BorderEevilIII
05-31-2004, 12:52 PM
(No they did not die) from upcoming performance....
Fair St. Louis axes Smash Mouth
By Diane Toroian Keaggy
Of the Post-Dispatch
05/26/2004
Smash Mouth, the pop act that was supposed to deliver a hipper, younger crowd to Fair St. Louis, has been booted from the July 4 lineup. Fair officials dropped the act after lead singer Steve Harwell offended employees of Enterprise Rent-a-Car at a corporate party in Orlando this month. Witnesses said Harwell called audience members obscene names.
Fair St. Louis executive director Rich Meyers said that he received a call from Pete Wyatt, a former entertainment chairman for the fair and an employee of Enterprise, who said that "the performance was the most vile, profane thing he had ever seen." Meyers said, "We can't take that sort of risk that there will be that sort of behavior in front of families, especially on the evening of the Fourth."
The move is a setback to Fair St. Louis, which aggressively courted Smash Mouth. Meyers said last week that he hoped the inclusion of Smash Mouth and alternative-metal act Saliva signaled a new era for the fair - one that welcomed young fun-seekers as much as grandparents. Officials expect to name a replacement act soon, though Meyers concedes that most high-profile acts are booked already for July 4.
Fans who requested reserved seating for the concert through the fair's Starlight Sponsor program will be offered a refund or seats to another show.
Other acts scheduled to appear are the Charlie Daniels Band and Kenny Rogers on July 2 and Isaac Hayes and Al Green on July 3.
Fair officials said they recognize that naughty words are as much a part of rock music as loud guitars and weird hair. That's why they informed Saliva that it must deliver a "PG-13" performance. Meyers said no such directive was given to Smash Mouth because "we didn't know we needed to." The band's hits, such as "Walkin' on the Sun," "All Star" and "I'm a Believer," are radio-friendly and obscenity-free.
"We were as shocked as I'm sure the audience in Orlando was," Meyers said.
Meyers said the fair and Smash Mouth never signed a final contract and the fair does not owe the band any money. The fair did not go back and propose a family-friendly provision in the band's contract because Smash Mouth had reneged on a similar promise to deliver a "clean" show in Orlando.
In addition to foul words, the band also trashed Enterprise onstage, witnesses said. Enterprise has long been a major supporter of Fair St. Louis. This year the company will sponsor the fair's eight air shows. Meyers said the band's language - not its harsh assessment of the company - prompted him to cancel the show.
"If this would have happened to Procter & Gamble in a concert in Angola, I would do the same thing," Meyers said. "The fact that it was Enterprise had nothing to do with it."
Smash Mouth manager Robert Hayes declined to comment on the incident.
According to the band's Web site, Smash Mouth has played many corporate events, including parties sponsored by Ameriquest Mortgage Co. and IBM.
Mike Richter of Fox Sports Grill in Scottsdale, Ariz., said Smash Mouth wowed the crowd at its grand opening in 2002. But he also remembers the band used some profanity.
"It went great. It sounded great," Richter said. "I do recall them using some profanity about partying, but I don't remember it offending anyone."
Gary Bongiovanni, editor-in-chief of Pollstar, the concert industry's top trade magazine, said Smash Mouth is not known for off-color antics. Still, even rock stars have bad days, he said.
"In general, there's varying degrees of professionalism in this business, and you never know if alcohol or drugs or just circumstances may cause something to happen," Bongiovanni said.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/stories.nsf/Entertainment/Music/BF851342719F9F6086256EA10014975D?OpenDocument&Headline=Fair+St.+Louis+axes+Smash+Mouth&highlight=2,smash,mouth
Fair St. Louis axes Smash Mouth
By Diane Toroian Keaggy
Of the Post-Dispatch
05/26/2004
Smash Mouth, the pop act that was supposed to deliver a hipper, younger crowd to Fair St. Louis, has been booted from the July 4 lineup. Fair officials dropped the act after lead singer Steve Harwell offended employees of Enterprise Rent-a-Car at a corporate party in Orlando this month. Witnesses said Harwell called audience members obscene names.
Fair St. Louis executive director Rich Meyers said that he received a call from Pete Wyatt, a former entertainment chairman for the fair and an employee of Enterprise, who said that "the performance was the most vile, profane thing he had ever seen." Meyers said, "We can't take that sort of risk that there will be that sort of behavior in front of families, especially on the evening of the Fourth."
The move is a setback to Fair St. Louis, which aggressively courted Smash Mouth. Meyers said last week that he hoped the inclusion of Smash Mouth and alternative-metal act Saliva signaled a new era for the fair - one that welcomed young fun-seekers as much as grandparents. Officials expect to name a replacement act soon, though Meyers concedes that most high-profile acts are booked already for July 4.
Fans who requested reserved seating for the concert through the fair's Starlight Sponsor program will be offered a refund or seats to another show.
Other acts scheduled to appear are the Charlie Daniels Band and Kenny Rogers on July 2 and Isaac Hayes and Al Green on July 3.
Fair officials said they recognize that naughty words are as much a part of rock music as loud guitars and weird hair. That's why they informed Saliva that it must deliver a "PG-13" performance. Meyers said no such directive was given to Smash Mouth because "we didn't know we needed to." The band's hits, such as "Walkin' on the Sun," "All Star" and "I'm a Believer," are radio-friendly and obscenity-free.
"We were as shocked as I'm sure the audience in Orlando was," Meyers said.
Meyers said the fair and Smash Mouth never signed a final contract and the fair does not owe the band any money. The fair did not go back and propose a family-friendly provision in the band's contract because Smash Mouth had reneged on a similar promise to deliver a "clean" show in Orlando.
In addition to foul words, the band also trashed Enterprise onstage, witnesses said. Enterprise has long been a major supporter of Fair St. Louis. This year the company will sponsor the fair's eight air shows. Meyers said the band's language - not its harsh assessment of the company - prompted him to cancel the show.
"If this would have happened to Procter & Gamble in a concert in Angola, I would do the same thing," Meyers said. "The fact that it was Enterprise had nothing to do with it."
Smash Mouth manager Robert Hayes declined to comment on the incident.
According to the band's Web site, Smash Mouth has played many corporate events, including parties sponsored by Ameriquest Mortgage Co. and IBM.
Mike Richter of Fox Sports Grill in Scottsdale, Ariz., said Smash Mouth wowed the crowd at its grand opening in 2002. But he also remembers the band used some profanity.
"It went great. It sounded great," Richter said. "I do recall them using some profanity about partying, but I don't remember it offending anyone."
Gary Bongiovanni, editor-in-chief of Pollstar, the concert industry's top trade magazine, said Smash Mouth is not known for off-color antics. Still, even rock stars have bad days, he said.
"In general, there's varying degrees of professionalism in this business, and you never know if alcohol or drugs or just circumstances may cause something to happen," Bongiovanni said.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/stories.nsf/Entertainment/Music/BF851342719F9F6086256EA10014975D?OpenDocument&Headline=Fair+St.+Louis+axes+Smash+Mouth&highlight=2,smash,mouth