I have been to many events where parents use their kids as 'cute pawns' for attention from rockers. Even Morrissey was face to face with an 11 year old boy who instantly became prey to the crowd. Kids have the 'awww' factor, to some. But I gotta say this incident with Pete Townshend of The Who makes me feel better about him as a person. He isn't down with that kids as weapons either. No matter what is said here- that father was 100% at fault for the altercation and absolutely used that kid for attention.
Seems a gentleman and his 7 year old daughter wore told to 'fuck off' for holding a sign that said "Pete Smash Your Guitar!". Dad had the kid on his shoulders as she held it up. Well played Pete!
Pete has once said he found it embarrassing to be asked to smash his guitar 'like the old days'. The quotes from the father are ridiculous. But first this is what Pete said in Ontario on the fateful night!
"Don’t wave that sign,Just don’t wave it at me. Don’t bring your children. Use them. … I want to tell you two words, but I can’t because you have a child on you.” He mouthed “f**k off” before introducing the next song.
Simple and actually he gave them more attention than he needed. That alone should have pacified the dad- but no, he had his pride to protect so he took to the airwaves with comments.
"“Some people have explained that (Townshend) had thought that I was using her (to get up to the front) and I want to make it perfectly clear that is not what happened at all and I support my daughter in what she wants to do,” Costello told the Toronto Sun.
He and Janey returned to their original seats after the incident and the newspaper reports the young fan “began whimpering.”
“I’d like him to know in some small way he broke a little girl’s heart,” Costello said. “Both she and I were huge fans of the band and now I’m left trying to explain to her that heroes are not infallible. Instead of being this joyous, momentous occasion, it turned into a sad, regrettable kind of incident.”
Whimpering? When my kid was 7 if she 'whimpered' to go to her seat she would have ended up in the car on the long road home to reality. What the hell sort of nonsense is that?
Pete handled it like a boss with a dismissive and veiled 'apology' of sorts, nice public relations babble!
I am most certainly not angry. I was not angry on stage either. I was in rock star mode…… the big mouth……
“Please don’t worry about me, I thought your placard was fun. I had a job to do (to announce our musicians) and I didn't’t want to lengthen the show by trying to deal with you directly and in detail. I was also worried that your daughter looked a little frightened as the crowd started to follow you down the aisle. The ushers should not have let you leave your seats and walk forward.
“All that said, you did nothing wrong, ……but I don’t think I did either – however, I could have handled it differently. I thought of sending someone to find you both and telling you I was not upset, but we were flying to New York straight after the show, and had no time to spare. I wish things had been different. It would have saved you from all this furore.”
He also invited the two to another show so they can "hang out be friends and put this behind us".
Those fools wont hear from Pete again.. I hope. Stay in your seats shut the hell up and you get what you get at a rock show…this isn't Wiggles Live.