NEW RAIN OF BOTTLES ACROSS THE STAGE

The Americans THE DROOGS bombarded after cancellation of top name

Story by Eric Jensen and
Cristoffer Guldbrandsen

The ROSKILDE Festival was close to experiencing another repeat scandal as it did last year, when bottle throwers from the audience caused the British SEX PISTOLS to leave the orange stage. The well known Americans THE DROOGS received a far more severe treatment Saturday night, totally without cause.

The experienced garage rockers from the sixties were brought back as a substitute for the presently hottest hip-hop name, the WU TANG CLAN, who had canceled, following a fight at Newark Airport on their way to Roskilde.

Though the management of the Festival had attempted to inform the whole audience from all the stages, apparently too many did not get the word, and went to the Green Stage to listen to radical hip-hop at two a.m. The local stage announcer did not take enough time to explain the changed program, and the replacement of the original group. This resulted in a mean behavior by the audience, throwing glass bottles, filled paper cups, food left-oversee and other items at THE DROOGS, who were replacing the original group. The bombardment probably could have been avoided had the curtains been pulled a little later, and left to protect against the initial attack. Though the situation seemed pretty dangerous to the DROOGS, the Americans kept playing against the riot, without a word for the first four musical numbers, at which point the singer Ric Albin sarcastically said: "Well, thanks for the shower!". The throwing also damaged the light control panel in the green tent, so the concert continued in a dark tent. Later in the evening, or early morning, the vans belonging to the newspaper JYLLNDSPOSTEN were spray painted with graffiti.

"It was tough and very bold of the DROOGS to withstand the poor treatment", said the SORT SOL's singer. Steen Jorgensen who witnessed the riot from the stage. However it too was inexcusable that the management of the Roskilde Festival did not make a greater effort to announce that the DROOGS had nothing to do with the cancellation of THE WU TANG CLAN. "We did what was at all possible to inform about the changes by announcement from all the stages. With regard to the quality of the substituting performers it must be understood that the WU TANG CLAN is absolutely unique with no equals. We have had no critique by the people who got mad, only understanding. They had looked forward to the WU TANG as the pearl of the year, so their reaction is understandable," said the Festival leader Leif Skov at a press meeting yesterday, called together to explain the painful episode.

The DROOGS, in spite of the dangerous and unreasonable conditions played a tight and well organized program to the end. When simple garage rock can be played so nicely with varied tempos and primitive atmosphere, you give in. And the audience did the same. At the end of the concert the DROOGS received enormous ovations and the request for encores.