Friday, 1 August 2014

When Will Country Music Finally Admit It Has A Drinking Problem?

When Will Country Finally Admit It Has A Drinking Problem?

Is it solely the one holding the bottle who has the problem or does the genre have a responsibility?























Nutso Urban (glorifying acholol??!) Multiple people had been treated for injuries and even more were arrested during a July 26th  Keith Urban alcohol-fueled concert in Massachusetts in the US over the weekend, with police blaming alcohol as the main cause of the chaos. Forty-six people were injured, including 22 people being admitted to hospital, while police estimate 50 people were taken into protective custody for alcohol related offences.
Things were so bad, which included ambulances from five surrounding communities. People were so drunk at the show .
Rolling Stone reported officials had to activate "a phase one EMS plan" with ambulances from five local areas were called upon to deal with the injured. “In total, Fire and EMS attended to 46 medicals resulting in 22 transports mostly alcohol-related,” Mansfield, Massachusetts Police Chief Ron Sellon and Fire Chief Neil Boldrighini said in a joint statement. Who knew a Keith Urban concert was such a good time?!!

Urban himself acknowledged the rowdy nature of the concert via a Twitter video, although he seemed to be unaware of the injuries or arrests. “What a great night tonight. It was killer. Gosh, up on the lawn tonight, that was nutso. It was so cool,” he said in the clip. The concert was part of Urban's current RAISE 'EM UP tour through the US.
On July 29th Billboard reports an 18-year-old Boston man has been arrested for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl during the Keith Urban concert at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Mass., on July 26.
The teenage girl was was allegedly sexually assaulted on the lawn area of the venue while others watched and took videos with their cell phones, The Sun Chronicle reports.
The suspect, Sean Murphy, pleaded innocent to the rape and claims that the incident was consensual. His parents were reportedly expected to post the bail for his release, which is set at $10,000. He’s due back in court on Sept. 25.
Police say that Murphy and the girl met for the first time at the concert and began kissing near a concession stand before moving to the lawn area. An off-duty police officer intervened after seeing a large group of people surrounding them while taking videos and photos. Murphy was arrested shortly thereafter. According to police, both he and the girl were consuming alcohol during the concert, The Sun Chronicle reports.
In reply to this seedy story a country fan comments – “I've witnessed things at concerts recently that I wouldn't believe if I didn't see it with my own sober eyes!!! These kids are drunk out of their minds and have absolutely no ability to make a sound judgment. It's disgusting”!
Billboard Article
Published 28 July 2014
CLICK to ENLARGE

Drinking songs have been synonymous with country music for a very long time. Alan Jackson isn't exactly the first guy you think of when it comes to country's top party-hearty stars, but even the more mild-mannered country stars like to cut loose once in a while. Alan likes a "shot of tequila / Beer on tap / Sweet Southern woman sitting on my lap." Which sounds more like a great time!
In 2011 Toby Keith toasted the success of his viral No.1 hit "Red Solo Cup”. That iconic piece of hand-held plastic a staple of beaches, picnics and college parties finally got its due in the fun and light-hearted Keith single.:
Now a red Solo cup is the best receptacle / For barbeques, tailgates, fairs and festivals / And you, sir, do not have a pair of testicles / If you prefer drinking from glass / A red Solo cup is cheap and disposable / In 14 years they are decomposable

Country rapper Colt Ford teamed up with Keith Urban for the song >> “She’s Like” on Ford's fifth album as Colt describing the female protagonist sings (?) : She's like a free round of drinks at my favorite bar/ She's a wide open road and later declares -
She keeps the party going all night long/ And if you know what I mean you can sing along.

Superstar and CMA Awards host Brad Paisley is a guy reported not to drink. Yet in his video for >> “Southern Comfort Zone” he raises a glass in a pub as 57 pints of beer are gulped down. His forthcoming album due Aug. 25th 2014 is titled MOONSHINE IN THE TRUNK. In the track >> “Crushin’ It” he sings “By this time Friday night,  I’ll be done with my third can”….“ You want a margarita, I’ll get tequila and ice”

Lady Antebellum’s latest radio single >> “Bartender serves up the booze. Here lead singer Hillary Scott navigates the trenches of loneliness while mending a broken heart. She turns to good friends, the club and booze to help her forget Mr. What’s-His-Name.
Tonight I’ll let a stranger pull me on the floor / Spin me round and let ‘em buy a couple more / But before he gets too far I’ll let ‘em down easy,” she sings  continuing “So pour that thing up to the top, I’m coming in hot”. With the key blurry drinking line:
Hey bartender pour ‘em hot tonight / ‘Til the party and music and the truth collide / Bring it ‘til his memory fades away

Award-winning country group Little Big Town premiered the music video for their latest country radio single, >> “Day Drinking.”
It features the foursome stuck on the Old Port Bridge, day drinking and lounging on the beach. It's about not wanting to wait until later or needing a reason to have some drinks, so the song's narrator suggests they do a little "day drinking” ending up at a beach where fun festivities commence while alcohol beverages are consumed.

In Joe Nichols' new romantic (?) video, >> "Yeah," the current 3-week No.1 on Billboard Country Airplay, the guy will say or do anything to get off with a hot leggy blonde girl who just stepped out of 4-wheeler pick and headed in his direction. As the drinks flow Nichols sings: "Whatever your drinkin', that's what I'm drinkin', girl you call in the shots tonight/ Whatever your thinkin' I'm thinkin'/ Tell me what yer got in mind so I can say YEAH YEAH

In Love and Theft’s new video for their single “Night That You'll Never Forget” the hot-rock-your-world country girls are seen to openly go with the flow:




When Will Country Admit It Has A Drinking Problem?
(by Jimmy Carter a well-known veteran TV, radio personality and now a columnist! His unique view of MUSIC ROW comes from years of producing local and national TV from Nashville)

He writes: A 22-year-old college student went to the July 19th 2014 Jason Aldean stadium show in Cleveland this week and drank himself to death. Homicide detectives found Cory Barron's Aldean ticket in his pants pocket when they found him dead at the city dump. A landfill worker discovered the body of 22-year-old Cory Barron at the Lorain County Landfill. Early statements from police say that Barron fell five stories through a trash chute after he wandered away from his family during the Jason Aldean concert. A friend of Barron's said he was extremely intoxicated when she last saw him, a police report said. Police arrested 35 people on alcohol-related charges at the Aldean concert Saturday, a press release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.
It's an ugly story created by an "anything goes" partying policy a major Country shows around the country.
Let's go back to 2008: Boston, CBS TV
The Country music festival was marred by tragedy in 2008 when 20-year-old Debra Davis of Milton and her friend Alexa Latteo, 19, of Mansfield, were killed after the car Latteo was driving veered into a tree on Route 1 in Wrentham just after they left the venue...This was the beginning
... drink until you fall over all-day tailgating before a [Kenny] Chesney show ... No one make those kids drink and drive ... life goes on ...Fast-forward past hundreds, if not thousands, of  arrests at Country shows all over the county ... The crime list related in one way or another to booze is long. Moving to 2009 ... upsate NY Rochester News: William "Billy" Sutherland, 33, of Bradford, PA, was found dead in Sunshine Lake. It's a small body of water located within the parking areas of the theme park.Mr. Sutherland had attended the Toby Keith concert at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center with friends on Friday night.
A Cleveland newspaper reporter described this lovely scene: "A woman standing about five feet away from me was singing along with Miranda Lambert when she abruptly threw up all over herself and the man next to her. And just about no one else seemed to notice. They were too busy having the time of their lives. The NFL and most major colleges put the brakes on drinking years ago. Country is late to the party. No one suggest prohibition ... just some decent rules of engagement.

Trashathon’s
Anyone watch the news coverage of Luke Bryan's record breaking June 2014 Heinz Field Pittsburgh concert? Not much about Luke ... the focus: The fans again were pigs! said Jimmy Carter. The parking lot looked like a city landfill and CNN kept showing the fan who tried to walk but fell down planting his face to the street. 
Luke Bryan Clean Up
It was disgusting to read about the amount of trash country fans tossed into the Allegheny River. Kenny Chesney fans were actually worse the year before. Some even referred to the crowd as "Country Western" fans. Everyone must be proud.
darkhorseinstitute.com: Was Luke Bryan responsible for Fans Behavior in Pittsburgh?
Luke Bryan concert left a huge mess at the venue at Pittsburgh, Heinz field (where the Steelers play) . The parking lots were trashed and drunks stumbled into the show. At least 20 were cited for under age drinking outside the concert.
post-gazette.com Pittsburgh mayor calls for end of city 'trashing'…..Mayor Bill Peduto announced Sunday that the city will bill all parties responsible for the cost of cleaning up after
Luke Bryan
Tailgate Pittsburgh
(Click to enlarge)
Saturday's Luke Bryan country-western concert at Heinz Field on the North Shore. “Enough is enough,” Mr. Peduto said. “The continued trashing of our city has to stop.” The mayor said there is no reason that large events like the one Saturday should force city taxpayers to bear the burden for out-sized amounts of garbage removal and public safety response. More than 50,000 people attended the concert, many of whom began tailgating as early as 11 a.m. in preparation for the 6 p.m. event. Public safety officials responded to more than 300 incidents related to the concert


Police issued 37 non-traffic citations (20 for scalping; 10 for public urination; six for disorderly conduct; and one for public intoxication). Officers arrested seven people, broke up 15 fights and answered 154 calls to 911. City medics responded to 100 calls to 911 and transported 34 people to hospitals.
>> Watch the Pittisburgh Actions News video wtae.com/news/

How Pittsburgh prepared for the Jason Aldean fans who in Boston set a new record for beer sales!



Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line and Miranda Lambert drew tens of thousands of people to PNC Park a baseball park located on the North Shore of Pittsburgh (The fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates). But unlike what Luke Bryan fans left and Kenny Chesney fans left behind last summer, this time, the tailgate aftermath was dramatically different. It appears that new guidelines put into place ahead of Saturday’s July 26, 2014 country music concert had a mostly positive effect also that torrential downpours washed the party-goers away. However, there were once again citations for under age drinking and there were still 32 medical transports reported. Most of those were for intoxication. By comparison, there were 34 transports during June’s Luke Bryan concert at Heinz Field.

Are these events making Americans, their country and country music look bad?

Chesney Tailgate Trash in 2013
Not much has changed: Last Summer, Country Superstar Kenny "Have Another Beer" Chesney brought his Barefoot Nation  to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. That ended up in 30 tons of trash being left in the lots from tailgating, 49 arrests and 150 people were treated for various medical needs. Another 45 people were taken to medical facilities as well. Trouble also occured at other Chesney dates. 
  • Is it the culture created by the music? Pittsburghers are pointing their fingers squarely at Country artists and fans.
  • The shows have become more about drinking, partying and tailgating than the actual music
  • Many are saying that limiting parking lot hours to 2 hours before the show would prohibit this .
  • This isn’t just about Luke, Kenny or even country music, should any artist be responsible for fans behavior? So the question stands to be addressed. 
  • Who is responsible: The Artist, the Promoter, the Venue or the Fans or a 4 way alcholic country mixture?
  • Related post: Why Country Music Was Awful in 2013 >> Video
The number of drinking songs out right now is insane. "Party, Party, Party" that and soccer the only two reasons to live in 2014 wrote Jimmy Carter.














Example: It's Friday, work is done. Time to fire it up. Grab your girl, crank the stereo in your truck, and get your ass to the party. Playlist!:




Related Blog Post (2012) Should Country artists show more responsibility in the songs they sing and they way they act?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.