
Okay, so I don't want anyone to think that I'm posting this strictly to talk about Jackson. I'm posting this because I am incredibly appalled at what happened and I think everyone should know about it. If you are a fan of 100 Monkeys, or just Jackson Rathbone himself because of Twilight, please read to find out about the incredibly disgusting treatment by the Hard Rock Cafe on the Las Vegas strip.
Disclaimer: I did NOT attend this concert. However, I have numerous friends who DID attend, so what information I have is on good authority from those people in addition to the comments posted on the HRC Facebook page.
100 Monkeys were supposed to take the stage at 11:30 pm and end around 1:30 pm. The sound equipment at the HRC was obviously on the fritz and caused the opening act, Imagine Dragons, to spend more than 30 minutes on stage trying to get the sound right and hear themselves in the monitors. By the time they were done adjusting everything, it was past the time 100 Monkeys was supposed to take the stage. They never got the front monitors working, but started their set anyway because it was getting so late. After each song, the lead singer for Imagine Dragons asked if he could get more sound in the monitors because he couldn't hear himself, which is incredibly important for a musician's performance. According to my sources, they were great.
100 Monkeys got onstage to tune up their instruments immediately after Imagine Dragons finished their set, but didn't get to start their show until roughly 12:30 am. During their entire set, the members were asking for more vocals, less drums, more vocals, less bass, more vocals, more vocals (you get the hint).
Everything was apparently okay until the improv song, Lipstick on my Collar. Jackson had been asking the entire song for more vocals, but adjustments were either not made or the equipment was in that bad of shape. About halfway through the song, either through frustration or getting into the performance, Jackson broke the microphone stand. Now, from what witnesses told me, he absolutely did NOT break the mic stand on purpose and was completely shocked when it broke. (I can say first hand that something similar happened at the Bakersfield show and he seemed incredibly upset when it broke, but that mic stand was being held together with tape.) He then continued singing while holding the mic stand until he got irritated and threw it aside. Shortly after the improv song, at approximately 1:45 am, the guys said they were taking a 10 minute break before coming back out for their encore.
Before 100 Monkeys came back on stage, two guys from HRC came onto the stage and started breaking down everything. These guys announced that the band would not be coming back out for their encore. At this point, many people had left, but a few did stay. The ones who stayed got to see one of the HRC guys knock over Jackson's beer as he was unplugging a cord. Normally, this wouldn't be a bad thing, but the beer was sitting right next to the control board for the guitar pedals, which got completely soaked, ruining the control board.
Someone in the now-thin crowd asked the guys on stage why 100 Monkeys would not be coming back out. The HRC guys said, "Because the band is being a bunch of a--holes." A few minutes after this statement, the band came back on stage and Jackson said they weren't allowed to come back out, even though they had another 30 minutes of songs planned. He apologized to the fans and thanked them all for coming to the show. Jackson did later tell some of the fans that HRC had been giving them a hard time from the moment they arrived and asked that everyone go online to tell the HRC exactly what they thought about the treatment they received. The guys didn't see the when the beer was spilled on the control panel. When they found out and discovered the damage, they approached the guy who did it, but it is unclear if a resolution was reached.
Apparently, HRC was mad because Jackson broke the mic stand, 100 Monkeys did not end on time (they couldn't because Imagine Dragons started late, which was HRC's fault due to bad equipment), and because the DJ that was supposed to go on after the show couldn't because of the time. HRC then banned 100 Monkeys from ever playing there again and demanded that they pay for damages to the mic stand and from the DJ not being able to play. I don't know if this means from all HRCs or just the one in Las Vegas, but if I were them, I wouldn't even want to go back there.
I have been a long-time patron of HRC and visit one whenever I'm traveling. No more. I refuse to give that corporation another dime of my money until they issue 100 Monkeys a formal apology. It was not the fault of either band that the equipment was not working, causing the show to run late, that fault lies with HRC alone. Yes, Jackson broke the mic stand, but it was clearly an accident. I could see them asking for money for the mic stand, but to force them to cut their show short and then ban them from the establishment...all after ruining a piece of the band's equipment...is about the most unclassy thing I can imagine.
If you are as upset about this as I am, please go to the HRC Facebook page or email the HRC manager at peter_lin@hardrock.com. No one should be treated this way and it is hard to believe that a theme restaurant/casino/hotel that is supposed to be based on music would do such a thing.
I'm so mad. I'm just going to work on my book for the rest of the night so as not to go on a complete tirade.
(Read here for an additional first hand account.)