VARIETY MAGAZINE AUGUST 7, 1968
City streets are not the only place where there is unrest and mobs get out of hand. On Friday night (2) at the Singer Bowl, which is located on the grounds of the old New York World’s Fair, a melee broke out involving several young patrons of a concert headlining The Doors (4) and The Who (4), both top rock combos.
The youngsters charged the stage area and threw chairs onstage, damaging some of The Doors’ equipment. The Doors were just wrapping up their slot shortly past midnight. Three persons were hurt; one of them was arrested.
The kids were restless due to the concert’s late start, a long intermission and the addition of a third act, The Kangaroo. Perhaps topping off these events were The Doors’ lyrics, many of which refer to death, power, violence and comment on society’s bizarre aspects, and the wild theatries of group’s lead singer and new contemporaneous sex symbol, Jim Morrison.
Adding to the climactic moment, was that per plan, The Who had performed with the house lights on, but these were turned off for The Doors. And the tension was further spurred by breakdown of the revolving stage which, when operative, made it possible for the act to be seen from all angles.
The Doors have been gaining a reputation for exciting audiences beyond the norm. They have had several such incidents, the most recent of which was a larger sealed riot the previous weekend in Cleveland. Rushing the performers is, of course, not new to pop music in general, let alone r&r specifically.