Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Pennywise Show full of Underage, Drunk Kids!

So the Jaegermeister sponsored Pennywise tour rolled into NYC Saturday night. I had just watched an amazing show from the more old school British punk rockers from across the pond, "The Damned: at Irving Plaza the previous Thursday.

The Damned put on a damned good show and the Irving Plaza was packed full of pretty 30somethings and older punk fans who were very enthusiastic but behaved (no mosh pit at all).

I contrast that with Pennywise's show at Terminal 5, which was quite the opposite. I thought I knew what to expect as I had experienced Pennywise live just the year before at Irving Plaza and knew it was going to be some young dudes, slamming into each other all over the floor with lots of testosterone in the air. That's cool, I'm a dude and while older than 20 something these days I can hang on the floor with the best of em.

That being said, as soon as I walked into Terminal 5, I knew this hard liquor sponsored event was going to be different. I was immediately almost knocked over by two drunk teen girls, so drunk they didn't know where they were at. My friend and I went upstairs to the bar to get a drink and he was accosted by some drunk 15 year old (she said she was 17) begging him to go to the security guard and get her confiscated flask of vodka back and to claim he was her father. Dude's not even 40 so he was bummed but I reminded him, due to her youth and our advancing age, it was more than biologically possible he be her father. While he's somehow entertaining this ridiculous proposal, some other young dude comes up to me asking me to buy him a beer. I'm like bro, no f..ing way, I got a lot to lose, not going to do that.

Don't get me wrong. I started drinking at the age of 17 and because my family were some religous tea totlers, I had learn the good old fashioned way (close calls, Hit and Run, Arrest for underage drinking) how to finally drink responsibly. Now I can barely drink two beers back to back without a hangover.

But for Jaegermeister, one of the hardest most f..k you up liquors around to sponsor an all ages (or maybe it was 16+) show is the height of irresponsiblity. I'm no prude, but I do work in marketing and I know the restrictions for even beer advertising on TV are mad strict. Why isn't a similar standard held for live shows where underage teens will find a way to get alcohol?

I want everyone to be able to enjoy Pennywise. but to have it sponsored by a hard liquor when they know so many of their fans are underage is just plain wrong.