Froggie Went A Courting

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Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

Billy did a great version yesterday.

 

and..
 

At the  Greek Theater show I observed a person wearing a bike type helmet.

So I’m thinking maybe they were prone to seizures. 

Well, as the concert progressed this person was running up and down the steps, leaping and jumping onto ledges. 

Thinking now the helmet is on because they perform risky stunts while trippin? 

Things got strange when helmeted acrobat pissed off a couple of people by leaping onto the ledge  in front of them. 

Apparently someone got pissed that helmeted acrobat’s  mount into the 4” “beam” although quite graceful resulted in some drink being spilled. Well, that helmet came in handy when he was shoved off the ledge. 

After a brief skirmish, they got up and after a couple more leaps was escorted out of the venue. 

Helmet did its job! lol

Small pecker 

> although quite graceful resulted in some drink being spilled

True grace would have spared the beverage. Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

I played Froggy Went A Courting to my son as a lullaby last night. It just popped out of the guitar, randomly. Haven't played it in years.

Weird.

The good kind of weird. 
 

 

 

Crambone!

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I thought this was going to be news about our awesome zoner froggy.

And this story reminds me of one time long ago when I was sitting in the steep stone seating at the Greek, and while experiencing a serious "peaking" moment I began to obsess on the thought that some crazed dead head would launch themself out over the crowd, ala Yossarian, and crash onto my head.

It's amazing how detailed and vivid thinking can be while in that state. It seriously distracted me that night, and I think about it just about every time I've been there since. As far as I know that's never happened, but sooner or later it probably will.

People like to complain about how steep sections are in areas and stadiums, but those have nothing on the Greek.

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>ala Yossarian, and crash onto my head.


yeah, difference  here was that helmeted freak was flying up and not crashing down - well, not until aggro dude shoved him off the ledge 

The jambase article refers to the helmeted guy's apparel as a cape, but it looks more like one of John K's kimonos.

Yep, they were wearing very flowing attire. I say they because I really couldn't tell if they were  a guy or a gal. 
 

>The incident appears to have started when a concertgoer wearing a robe ran across a ledge erratically and dancing in front of other fans. One audience member took the situation to a physical level as he seemingly shoved the robe-wearing Strings devotee. A bit of a melee ensued leading Strings to address the crowd.

My bad. It was the Reddit posts that referred to him as Flowing Cape Dude.

I saw the whole incident. The aggro drunk punched the kid in a helmet in the back of the head knocking him onto the unsuspecting people below him. Aggro guy was swinging punches at everyone around him when they tried to break it up. Fans broke up the fight, security was either ignoring it or didn't see? No one was escorted out. The aggro guy went and got security after he was shamed from the stage, and tried to get the fans who he assaulted when they stopped him from assaulting other fans ejected from the venue. He didn't get his way and after trying to start more crap with people during the show eventually left on his own. 

The helmeted kid wasn't actually blocking the aggro drunk, drunk guy left his section (3) and went to section (4) to assault the kid in the helmet. I didn't see any 'acrobatics' unless you count standing on the rail and dancing (he was blocking people's views, but NOT drunk guy's view). Lastly the helmet the kid was wearing was a plastic costume army helmet, not a protective bike helmet. I hate having my view blocked but that drunk guy could've seriously injured helmet kid sucker punching his head so hard from behind that he fell on the people dancing below him (maybe a 5' drop but still). 

At any rate I agree with Billy, we fans should look out for one another instead of deliberately trying to hurt each other. I hope the kid in the helmet is ok. That blow to his head looked serious. Someone on another board claimed they'd hung out with drunk guy the night before and that DG was a lone traveler from Texas who had kinda sketch anger issues and talked a lot about guns. A bit scary security allowed him to stay in the venue after he assaulted multiple fans and literally interrupted the show. 

The acrobatics were impressive too bad you missed it- kid did one last one before getting escorted out by security. 
 

but I agree, that security was a bit too lax and could have been more proactive 

Yeah I was watching the show until I saw the drunk guy crash the party in section 4 to clock the kid from behind. I didn't see the kid fight back, but everyone in the row drunk guy crashed were making efforts to detain DG while he swung wildly at them. He straight up violently assaulted helmet kid unprovoked. Security didn't turn up until after the melee was over. They likely escorted the kid to rock med to make sure he was ok. When security arrived everyone wanted the drunk guy ejected, but he wasn't, so they booed. 

Lance my vertigo was at like level 11! I forgot how steep the Greek raked seating is. I think next time I'll aim for lawn or pit. 

I had to laugh when people were saying that Dead and Phish fans would never survive in The Sphere. We survived the Greek we can survive The Sphere which at least has steps meant to accommodate the human body.

Also, and this may just be amplified in the age of social media but it sure does seem like Billy attracts folks who there to start shit. 

Meh, it was one drunk ahole. Maybe his buddy too? Could  happen anywhere.

 

 

Other than that one incident, it was a beautiful crowd. 

 

 

And now it's time to compose some lyrics to the tune of Froggie Went A Courting about the incident 

 


If you want anymore, you can sing it yourself, Uh-huh...

I've never seen a fight at a Billy show. I've heard of a handful over the years though, and it always turned out to be an outlier who wasn't a fan and had no sense of tolerance for the good of the group. If the dude who said he hung out with Drunk Guy is to be believed, the drunk guy had some intense issues that had nothing to do with the fans or music. From what I saw? He looked completely off his shit enraged. Maybe a mental issue for him but the fans handled the situation peacefully and were the ones who put a stop to the senseless violence he was meting out. As I mentioned he wasn't ejected and was still trying to start shit with people enjoying the concert after Billy stopped playing to admonish him. He wasn't able to goad anyone into violence so he left on his own. 

Helmet cape guy dances at all the Greek shows. He doesn't bother anyone but redneck wookies.

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lol

 

Caped Dude went a-trippin' and he did fly, Uh-huh
Caped Dude went a-trippin' and he did fly, Uh-huh
Caped Dude went a-trippin' and he did fly
Helmet on his head and he did glide, Uh-huh

Well he bopped on up to Section Four, Uh-huh
Well he bopped on up to Section Four, Uh-huh
Well he bopped on up to Section Four
Took three big leaps and might've taken more, Uh-huh

Some angry guy come running up, Uh-huh
Some angry guy come running up, Uh-huh
Some angry guy come running up,
And just lke that caped dude's trip went bust, Uh-huh

Jumped from behind, he hit the crowd, Uh-huh
Jumped from behind, he hit the crowd, Uh-huh
Jumped from behind, he hit the crowd
Angry dude was on him and things was getting loud, Uh-huh

Then old Billy from up on stage, Uh-huh
Then old Billy from up on stage, Uh-huh
Then old Billy from up on stage
Stopped the band and gazed at the rage, Uh-huh

I know you’re not fighting at my show, Uh-huh
I know you’re not fighting at my show, Uh-huh
I know you’re not fighting at my show
You know what they say about people who fight at shows, Uh-huh

Fighter's got a little pecker is what they say, Uh-huh
Fighter's got a little pecker is what they say, Uh-huh
Fighter's got a little pecker is what they say
And your 15 minutes fame have gone astray, Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh

A lucky Zoner caught all the action.

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After getting knocked off the ledge and flying through the air, helmet cape guy did nail the landing on the seats below. He was shaken up but otherwise ok. Angry drunk guy left because he couldn't afford the price of beers.

 

i've read quite a few accounts of billy rail dorks bullying people. sounds just like the natural progression of phish dicks.

The rail scene is pathetic.  I was hoping this was a sequel to the chair-gate incident a few months back

No argument re: the rail dramas, feeling entitled to a spot on the rail at GA shows is ridiculous, but yeah that seems to be every band with a hyper-dedicated following, even DNB and Terrapin Xroads has had the occasional territorial rail scuffle.

The rail drama at Sundays show was not the front rail though, it was the loge "rail" the caped helmet kid was dancing on, and regular fans were the ones who stopped the violent guy from hurting more people. 

Right, i understand that i watched it all. My comment was a sidebar to what actually happened 

It's interesting that security seemed to be almost nonexistent in this case. Not surprising that they weren't on the scene immediately, as they don't usually have a lot of security in the bowl at the Greek, but what they do have all over that place is multiple ushers, especially now that all the shows there are reserved.

Ushers aren't supposed to get involved with physical alterations because most don't have guard cards, but they can still try to mediate while getting security to a bad scene, and it sounds like the situation went on for a while.

There are multiple ushers visible in those videos, and that guy is clearly deserving of being shown the door, so I must ask the question that everyone always screams from the sidelines after something happens, and that usually annoys the hell out of me......

Where was security???

Sure seems like the staff didn't handle this one well at all.

"Billy Strings fans are the MAGA of the jamband scene. The polar opposite of the String Cheese fairy wings and glitter crowd" declared one witness to the incident. "you cn tell by the favored drugs at a Billy Strings show -- meth and beer. Lots of cheap beer. Most of these kids tour because they got kicked out of their double-wides." - jambandworld.com

 

 

I've only been to 3 Billy shows [all at the St. Augustine Amp] and the crowd every time was amazing.  In fact it was the crowd [and of course Billy] that brought me back for show number 2.  I'm seeing Billy in Memphis for 2 more show in December and it will be interesting to see what the crowd is like there - I suspect awesome!  

You should wear a t-shirt that says "WELL-ENDOWED CONSIDERATE DANCER".

This is what happens when Tucker Carlson starts gushing about Billy Strings and how he is saving American music.   Wondered if that endorsement would draw in a new element.

1.  Seems like the guy wearing the helmet planned ahead.  Clearly he can see the future, knew he was going to be sucker punched, and prepared accordingly.  

2.  Saturday nights crowd where I was couldn't have been better.   I've learned to stay off the floor at Billy shows and hang with the old folks. 

Ken: It crossed my mind that drunk guy was enraged by helmet kid because of how he was dressed/behaving like the right sees "antifa". He literally crashed a row of people to hit helmet kid, HK wasn't menacing him, or even blocking his view yet he felt ok with using violence and ran to security after he himself had physically assaulted multiple people. A guy on another board who claimed he hung out with drunk guy on Saturday said drunk guy was into guns, anger issues, and RFK. 

Roger Waters Shoreline 1999 I think.

While the band was playing Money, everyone was in their seats but a guy with laminets around his next was lingering in the side aisle in the 100's

Mid song a door in the wall opens and a guy steps out and starts talking to the lingerer.

He tried showing his credentials and before you knew it the guy that emerged starts pummeling the lingerer and drags him behind the door.

Later I saw the pummeler on stage after the show. He was part of  Roger's crew.

So I concluded that the altercation was part of the theatrics of the show

So maybe both these guys are on Billy's payroll and it was all orchestrated 

anything to generate clicks, show business and all....