There was a rumour at the surprise Death From Above 1979 reunion show that the fence separating the venue and an alley would come down to create more space for the 500 people waiting outside to see the band.
It did, but not without a decent tangle with police.[briefbreak]
Here’s what happened:
- Agitated fans tore down a chainlink fence in the back of the Beauty Bar and began pushing their way in mid-set, the first time DFA79 has played in five years.
-
Police initially held the line back using mace and tasers. In the video, you can hear the tasers, but I didn’t see anyone get tasered.
-
The blonde guy in the front got punched in the face, and proceeded to get more nuts than he did before he got punched.
-
Beer cans were being pelted at police and in the bar.
-
The fence was resurrected.
-
Police on horseback arrived with more mace to try to clear the alley.
-
The band came on to announce the show would end unless the alley cleared. The alley cleared.
Having witnessed what some are now calling a “mini-riot”, I have to say both revellers and police share the blame for this. Both were immediately hostile with each other. The only innocent party I see here was those poor police horses – difficult to watch those beasts get pelted with beer cans.
In hindsight, the show was a bit of a powder keg to begin with. The line up was chaotic hours before the band was set to go on. The alley filled up with people moshing, dancing on cars, on top of buildings – of course all with their own beers.
DFA 1979, someone should have probably guessed, were too big for the bar.
Between this and the mayhem at the Strokes show, the argument could definitely be made SXSW is perhaps outgrowing the town.
Or the crowds are caring less about music and more about the extracurriculars. The famous 6th Street is looking more like a meaningless Mardi Gras (Party Gras?) than a music festival.
Though as the mace filled the air and DFA1979’s Black History Month came on, the guy behind me yelled “Austin is back!” and high fived his friends. I’m not sure about Austin being back, but DFA1979 definitely are – this was one of the more eventful reunion shows in memory.
Watch the raw footage from the night here:
