A tweet by country artist Brad Paisley has turned a local event into national news.
On July 23, Paisley played a show at Darien Lake and 14 people were arrested and another 56 received citations for alleged underage drinking.
Paisley's tweet: "Quite a performance in Darrien Lakes (sic) Saturday. We also played music..."
And he included a link to a local news outlet.
The tweet has led to coverage in CMT, Country Weekly and The Tennessean, among others, as well as debates and discussions on country music radio about underage drinking and media outlets that publish such information.
For the record, Paisley's link went to this story on The Batavian: Brad Paisley fans arrested in droves at Darien Lake.
Coverage across the nation linked to The Batavian (even if the stories kept referring to our online-only site as "the local paper" and "the local newspaper." (Thanks to The Tennessean for correcting its references to The Batavian.)
I only mention this as a factual correction to coverage in another media outlet. Another news outlet based in Batavia left these facts out of its coverage of how national media is reporting on the arrests. Not to brag, but it wouldn't even be a national story if not for Brad's tweet, and the tweet was a response to coverage on The Batavian, not elsewhere. Just so you know.
Kudos to The Batavian. They
Kudos to The Batavian. They are always on top of things. I just love this site!
I always come here first!
I always come here first!
Cool. this is my only news
Cool. this is my only news source, well I do watch PBS.
It was just a matter of time-
It was just a matter of time- a radio station in Rochester usually puts a link or two from "The Batavian" on their website weekly...... how sad is that-a country singers concert gets more arrests and citations than either Kid Rock or Motley Crue.....
How sad is it that the only
How sad is it that the only time we hit national news is for an adultery arrest, a fake attack by a politician and arrests at a concert?
Sorry, my apologies to the
Sorry, my apologies to the young lady who recently won the national song-writing competition. She made us proud!
This is the new metric for
This is the new metric for measuring the Concert's success; the number of under age drinkers!
I was at the Phish show in
I was at the Phish show in June. I think there were 2 or 3 arrests or citations according to what was posted on here. It was low key, people having fun. Most people camped out there so less driving involved. But Phish is what most consider the Grateful Dead's son. Was there illegal activity there. Yes. But did it get out of hand, doesn't seem so. I've been to a couple "country" shows w/ friends. I don't follow or care to listen to what they call country now. But while at these shows, the people were idiots. Not all, but a fair share more than shows I normally go to. Country is/was Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, etc. Not these pop stars from Tennessee. CMT is to country music as MTV is to music videos and as KFC is to chicken. They aren't.
A real Country Icon. Brad is
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J_GPBkZ5FM]
A real Country Icon. Brad is not bad, but he aint country.
Put this in your pipe and
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uypRN0cMbFo&feature=related] Put this in your pipe and smoke it Brad. Real Country.
George, dug this one out just
George, dug this one out just for you.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEIBmGZxAhg]
Yes, I used to drink before I
Yes, I used to drink before I was legally allowed but I think if the punishment was more severe then maybe it would work a little better. What teen really cares about a ticket that isn't a lot of $$ and their Mommy & Daddy will probably pay for anyways.
OR not letting underage kids go up on "The Hill" where there is no security or search them before they enter "The Hill" ore DL's parking lot.
The Batavian is not alone,
The Batavian is not alone, covering underage drinking at concerts. WTHR in Indianapolis reports 52 arrested at a 2007 Kenny Chesney show, Poststar.com reports 145 citations for underage drinking at a SPAC Dave Matthews show, countrymusictattletail.com is debating whether 'Country Music has a Drinking Problem,' Kenny Chesney's stop-over in Foxborough, MA resulted in 342 underage drinking arrests; Calhoun Times of GA reports eleven arrested for underage drinking at a Corey Smith concert in Rome, GA; azcentral.com reports 186 alcohol arrests at the Country Thunder show in Florence, AZ; Billboard reports- agents of the Alabama alcohol/beverage control board initiated a sting during a three-day Birmingham performance by Widespread Panic, netting about 200 arrests; examiner.gmnews.com reports NJ Turnpike Authority, owners of the PNC Banks Center, initiated a ban on tailgating during "shows that have historically drawn younger crowds."
...Not just concerts; ajc.com reports 23 arrested for underage drinking at the Georgia-Auburn football game.
The most intriguing sidebar to this discussion: SPAC area DA has initiated an arrest alternative for those who violate concert-site drinking laws. All violators will be performing community service- picking up trash etc. in the Saratoga region- no plea bargaining!
Most of the arrests- hence coverage seems localized in the northeast. Most of the dismay over arrests seems to derive from the other side of the Mason-Dixon line. The 3-digit arrest reports generally illicit a response along the lines, "Damn! ...Must have been some party!"
...Obviously a cultural difference. In Mayberry Otis voluntarily sleeps it off in Andy's jail. In Genesee County Otis is arrested, processed at the jail, put in a cell, presented to a judge (several days later), fined, assigned a probation officer, issued a house-arrest-anklet and remanded to a substance abuse program.