SUPERJOINT RITUAL Bassist Spews Profanities, Directs Vulgar Hand Gestures At Annual Festival

Angela Lau of the San Diego Union Tribune has issued the following report:

An annual fun-filled fiesta quickly turned into a fiasco Sunday (June 4) when entertainer Hank Williams III [also known as SUPERJOINT RITUAL's bassist] spewed profanities from the stage and encouraged slam dancing that sheriff's deputies tried to stop for fear of massive injuries.

Yesterday, city officials were still recovering from the debacle, which happened at the end of the two-day Fiesta del Sol. Although no one was injured or arrested during the 7 p.m. performance, city officials vowed that in the future they would control the festival's entertainment list.

Those who attended the concert said Hank III veered from his promised country music, playing punk at the end. He directed vulgar hand gestures toward the audience, cursed the city of Solana Beach and used obscenities that were broadcast into the city because the amplifiers at the Fletcher Cove stage faced east toward homes.

Deputy City Manager and Public Safety Director David Ott, who was at the event, said Hank III encouraged 40 to 50 fans to form a mosh pit — in which dancers jostle and shove one another — that deputies feared would lead to injuries. About 10 percent of the packed audience of 3,000 to 4,000 people were children, adding to the concern, Ott and organizers said.

When a security guard escorted a fan from the moshing hot spot and deputies confiscated cans of beer from the crowd, Hank III got angry and the crowd got agitated.

One of his singers jumped into the crowd and some in the crowd tried to jump onto the stage.

Read the entire article at www.signonsandiego.com.