wow. um, where to begin...
First, maybe I\'m crazy. I never went to a show to get drunk or stoned. I always went and still go for the music front and foremost. I like that I am able to remember every concert I\'ve ever gone to. To each his own.
That being said,
Could people complaining that they will not go to a show on a fan-run message board hurt relations between the band and venue? Sure. Could silencing peoples voices and keeping this under the radar maybe get a few more people to the show that might not go if there were going to be no beer sales? Sure. Is it the fault of the person who posted it? no. Is it the fault of the band. no. It is not a site run by the band. It is run by an individual who makes up and enforces his own moderation rules. If a huge thread pops up as a result and a bunch of people say they are not going to go to show #x, but will go to show #y instead will it piss off some people? sure, but it doesn\'t mean they don\'t like the band anymore.
However, it is not the fault of a fan to say they will not go to a show because of any reason. If you don\'t like it, try and persuade them, but if you censor them you will only alienate your fan base. I didn\'t go to new years last year. Not because I don\'t like the band, but I don\'t like the Webster and didn\'t want to go there. Does that mean I\'m never going to another show? Of course not. I just chose not to go to that one. If toads place is pissed off because people on a fan run message board are saying "hey, I\'m not going to go to that show because of reason x", then let them be pissed. It was not the band making an official statement to boycott the show, it was a few fans saying that based on a rumor they would not go. If you have proof to sway them, then post it and sway them to go!
So who\'s to blame? In my opinion, no one here. You could blame toads for not enforcing their security good enough, you could even blame the police for doing a routine age check at the venue, but ultimately the people who everyone should be mad at is the under aged kids who sneak into shows every day and brake the law. They got caught, but because of the law, the venue gets fined, and it will affect some shows in the future. Potentially this breakfast show would be one of them, but based on info from several reliable sources, it sounds like the beer sale ban will not go into effect until next year.
Sure someone making a post like that does not help the bands relationship with the particular venue, but there is nothing wrong with someone voicing their opinion.
ok, rip me apart now, but even if you completely disagree with what I say, understand that I have the right to say what I think as much as you have the right to disagree.
