I Want You to Fight Me

Concerts were in the round at Westbury Music Fair (as it was known in the 1990s)

Last year, I wrote about all the fights I’ve been coerced into during my lifetime. Many times, I’ve stopped short of having a full, physical confrontation. One of those encounters happened 30 years ago, after a Cheap Trick concert, of all things.

My friend Paul and I took our girlfriends to see the band at Westbury Music Fair in August 1991. Concerts at the venue are held in the round, while the stage slowly revolves. There is no smoking allowed inside the building. But during the opening act, a girl sitting behind Paul was sneaking drags from a cigarette she was hiding under her seat.

Due to asthma, the smoke burned Paul’s throat and made his eyes water. During the intermissions between band performances, he asked if anyone needed something. I loudly said, “We could use a soda.”

Paul used that request as a pretense to tell an usher. The girl was warned to put out her cigarette or be ejected. She scowled, but did as instructed (since the lights were on and the staffer was standing right there).

During the performance, Paul realized the girl was still smoking. He turned and scowled at her. She ignored him, so he turned and gave her a raspberry (seen but unheard due to the volume of the band).

After Cheap Trick finished their set, we saw multiple cigarette butts under the girl’s seat. Getting caught had…