I saw Flipper play in a loft space on Boylston Street in Boston around 1981. It was the first and only rock n' roll riot I've ever been in.
Everything was fine through SS Decontrol's opening set but there was a fringe group of drunken berserkers in the mosh pit that seemed to be growing out of control during SS's set.
The berserkers began throwing a hailstorm of beer bottles the minute Flipper hit the stage and dancers began slamming into any objects that were standing upright in the room, including Flipper's amplifiers and PA system.
It was a fearful atmosphere and things quickly deteriorated into an outright brawl. Flipper was brave enough to keep playing even as their amplifiers were being toppled. Flipper seemed completely oblivious to mayhem all around them, including audience members who were on stage shoving band members around.
I deplore gratuitous violence but I stood there gawking at this spectacle straight out of The Fight Club. I'd never seen an audience so far out of control in all my years of concert going.
The riot got over with pretty quickly. Within 15 minutes of Flipper's appearance on the stage, a squad of about 20 Boston cops showed up and stopped the show. The berserkers immediately stopped fighting when the cops appeared and everybody left the show in an orderly fashion. The police were actually quite civil and polite to everyone. Most people at the show agreed that things had gotten out of hand. Fortunately nobody appeared to be hurt except for some bruisers and minor cuts.
Was it just the audience at this particular show or does Flipper always elicit such a violent audience response? I really don't know the answer because it's the only Flipper concert I ever attended.
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