Toronto Protestors.. how bad is it when you offend Jerry Garcia and Janis Joplin?

The Greatful Dead..   hard core neo-cons!

Last night I watched the documentary, "Festival Express", and learned a little about the roots of Canada's "protest movements".

The movie documents the CN Rail road trip across Canada by Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, the Band, Buddy Guy, Ian and Sylvia, Delaney Bonnie & Friends, and others, putting on concerts in Toronto, Winnipeg and Calgary.

The trip occurred over the summer of 1970, when this writer was only 8 years old, so I really don't have any recollection - but growing up in the transition from the 60's to the 70's, I recall the musical atmosphere and have always been a huge fan of music from the 60's and 70's and have always harbored some wish that I was born about 5 or 6 years earlier to have really experienced the period beyond books and documentaries.

One of the most fascinating parts of the documentary, however, related to the protests surrounding the event.

For reasons that are difficult to comprehend, protesters in Toronto felt that paying $10.00 for a full day concert (or $14.00 for two days) was offending their sensibilities, and up to 2000 protesters tried to rush the gates, resulting in altercations between police and so-called "protesters", including a police officer struck in the head by a brick as he was sitting on his horse.

And this is where it gets really interesting.

Because here we have counter-culture icons, Jerry Garcia and friends, appealing for decent behavior, and later putting on a free concert in the park to achieve order.  Later, as they are interviewed, they express unreserved sympathy for the police and contempt for the protesters.

Gerry Garcia (Grateful Dead):

These kids came without money in their pockets.  They had no intention of paying.
So just to get them away from the gates so that paying customers could make it in, was really in my best interest, and I didn't mind doing it.

You know, the word was out that the protests had, you know, fucked the promoters, and that despite the music and despite the pleasure that the people who were attending were having with the music, it was going to be a financial disaster.

Well, I'd like to see them, you know, get as many people as can possibly come. Because it's a... there's a fantastic amount of... Great, great line-up of talent, you know.


Yeah, well, it's funny... if you figure... if you figure... people say the tickets are too high, but if you figure, it's less than a dollar per super group, you know?

Bob Weir (Grateful Dead):

And all these kids got uptight because the admission was too high, and they decided they were going to have a riot. They busted some cop's head, man. They busted it wide open.  He's got a plate in his head now and he may still be in critical condition.


Is that worth the fucking dollars?


Woman: Okay, but... but how many kids got busted wide open too?

Weir: Who started it?

Later - Weir again:

These people weren't looking for free music, they were looking for trouble. They were looking for an excuse to bust cops' heads. They were, you know, pathologically unauthoritarian.  I know, I'm... I'm that way myself.

Jerry Garcia - the lead man for the Grateful Dead, supporting the police and decrying protesters.

Why?

Well, it was obvious, really.  The promoter and performers incur real costs to travel to and from their venue, to rent the venue, to acquire the equipment needed to put on the event, and yet Toronto protesters felt "entitled" to access the venue for free.

When the event rolled into Calgary, things got even more interesting.

Rod Sykes, the diminutive (in stature and in intellect apparently) mayor of Calgary got on the bandwagon for the protests, and demanded that the promoters allow youth in for free as well, becoming very angry and offensive, suggesting that the promoter was trying to make a "quick buck".

Really? They wanted to receive pay for going to the trouble and expense of putting on a two day concert?  How dare they?

So.. apparently, the culture of entitlement isn't a recent phenomenon.  It appears, shock of shocks, that even back in 1970 there were groups of petulant children who felt that those who worked for money should be mocked and compelled to hand-over the fruit of their efforts for nothing.

Now, guessing that these spoiled children would be in their 20's at the time - now, some 40 years later, that would put them in their 60's wouldn't it?

For your consideration:

Jack Layton - 60 years old

Michael Ignatieff - 63 years old

Gilles Ducceppe - 63 years old

Think about that for a moment.