And The Word of The Week Is... Bomb!

Rick Wayne

Even millennials (oblivious as are so many of anything that predates their arrival) are likely to have heard about the long ago event that changed the history of rock ‘n’ roll. Conceived as “three days of peace and music” by John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfield and Michael Lang, the plan was to make enough money from the event to build a recording studio near the arty New York town of Woodstock.

When the promoters could not find an appropriate venue in the town itself they decided to hold the festival on a 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, 50 miles or so from Mayor Lindsay’s Big Apple. By the August 15, 1969 date of the festival close to 190,000 tickets had been sold and a maximum audience of 200,000 anticipated. But judging by the early arrivals, it occurred to the promoters that they had bitten a lot more than they could possibly swallow. Fearing the crowd would prove beyond control, they opened up the concert to everyone—free of charge. Close to half a million people attended, jamming the roads around Bethel for eight miles.

Adding to the resultant chaos were heavy rains that turned the fields into a muddy mess, inadequate bathroom facilities, and a shortage of first aid tents. Still, there were only two serious casualties: a teenager who was accidentally run over in her sleeping bag by a tractor, and a young man who died from a drug overdose. Among the performers were then up-and-coming stars Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Joe Cocker and Ritchie Havens, now music legends.

In the aftermath of Woodstock ’69 new laws were enacted that today serve patrons and performers at music festivals such as Coachella that takes place over two April weekends in Indio, California. In 2016 the Indio City Council decided to allow an increase in the attendance cap from 99,000 to 126,000. All camping attendees must be at least 18 years old, holders of IDs or accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, and in possession of their own valid festival passes for entrance.

Then there is Glastonbury. Considered a major cultural event in Britain, according to related brochures, “the festival is inspired by the hippie counterculture and free festival movements.” Since 1981 it has been held every year, except for “the fallow years”—taken mostly at 5-year intervals, intended to give the land, the local population and organizers a break. The next Glastonbury is scheduled for 2019, 2018 being a fallow year.

Since the UK’s terror attacks in 2017 security at the festivals has become even tighter than before. Ticket holders expect as a matter of course to be searched by security personnel. They are directed in advance what to wear (no large back packs) and carry (displayed IDs and other tags)—nothing in plastic bags.

Assistant chief constable Caroline Peters announced ahead of the 2017 Glastonbury that there would be “high visibility of officers on the boundaries of the site helping security with searches. While we want everyone going to have a great time, public safety is always our priority.”

Unlike in previous years, there would be “no facilities in the car parks and fans will be required to wait in their vehicles until the gates are opened.”

It would appear that in Saint Lucia it is easier to acquire permits to stage festivals than it is to organize protest marches and political rallies. Which is not to say related laws, at any rate, on paper, are in harmony with the popular notion that when it comes to public entertainment anything goes.

It is, according to our statute books, illegal for individuals under age 18 to visit places where liquor is sold. Does that requirement apply also to open-air parties fueled by booze and other testosterone boosters? Do our obscenity laws, those pertaining to dress especially, apply to after-sunset beach saturnalias? Are patrons subjected to random police searches? Are there stated limits to attendance numbers? What about stand-by fire department personnel and ambulances?

NEMO reminds online that in November 2008 the police commissioner declared a new policy for the police that “any event attempting to take place without security would be stopped.” There are also official demands that promoters have in place appropriate personnel to handle possible health emergencies.

And speaking of the police, it would appear the promoters of mass crowd events recruit most of their security from the regular force—which must impact policing elsewhere, especially on occasions when there are mass crowd events at more than one venue.

At this point I might remind readers that I’ve never been especially famous as a campaigner for modesty or for tighter restrictions on adult entertainment. But when among the featured attractions at under-policed mass crowd events are deliciously under-dressed liquored-up gyrating ladies, anything can happen—and often does, as, regrettably, several online videos will attest.

Even as I write, the muted word is that at the most recent beach bacchanal several young women in transparent thongs and other beckoning kit were sexually assaulted while not-so-smart gawkers gawked via their smart phones. Keeping in mind the reluctance on the part of victims to report such matters, not to mention their anticipation of what might be the popular reaction to a rape allegation by a near-naked female reeking of stale tequila, it can hardly be a surprise that there have been no official public announcements connected with the most recent beach bash. Not even from the usual online dispensers of fake news!

I am however reliably informed that one 17-year-old did complain to the police of sexual assault and was taken to Victoria Hospital for related tests, accompanied by her distraught mother. Alas, at some point she changed her mind and refused to cooperate with the authorities. Better that another fingered deviant should get away with his crime than that a doting mother’s trust be cruelly shattered in the presence of strangers. At any rate, so concluded my source. As I write, the reliable new word is that the police have received at least two more reports of sexual assault. Alas, they could not persuade the alleged victims to face the usual rigors associated with charges that could take years before they reach the courts. Score another one for “the rapists in our midst.”

Meanwhile, police officers remain concerned that in the present circumstances especially demented individuals could easily cause havoc at poorly lit, unfenced, over-populated, unmonitored and under-secured nighttime events.

According to their license application, the promoters of last weekend’s mass-crowd beach event anticipated a maximum turnout of approximately 500. By most calculations, however, at least four times as many showed up to let down their weaves and other accessories on the cool beach sands. Yes, dear reader, you got that right: some 2000 soused-up thrill addicts policed by just 20 cops. Then again, considering similar events had all attracted what appeared to be half the island’s population, shouldn’t the police have known for themselves what to expect at the weekend? As for the event itself, it might be worth looking up the dictionary definition of its name!

Yeah, cute!