Potheads

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Disclaimer 1: the use of psychoactive drugs is generally considered a very stupid thing with the very few exceptions when medical use is legit*.

Disclaimer 2: I personally believe in individual freedoms, to the point of letting people kill themselves if that is their desire, as long as their [auto]destructive behavior doesn't affect others.
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My son turned fourteen two weeks ago, and as his birthday present he wanted to go to a Metallica concert, to which we went last week. We didn't have the best seats in the place but it was OK (a bit of acoustic problems possibly due to our position in the stadium and the type of music with a loud bass and battery, but nothing that prevented us from enjoying the concert).

The place was packed with very few empty seats as soon as the concert started, and perhaps predictably the potheads started their vice. In the beginning it was just a bit of smell but at some point into the concert a bunch of guys two rows and a few seats to our right started smoking, even worse the guys in front of us lighted theirs just two minutes later.

WTF is wrong with this people?!?!?

If you want to get high why don't you do it in the comfort of your house, car, park, or some bloody place where those of us who don't like the stuff don't have to be second hand smokers?!?! For f%^k sakes, I don't care if you use pills, powder or needles I don't wanna smell that f%^ing thing!!! If the only way you can enjoy the concert is being hi, why the f&(k don't you do it in your car? Is really that difficult to understand that there are other people there, and that perhaps they don't need drugs to enjoy the music?

Thankfully they only smoked one bloody thing so that the headache I got didn't last as much even while trying to steer the smoke away in a very conspicuous way that obviously was completely ignored by the perps.

Frankly, while I believe in the legalization of drugs it was very tempting to call someone to take the idiots out.


* medical use of marijuana applies to cancer patients on chimo to name a case.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

... Frankly, while I believe in the legalization of drugs it was very tempting to call someone to take the idiots out.

You, sir, are a paragon of patience.

I'm allergic to smoke-- so I'd'a called security toot-sweet...

On the other hand?  You couldn't'a paid me $1,000US to sit through a Metallica shindig.... even if I *did* have a kid...

[ivor]

That's happened at every concert I've ever been too.  Not as bad at Bon Jovi. At Motley Crue you could hardly see the stage for the smoke.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

That's happened at every concert I've ever been too.  Not as bad at Bon Jovi. At Motley Crue you could hardly see the stage for the smoke.

Thinking back, the last two concerts I went to were Pink Floyd, in the late 90's and The Rolling Stones, in the early 90's.  Both down in Texas, in huge semi-covered stadiums.  Both had rent-a-cops on patrol, up and down the isles. I did see a few hauled off in the near distance.  But nobody lit up so much as a ciggy-- prominent "No Smoking" signs on the way in, with warnings you'd be ejected--no refunds of any kind, if caught.   At $50/ticket (where I sat) most folk realized it wasn't worth being kicked out entirely over.  There were designated smoking areas-- at least the signs said so.

It may have been due to Texas being a death-penalty state? 

[ivor]

I was in Florida.  No one seemed to care there...

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Apparently no one seems to care indeed. In fact I don't recall any No Smoking sign anywhere.

[Zan]

I am a very crude man.  If my son was with me, he's a little older than yours, but not much, I'd have simply snatched their joint and put it out...in their ear.

You, sir, are a better man than I.

[ivor]

I can't see them putting thousands of angry potheads out in the street.  There'd be a riot.

[Zan]

I can't see them putting thousands of angry potheads out in the street.  There'd be a riot.

Potheads don't riot.  They whine about people "harshing their buzz".

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Pot is a depressor so I too doubt the riot would start there, OTOH the rest of the concert population may get angry in that case.
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I happen to like Metallica so while the smell was a hassle I actually enjoyed the concert. Had it been something I didn't like, you'd be listening to a very different tale.

[Jayna]

Wow, I've never seen anyone light up DURING the concert! Of course, the last big concert I went to was Tori Amos, different crowd. I'm such a girlie-girl.

I did see people smoking out before the show, outdoors, but not a whiff of it during, and it was an outdoor venue.

Oooh I saw Mark Growden at Mississippi Studios, that was great! Not so much of a stoner crowd I don't think.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

The concert was on a hockey stadium (which in FL means closed).

A while back we went to an Apocalyptica concert in a smaller closed venue and while at some point I got a bit of smell it wasn't as flagrant as this case. Perhaps cellos playing rock are for a more discerning crowd?

[Opsa]

I only went to a few big venue concerts in the 1970's and smoking pot at the concert was very common, then. Of course, we're talking about Pink Floyd, Yes (a number of times, I was a big Yes fan), The Beach Boys & Chicago, and Jefferson Starship, so it was no huge surprise to see this happening. Still, once I discovered the comfort of small venue concerts, I only went to them. I wouldn't go to another big stadium concert for anything. Yech. The beverage and rest room lines alone would turn anyone off, never mind the weed haze. That was the least of my worries.

It's interesting to hear people are still doing it, though. I guess the big war on drugs was not a mission accomplished.

Maybe now you can show your kid the joys of the small show. Find a little dive somewhere where it doesn't cost a whole lot to go in, where the acts are fresher, and the potheads go out to the fire escape to toke.

[ivor]

Maybe there's a market for Scott Air Packs at the concerts?  "Air Packs, get your Air Packs!"

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

I have the feeling that taking a scuba tank (even a small one) to a venue might be a problem, and a simple O₂ with mask may only work if you look older than 60 and come in a wheelchair (although the seats -spaces really- are better).
 

[Opsa]

Ah, the advantages of becoming old and decrepit.

[Zan]

Wow, I've never seen anyone light up DURING the concert! Of course, the last big concert I went to was Tori Amos, different crowd. I'm such a girlie-girl.

Cornflake Girl is the best horrormirth song ever.

[Jayna]

Wow, I've never seen anyone light up DURING the concert! Of course, the last big concert I went to was Tori Amos, different crowd. I'm such a girlie-girl.

Cornflake Girl is the best horrormirth song ever.

That was practically my theme song when I was in my 20's.

[Aggie]

Maybe now you can show your kid the joys of the small show. Find a little dive somewhere where it doesn't cost a whole lot to go in, where the acts are fresher, and the potheads go out to the fire escape to toke.

Dunno, the last show I saw at my favorite small venue was preeeeety thick with smoke. Mind you, it's at the university.... and it's Canada.....  and the smoking area outside always has security guards....  and the opening band was toking up on stage during the set. 

What pissed me off a bit with that show was the dad there with his young child sitting on his shoulders during the show...  kid MUST have been high as a kite.

I think the provision of security is the biggest factor for where the potheads are - if you get busted by the cops toking up in your car before the show, it's probably a bigger deal than getting ousted by security.  MacEwan Hall (above-noted venue) does try to control smoking in the crowd during the show, but it's difficult.  Security in the smoking area is tight and re-entry is restricted, so it ends up indoors.

I went to a Pink Floyd laser show a few years back, and there were lots of people firing up around us (probably not surprising) - most of 'em were my dad's age, I think.


Eh, better than Shambhala, anyways - the year I went, the 18-y.o. kids in the camp next to ours started ripping rails of ketamine off the hood of their car around 11 am.   

[Opsa]

Hmm, that's interesting. I'm now realizing that when I switched to small venues (the old 9:30 Club and d.c.space in Washington D.C.), it was during a movement (and I'll let you interpret that as you may) called Straight Edge Punk. One theory of Straight edge Punk was that nothing could be scarier than a punk that was NOT drinking or on drugs. Clubs were full of young, twitchy, mohawked people with torn clothes and too much eyeliner spouting dystopian poetry and arguing politics who were TOTALLY SOBER! It was the fashion, an answer to the heavy metal clubs. It was interesting and fun, too.

Of course, there was drinking, and smoking, but it was more around the edges than in the center, and in the midst of the angst was rather a jolly feeling of comradeship. I guess I thought that things had progressed from there, but it seems not. A pity.

[beagle]

I went to a Pink Floyd laser show a few years back, and there were lots of people firing up around us (probably not surprising) - most of 'em were my dad's age, I think.

It's bad enough remembering where you left your glasses, let alone where you hid the stash.

At one point Floyd concerts were considered restrained compared to Hawkwind. You wouldn't want to be within two blocks downwind if they were playing the Corn Exchange (but even I don't date back to Floyd's UFO club days).

[Griffin NoName]

You wouldn't want to be within two blocks downwind if they were playing the Corn Exchange (but even I don't date back to Floyd's UFO club days).

oh Beagle thou art such a babe !

I saw Pat Metheney at the Corn Exchange. It was the best thing ever.

[Aggie]

Hmm, that's interesting. I'm now realizing that when I switched to small venues (the old 9:30 Club and d.c.space in Washington D.C.), it was during a movement (and I'll let you interpret that as you may) called Straight Edge Punk. One theory of Straight edge Punk was that nothing could be scarier than a punk that was NOT drinking or on drugs. Clubs were full of young, twitchy, mohawked people with torn clothes and too much eyeliner spouting dystopian poetry and arguing politics who were TOTALLY SOBER! It was the fashion, an answer to the heavy metal clubs. It was interesting and fun, too.

XXX



I always get a giggle out of NOFX's cover of Minor Threat's 'Straight Edge'.  Of course, Fat Mike isn't in the same solar system as straight edge, especially these days.

I liked going to school,
I didn't want to fool around with drugs
Cuz all of my friends were dropping out
I had to get stuff done, I wasn't fun
I didn't try pot 'til I was 21,
but now I'm overcompensating

I'd like to see what morning looks like
Don't wanna drink pint after pint
I wanna wake up without feeling sick
But I can't cuz I'm a drug-abusing alcoholic

I personally don't drink (much) at the punk rock show, because I tend to fall down in the mosh pit.
OTOH, a couple hundred mg's of caffeine doesn't hurt.