Disco Demolition Review...

[Lip Man 1]

The folks at Fuzzy Memories TV and You Tube have put together an interesting compilation of the events leading up to Disco Demolition Night and the evening itself. It starts the day before with Harry Caray and Jimmy Piersall talking about the "Teen Night Promotion."

Some of the footage was never broadcast by WSNS-TV but was recorded by the folks working there at the time. According to the folks at Fuzzy Memories, a lot of them helped out in putting this together.

Not the greatest moment in Sox history but certainly one of historical significance:

Runs about an hour and a half.

 

Edited July 12, 2019 by Lip Man 1

[Lip Man 1]

When I interviewed Mike Veeck I asked him about that night and what went wrong:

ML: Talk to me about “Disco Demolition.” How did the idea first get started and how did you develop it?   

MV: “The idea actually started two years earlier in 1977. Jeff Swartz, a guy who worked for United Artists, suggested it to me. In 1978 in connection with Coke, we had a dance contest at Comiskey Park. There were 25,000 kids dancing on plywood stages that we had on the field. We thought it might be an idea to have a night for people who hate disco.”

“Anyway I get a call one day in 1979, from Swartz who says to turn on my radio to WLUP, that there is a guy named Steve Dahl who is going to blow up disco records at a shopping mall. I listened, then called him at 10:05 AM, as soon as he got off the air, and offered him the chance to do that at Comiskey Park. He was going to do it in front of 3,000 kids. It didn’t take long to convince him he could do it in front of 40 thousand kids.” 

ML: Let’s talk about that night, what went wrong, and what would you have done differently? 

MV: “My mistake was thinking that we’d get about 35,000 for the promotion. It turned out there were 60,000 inside the park and another 30-40 thousand on the streets around the park. Traffic was backed up all the way out to O’Hare Airport! Who had any idea that many kids would come out? WLUP was a 5,000 watt station; it wasn’t a giant like WLS or WCFL from when I was a kid.” 

“The other thing that happened was that we moved some of the police off the field. We had an adequate security force for 35,000 fans but not for 60,000. Outside of the park there were some temporary ticket booths staffed by older people. The kids were starting to get out of hand and started rocking those booths. We moved some of the police off the field outside to help. What happened next was the worst thing that could possible happen, the crowd began thinking as one and they realized there were only 35-40 police on the field. When a crowd begins thinking as one there is no such thing as crowd control. They said ‘let’s go on the field!’

ML: Some Sox fans feel DJ Steve Dahl could have done more to help calm the situation; instead he left the park with the riot in full force. Could he have done more to help? 

MV: “He could have made an effort. I, my dad and Harry Caray were all down on the field trying to regain control and he wasn’t... but the responsibility was mine. It was a bad decision.” 

“It was also a slow news day and that generated a tremendous amount of publicity, it was also an election year and Jayne Byrne used the situation as an election photo-op. What I most remember is newspaper guys like Bill Gleason saying what a tragedy it was. I know what a tragedy is, my daughter is losing her sight... this wasn’t a tragedy. The sun came up the next day; the Sox played another baseball game a few days later. It was the fourth forfeit in baseball history but how many take the same umbrage at 30,000 Dodger fans throwing baseballs on the field causing the fifth forfeit in baseball?” (Author’s Note: That took place on August 11, 1995 when Dodgers fans threw baseballs by the thousands on to the field with one out in the 9^th inning in a game against the Cardinals. St. Louis was awarded a forfeit win.)  

[kitekrazy]

I remember a fan took Ed Farmer's hat and he went into the stands to get it back. Ed was a big dude.

[Thad Bosley]

4 hours ago, Lip Man 1 said:

When I interviewed Mike Veeck I asked him about that night and what went wrong:

ML: Talk to me about “Disco Demolition.” How did the idea first get started and how did you develop it?   

MV: “The idea actually started two years earlier in 1977. Jeff Swartz, a guy who worked for United Artists, suggested it to me. In 1978 in connection with Coke, we had a dance contest at Comiskey Park. There were 25,000 kids dancing on plywood stages that we had on the field. We thought it might be an idea to have a night for people who hate disco.”

“Anyway I get a call one day in 1979, from Swartz who says to turn on my radio to WLUP, that there is a guy named Steve Dahl who is going to blow up disco records at a shopping mall. I listened, then called him at 10:05 AM, as soon as he got off the air, and offered him the chance to do that at Comiskey Park. He was going to do it in front of 3,000 kids. It didn’t take long to convince him he could do it in front of 40 thousand kids.” 

ML: Let’s talk about that night, what went wrong, and what would you have done differently? 

MV: “My mistake was thinking that we’d get about 35,000 for the promotion. It turned out there were 60,000 inside the park and another 30-40 thousand on the streets around the park. Traffic was backed up all the way out to O’Hare Airport! Who had any idea that many kids would come out? WLUP was a 5,000 watt station; it wasn’t a giant like WLS or WCFL from when I was a kid.” 

“The other thing that happened was that we moved some of the police off the field. We had an adequate security force for 35,000 fans but not for 60,000. Outside of the park there were some temporary ticket booths staffed by older people. The kids were starting to get out of hand and started rocking those booths. We moved some of the police off the field outside to help. What happened next was the worst thing that could possible happen, the crowd began thinking as one and they realized there were only 35-40 police on the field. When a crowd begins thinking as one there is no such thing as crowd control. They said ‘let’s go on the field!’

ML: Some Sox fans feel DJ Steve Dahl could have done more to help calm the situation; instead he left the park with the riot in full force. Could he have done more to help? 

MV: “He could have made an effort. I, my dad and Harry Caray were all down on the field trying to regain control and he wasn’t... but the responsibility was mine. It was a bad decision.” 

“It was also a slow news day and that generated a tremendous amount of publicity, it was also an election year and Jayne Byrne used the situation as an election photo-op. What I most remember is newspaper guys like Bill Gleason saying what a tragedy it was. I know what a tragedy is, my daughter is losing her sight... this wasn’t a tragedy. The sun came up the next day; the Sox played another baseball game a few days later. It was the fourth forfeit in baseball history but how many take the same umbrage at 30,000 Dodger fans throwing baseballs on the field causing the fifth forfeit in baseball?” (Author’s Note: That took place on August 11, 1995 when Dodgers fans threw baseballs by the thousands on to the field with one out in the 9^th inning in a game against the Cardinals. St. Louis was awarded a forfeit win.)  

Not that it matters, but the election for mayor that year had been held in April, a few months before Disco Demolition.  So not sure what Veeck was talking about when he suggested Byrne took advantage of the situation for election purposes.  

[Lip Man 1]

From my interview with Sox infielder Greg Pryor:

ML: July 12, 1979 was a rather ‘unusual’ evening. It was “Disco Demolition” night at Comiskey Park. I’ve spoken with fans who were there (including future Sox pitcher Donn Pall and future actor Michael Clarke Duncan) and media members, but I’ve never spoken with a player who was there for that night. Why don’t you take me through the evening your perspective.

GP: “There were around 47 thousand on hand that night and the great majority was underage kids. They weren’t there to see a double header let’s say that. I played shortstop the first game and I remember getting an RBI double. It was the only run we got. (Author’s Note: The Sox lost to the Tigers 4-1) I’m in the locker room between games, I was supposed to play shortstop again in the second game and I see Ken Kravec. Ken was supposed to start game two and this was only a few minutes before we were supposed to begin and I was surprised that he was in the locker room so I asked him about it.” 

“He told me, “Have you seen what’s out there? There’s a riot going on!” So I ran back through the tunnel towards our dugout, I was still in my underwear. What I saw was like a battlefield after a war. They had blown up those records and the smoke was all over the field and it was complete chaos. I remember our equipment manager swinging a baseball bat to keep a bunch of kids from trying to get into the tunnel towards the clubhouse. Anyone who left anything in the dugout itself lost it. Everything was taken.” 

“I ran back to the clubhouse and eventually we bolted the door. We were in our own cave, we couldn’t get out. We heard the mounted horses arrive through the clubhouse walls. Outside of those few moments was I was looking on to the field I didn’t see anything else. We were locked in the clubhouse for about an hour and a half.”

 

“My wife arrived at the park near the end of the first game and she couldn’t get in. They locked all the gates because there were another 15 thousand kids trying to get in. She was stuck in her car and the crowd just started rocking it back and forth. Finally for her own safety the guard opened the gate so she could get in. As she was getting through she told me the kids were feeling her up. We were still finding pieces of blown up records on the field and in the grass a month later.” 

 

[ptatc]

5 hours ago, Lip Man 1 said:

The folks at Fuzzy Memories TV and You Tube have put together an interesting compilation of the events leading up to Disco Demolition Night and the evening itself. It starts the day before with Harry Caray and Jimmy Piersall talking about the "Teen Night Promotion."

Some of the footage was never broadcast by WSNS-TV but was recorded by the folks working there at the time. According to the folks at Fuzzy Memories, a lot of them helped out in putting this together.

Not the greatest moment in Sox history but certainly one of historical significance:

Runs about an hour and a half.

 

I loved that old stadium. This promotion may have gone wrong but it was still a better idea than his "free vasectomy night" he had when he was in St.Paul.

[pcq]

Was watching the game itself and that was a sad team. 

[NWINFan]

Disco Demolition happened and that's all I care about it. I think it has been talked about enough. It is significant but not for the reasons most cite. Otherwise we can go through every July without remembering it. I no longer care about these images and no longer care what happened.

[Thad Bosley]

7 hours ago, NWINFan said:

Disco Demolition happened and that's all I care about it. I think it has been talked about enough. It is significant but not for the reasons most cite. Otherwise we can go through every July without remembering it. I no longer care about these images and no longer care what happened.

Some of us who are old enough to remember the event enjoy the once-a-year recollection of that very unique night at Comiskey Park.  Seeing images of the old park itself, references to historical Chicago icons such as Bill Veeck, Harry Caray, Jimmy Piersall, Steve Dahl, etc., inspire a certain pleasant nostalgia for many of us.  

I could see being annoyed if it were a topic discussed non-stop, year round, but just for a few days on an annual basis, it’s not too bad.  

[WBWSF]

13 hours ago, pcq said:

Was watching the game itself and that was a sad team. 

I was at that event. The team and the franchise was sad. The Bill Veeck ownership was absolutely hopeless. Shortly after that event  Veeck put the team up for sale. His ownership was so bad that virtually every White Sox fan was glad to see him sell the team. I was really surprised that Veeck was voted into the MLB HOF.

[MnSoxFan]

I heard a story about this from Jack Morris when he was interviewed as a Twin one time. Jack was in the bullpen when the 1st game was ending. He said that the smell of pot in the air was as thick as he had been around. Fans were really getting into the entire evening. 

 

Also, a buddy of mine was in the upper deck, he did not participate on the field. Not sure this is true or not, but he said when fans stormed the field that there were some kids who slid down the foul pole from the upper deck to 1st deck and then hopped onto the field.

[Lip Man 1]

2 hours ago, MnSoxFan said:

I heard a story about this from Jack Morris when he was interviewed as a Twin one time. Jack was in the bullpen when the 1st game was ending. He said that the smell of pot in the air was as thick as he had been around. Fans were really getting into the entire evening. 

 

Also, a buddy of mine was in the upper deck, he did not participate on the field. Not sure this is true or not, but he said when fans stormed the field that there were some kids who slid down the foul pole from the upper deck to 1st deck and then hopped onto the field.

That is true about the foul poll part.

[NWINFan]

23 hours ago, Fan O'Faust said:

Some of us who are old enough to remember the event enjoy the once-a-year recollection of that very unique night at Comiskey Park.  Seeing images of the old park itself, references to historical Chicago icons such as Bill Veeck, Harry Caray, Jimmy Piersall, Steve Dahl, etc., inspire a certain pleasant nostalgia for many of us.  

I could see being annoyed if it were a topic discussed non-stop, year round, but just for a few days on an annual basis, it’s not too bad.  

I can see your point, but the late Seventies provide few good memories. My best memories of the decade were home runs hit by Dick Allen and the Southside Hitmen. I also recall going to night games in the mid-Sixties when Comiskey was still in good shape and admiring the beauty of the place.

My largest point is that the real meaning of Disco Demolition gets lost in a haze of pot. And I don't consider Dahl much of an icon. He was a twenty-something who got in way over his head and since then has passed all the blame to Mike Veeck.

[wrathofhahn]

The day disco died.

[ptatc]

6 hours ago, wrathofhahn said:

The day disco died.

Not a moment too soon.

[caulfield12]

This is what two of my friends wrote as we were discussing it...

“I don’t think the intent of destroying black music was there. Dahl had a bone to pick for being fired over station format change. And he had the perfect following. Young impressionable minds whose parents probably took disco lessons ?. Dahl’s an idiot for thinking Chicago is this simplified midwestern town. Chicago has a long history of famous Blues clubs and out of the ashes of Disco Demolition Night, House music emerged. “

 

“In the end, I think disco is more important (and better) than "classic" rock. Way more influential on the music I like, that's for sure.”

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

On 7/12/2019 at 9:48 AM, Lip Man 1 said:

The folks at Fuzzy Memories TV and You Tube have put together an interesting compilation of the events leading up to Disco Demolition Night and the evening itself. It starts the day before with Harry Caray and Jimmy Piersall talking about the "Teen Night Promotion."

Some of the footage was never broadcast by WSNS-TV but was recorded by the folks working there at the time. According to the folks at Fuzzy Memories, a lot of them helped out in putting this together.

Not the greatest moment in Sox history but certainly one of historical significance:

Runs about an hour and a half.

 

Since I was at the game and 21 years old at the time I never saw the broadcast. Looking back and listening to the commentary from Caray and Piersall I realize how out of touch they were with  the young people of the time and the power of FM radio. Certainly more young people were listening to WLUP-FM than WLS-AM. AM was fading and FM coming on strong. Caray trying to make sense of the call letters WLUP seems comical since he was a radio announcer for many years and should know The W means nothing except that the station was east of the Mississippi Rover so it's assigned a W while west of the Misssissippi stations started with a K.

Piersall would not say that the chant was Disco Sucks which actually reflected my parents attitudes about foul language. I know my parents didn't approve of the word suck as it was used and I could never say something sucked in front of them. Simpler times I suppose when strict parents would control every aspect of their children's life but that kind of parenting was also quickly changing. Piersall said seniors and women of Harry's age would not approve and he was mostly right.

[tray]

Young Sox fans on that day were eager to follow Dahl's lead in protesting  dance club music. Classic rock music was being replaced with Disco and guys who wanted to listen to serious music (n/k/a "classic rock) did not want to go to clubs, dress and dance like Travolta.  In hindsight, Disco Demolition was a heroic effort to call out Disco and to seek its demise. 

Maybe Sox fans can once again stage a pop music  revolt , but this time , protest the stale, redundant, mind-numbing cacophony called  "rap,"  Enough already.

So this time, no cheap/ free admission to  50,000 hooligans.  Instead free  "Rap Sucks" T-shirts for the first 20,000 to enter the park and a more symbolic form of demolition than exploding vinyl albums in a wooden box.

OK, maybe it's too soon for "Rap Demolition Night" but not as far as I'm concerned.

[ron883]

9 minutes ago, tray said:

Young Sox fans on that day were eager to follow Dahl's lead in protesting  dance club music. Classic rock music was being replaced with Disco and guys who wanted to listen to serious music (n/k/a "classic rock) did not want to go to clubs, dress and dance like Travolta.  In hindsight, Disco Demolition was a heroic effort to call out Disco and to seek its demise. 

Maybe Sox fans can once again stage a pop music  revolt , but this time , protest the stale, redundant, mind-numbing cacophony called  "rap,"  Enough already.

So this time, no cheap/ free admission to  50,000 hooligans.  Instead free  "Rap Sucks" T-shirts for the first 20,000 to enter the park and a more symbolic form of demolition than exploding vinyl albums in a wooden box.

OK, maybe it's too soon for "Rap Demolition Night" but not as far as I'm concerned.

Braindead idea on all fronts

[Sleepy Harold]

5 minutes ago, tray said:

Young Sox fans on that day were eager to follow Dahl's lead in protesting  dance club music. Classic rock music was being replaced with Disco and guys who wanted to listen to serious music (n/k/a "classic rock) did not want to go to clubs, dress and dance like Travolta.  In hindsight, Disco Demolition was a heroic effort to call out Disco and to seek its demise. 

Maybe Sox fans can once again stage a pop music  revolt , but this time , protest the stale, redundant, mind-numbing cacophony called  "rap,"  Enough already.

So this time, no cheap/ free admission to  50,000 hooligans.  Instead free  "Rap Sucks" T-shirts for the first 20,000 to enter the park and a more symbolic form of demolition than exploding vinyl albums in a wooden box.

OK, maybe it's too soon for "Rap Demolition Night" but not as far as I'm concerned.

Yeah...no. This take ?

[Middle Buffalo]

1 hour ago, tray said:

Young Sox fans on that day were eager to follow Dahl's lead in protesting  dance club music. 

The origin of Dahl's distaste for disco was being fired by a station that switched formats from rock to disco. Like all things Dahl, it was simply about money. He was fired, so he lashed out. He spent the better part of forty years doing this on Chicago stations. If it makes him money, he likes it. As soon as the money stops, he lashes out at it.

[soulfly]

I mean, yea, rap sucks, but let people enjoy their shitty music if that's what they are in to.  Who cares?

[tray]

My post about a Rap Demolition Night was intended as light-hearted sarcasm, but yea, I almost forgot this is soxtalk so, I agree who gives a fuk about it.

[zisk]

I was there that night. 1 of about 8-9 teenagers who didn't go on the field. Actually it was a little scary at the time.

[Dominikk85]

10 cent beer night was also great:).