Blue Oyster Cult rocks Agoura Hills?

Commentary: Underage rock fan gets no love from Ticketmaster or venue

By Blake Hennon
Staff Writer

Don't ask anyone under the age of 21. Apparently, the Canyon Dinner Theatre is a 21-and-over venue. That information, however, was not presented to potential ticket buyers on the Ticketmaster.com site, in the purchase confirmation e-mail, at the Canyon Dinner Theatre's will call desk or even on the ticket itself.
That information was not posted anywhere around the theatre or on its external surface. No, that information was not made available until a caricature of event security, replete with spiky hair, exaggerated build, muscle shirt and ill-advised tattoo designs, stopped a young, dashing, handsome shaggy haired kid in a Black Crowes T-shirt and asked the young man to produce a picture ID. When the bright-eyed rock fan presented the requested ID, he was informed that this was a 21-and-over venue and he would have to brave the 101 freeway once again and return to downtown Los Angeles prematurely.
When the dismayed fan explained that this information was not made available at any point in the ticket-purchasing process, the "security" guard went inside to talk to the manager. The reply from the Canyon Dinner Theatre was that the young man would have to leave. The Canyon Dinner Theatre could not let him inside its door. The Canyon Dinner Theatre did not have any wristbands or stamps to make sure that the young man did not consume alcohol. The Canyon Dinner Theatre could not refund the ticket price, so the aspiring music journalist would have to contact Ticketmaster for a refund. Hopes dashed, he found his car and returned to the dreary confines of his USC dorm room.
Who is to blame? Part of the blame lies with the Canyon Dinner Theatre, which unlike most concert venues, has not provided Ticketmaster with seating charts, directions, age restrictions or any basic information about their operation beyond the acts scheduled. Perhaps the Canyon Dinner Theatre is convinced that no one under 21 would ever want to see washed up rock Œn' roll bands. Perhaps the Canyon Dinner Theatre is convinced that no one under 21 would ever want to pay $20 to get inside and then be forced to purchase an overpriced dinner before showtime. Part of the blame must also fall on Ticketmaster, for not always responsibly covering necessary aspects of concerts (show cancellations or venue information).
Last October, Ticketmaster listed a Sleater-Kinney concert in Pomona for three weeks after it was cancelled (in other words, until the day after the event was scheduled). This left 20 Sleater-Kinney fans standing outside The Glass House with no word from anyone. One of those 20 fans was this reporter, who turned down a second straight night of Pearl Jam with full confidence that he would see Sleater-Kinney instead.
What is most amazing is that the Canyon Dinner Theatre and many other venues (such as Hollywood's House of Blues) host mostly 21-and-over shows. At the Roxy or the Tabernacle in Atlanta, they check IDs at the door and stamp the hands of underage crowd members to preserve drinking laws. There are barriers to prevent drinking, but there are no restrictions to keep people from enjoying the music. Concerts should be about sharing the music people love, not about going out for drinks and yelling over some band that's playing its heart out to get the pretty girl to notice you in hopes of getting laid that evening (take note, House of Blues patrons).
It is this reporter's hope that Blue Oyster Cult played "Don't Fear the Reaper" for the good folks at the Canyon Dinner Theater (many of whom know the band only for that song) so that the sheer shallowness of the Canyon Dinner Theatre experience is preserved.
Then again, perhaps this reporter should just give up the fight. Maybe he should take to heart the "so what" attitude of Blue Oyster Cult's "The Marshall Plan" (That's the way it goes, it's rock Œn' roll). But this is not rock Œn' roll. There is nothing rock Œn' roll about it. Rock Œn' roll is about bringing fans together, not pulling them apart. Rock Œn' roll is about songs for everyone, not for the elite (whether by money or age). Most importantly, rock Œn' roll is about the music, not the alcohol sales.

Copyright 2001 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 142, No. 18 (Monday, February 5, 2001), on page 9.