Music Festival Ends Suddenly After Conflict Between Staff and Crowd

By Logan Langlois

Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.-- Concert-goers were outraged at 506 Events Gallery at 506 Davidson St. In East Nashville on Nov. 18 after a local punk rock festival was shut down midway through after a worker claimed to have a family emergency.

Problems arose early for the festival named Grapefest, as the staff of 506 Events Gallery complained about lights falling from the ceiling due to audience members jumping. Tensions continued to rise between the estimated 70-person audience and the staff after attendees continued to interact with the performing bands with dancing, headbanging and moshing.

Photo provided by Future Crib

“At first you could tell they were a little hostile,” said performer Nordista Freeze, who was scheduled to headline Grapefest. “They were not having it. They got on the microphone and said, ‘Can you guys stop moshing?’ We kept moshing a couple more times. Normally when you ask a bunch of punk rock kids to stop moshing, it doesn’t work to your advantage.”

After repeated attempts from the staff to limit the audience’s antics, the venue manager and owner Suzie Warner announced that the show would have to be shut down. She went on to say that a worker's boyfriend had been hospitalized after a four-car hit and run, which left her unable to continue to do liability brought on by being understaffed. Her announcement was then met with immediate criticism and controversy from the audience.

“She started off by saying, ‘I’m cool with you guys doing this, just don’t jump,’” said Jonny Hopsin of Future Crib, commenting on the venue manager’s interaction with the crowd. “Then she came back and said, ‘This is the fifth time I’ve said no.’ Even though it was the third time and she never said explicitly ‘no,’ she came back with the car crash thing.”

Some members of the audience met the announcement with immediate shouting of disgust for what they saw as a blatant lie. When asked what happened by other concerned audience and band members, the worker claimed that her boyfriend and four other cars were hit by a single vehicle.

Photo provided by Nordista Freeze

“She said her boyfriend’s car was totaled and he was in the hospital,” Nordista Freeze said. “When we asked if she was going to the hospital, she said she didn’t know where he was.’”

Freeze and Johnny Hopsin were also quick to point out the lack of emergency in the attitude of the manager and worker. Three workers showed up to clean up the space and monitor the crowd. One of them had a pistol on his hip.

Outside of the venue, the crowd continued to openly criticize the alleged lies of the venue’s staff, as well as speculate on whether they were afraid to tell the concert attendees the truth for fear of what the audience might do.

“She said she was going to shut it down,” said Hopsin. “Then Julia [the bassist of Future Crib] heard her outside on the phone asking if she could shut it down, and then she came back with that excuse.”

Photo provided by Future Crib

Grapefest was a long-awaited festival for many young adults and teenagers in the Murfreesboro and Nashville area. The organizers of the event, James Clark and Matthew Cambell of Golf Party, began promoting the event in late October. The event was a big step forward for Clark, who is starting his booking career.

Clark and Cambell were able to book several local celebrities in the Nashville alt-rock and punk scene, including Date Night, The Mumzees, Levi J. Miller, Future Crib, and Nordista Freeze. Several of the acts have toured regionally outside of Nashville. Nordista Freeze is the only one that has toured nationally. After the concert was shut down, the bands that played, including Clark and Cambell, were refunded their $500 deposits.

Photo provided by Golf Party

Freeze later said during an interview that it’s normal for a counter culture music scene to be misunderstood by those on the outside. He added that most venues, legitimate and illegitimate, are part of the music scene and understand what is to be expected.

“Tonight she knew that it was a music festival, she just didn’t understand the culture behind punk rock, which is that you push each other,” said Freeze.

Freeze added that earlier in the evening, two kids collided their heads in a mosh pit. One of them walked away with a bloody gash above his eye. A women sewed stitches into his wound in the kitchen in the back of the venue.

“I think that’s what put the venue over the edge, too,” Freeze continued. “They walked in the kitchen and there’s a kid in there that looks like he’s passed out. Someone was sewing on his face. It was pretty traumatic.”

Clark and Cambell recently organized Grapefest PT.2 to be held at the venue The Eastroom on Dec. 17. The festival will feature the bands that were not able to play Grapefest.

Image provided by Golf Party