Male metal fans make obnoxious demands
February 21, 1997
By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
There's
safety in numbers. That's the only explanation I can come up with
as to why a stadium full of 95 percent men would work itself up into a
collective dither, trying to get the few women in the venue to expose their
breasts.
Hey
- ever hear of Playboy?
If
any one of these lumbering morons was at a beach, or even a bar, there's
no way he would walk up to a girl and scream, "Show your - - - -!" at her.
But
it's become a recurring cry at rock concerts, particularly at those such
as heavy metal shows that attract mostly young men.
At
Metallica's recent Rosemont Horizon gig, the predominantly male crowd created
its own entertainment prior to the band's entrance by screaming that mantra
at an uncomfortably rabid frequency to the few women in the audience. (The
person working the lights abetted them by projecting the spotlight on various
women.)
The
scenario wasn't cute or funny. It was obnoxious and, from a woman's point
of view, frightening.
"Boys
will be boys," a guy sitting behind me shrugged off.
Yeah,
well it's about time they grew up to be men.
And
it's time women stopped fueling those degrading fantasies: To my amazement,
a handful of bovine females acquiesced to the boneheads' demands. Some
teased the guys and fondled each other for the audience's voyeuristic pleasure.
Two did more than just flash their chests. They stripped off their shirts
and bras, and waited for applause. Another woman who refused to play along
was booed before being pelted with plastic cups.
The
security guards and police officers in attendance did nothing. To their
defense, they had their hands full working on crowd control. But I doubt
the reaction would have been as passive if a man had taken off his pants
and Jockeys.
"The
law is the same for men and women," said Rosemont Police Lt. Joseph Peterson.
"But when you have a crowd of 18,000 people, our main objective is to keep
everyone safe. If someone flashes and no one comes forth to press charges,
there's really nothing we can do. If we see people exposing themselves
and they're causing trouble, then we can bring them outside and talk to
them. If someone presses charges, they will be arrested for public indecency,
but that rarely happens.
"It's
like smoking. You're not supposed to smoke in the venue but people do,
and it's very difficult to find out who's doing it unless someone is willing
to come forth and press charges against them. Unfortunately, things like
this go on at rock shows. If you don't want to be offended, you should
go see Tony Bennett or K.C. and the Sunshine Band instead."
It's
unfortunate that music fans should have to make such a choice.
EYE
CANDY: Photographer Charles Peterson will be at Reverb Gallery,
2137 W. Belmont (773-525-0456), tonight to kick off his exhibit "Nirvana
+ Pearl Jam: Through the Lens." His photos of the Seattle superstars
will be on exhibit through March 30 . . . Congrats to Oscar nominee Adam
Schlesinger, who composed the title track to Tom Hanks' film "That
Thing You Do." A member of Fountains of Wayne, Schlesinger also is
a co-owner of the Chicago-based Scratchie Records . . . Bon Jovi's
Richie Sambora can be seen in promo spots for Fox's "Party of Five"
and "Beverly Hills, 90210." The guitarist, who is working on an upcoming
solo album, didn't shoot any spots for "Melrose Place," which stars his
wife, Heather Locklear . . . E-mail comments to jaehakim@suntimes.com
|
|
 |