ending was a trifle “combative” for Caldwell’s tastes, let’s see how well he functions if someone tries to punch him in the face while he’s typing.

2) “duration of show does not equal how good it is, just think phish plays for 3 hours, see my point?”

So now that I’ve equipped you with TWO excellent examples, I besheech you fellow concert fan…

Go to the show…rock…and post comments!

Photos courtesy of  Austin 360