Yobs Took Edge Off Weller Gig

Yobs Took Edge Off Weller Gig

Yobs took edge off Weller gig

I have just returned home from the Paul Weller gig at GL1. It was a brilliant event with surprisingly good sound compared to the many gigs I had been to at the old leisure centre.

However, the concert was spoilt for many of us down in the front/middle of the stage by the few idiots who decided to barge their way to the front of the crowd.

The three idiots in question basically barged their way to the front, even pushing women out of the way and swearing at anyone who dared tell them that they were out of order.

The main culprit was a 50-something guy in a white shirt who proceeded to wave his arms furiously above his head in a drunken state, not worrying who he bumped into or offended.

Anyone who had the audacity to ask him to refrain from waving his arms near their girlfriends were asked if they had a problem. This happened to one of my friends who felt very intimidated.

Which brings me to ask the question - where was the security? I could see no security whatsoever at the event until after this sorry bunch had exited the building, which was about 40 minutes from the end. Most of the audience were more interested in making sure that they didn't get a clout rather than watching the band that they had come to see.

Security finally stepped into the audience after spotting a young girl sitting on top of a guy's shoulders at the front of the stage.

How ironic! They acted on reprimanding a teenager who just wanted to get a picture on her mobile phone of the band and yet turned a blind eye to the bunch of yobbos who had intimidated at least 20 people in the audience.

Still, considering that the so-called security staff that I saw looked like a girl who had just left school and a guy of not more than 20, what did the management of GL1 expect to happen if an incident really did get out of hand at the gig?

In future GL1, may I suggest you staff these events properly. Not only was there little to no security, you only had two people on the bar at which myself and around 100 other people tried to get served.

No wonder the big bands do not visit this city very often if you cannot provide the staff to cater for their fans. Or maybe they were all serving the guy in the white shirt?

DAVE C. (Full name and address