Reading Promoter Speaks on 50 Cent Bottling

[Jack_Bauer 0]

The man responsible for booking 50 CENT at CARLING WEEKEND: READING AND LEEDS has dismissed as "narrow-minded and vindictive" those who bottled him and said that those responsible should feel ashamed.

 

In a letter to NME, Neil Pengelly, the artist booker for Reading and Leeds, has defended the decision to put the rapper on the bill for the festival despite the reaction to his performance.

 

As reported on NME.COM, 50 was greeted with jeers and boos, while bottles and cups were thrown. Other objects including a chair and children’s paddling pool also flew towards the stage.

 

Pengelly told NME: "Should I be feeling angry, disappointed or disgusted at what happened when 50 Cent went out there?

 

"On websites leading up to the festivals there were a few narrow-minded idiots saying that he shouldn’t be at ‘our’ festival. Well, fuck that. Reading has a great track record for having the least safe and conservative bills in the country. We also uniquely have a reputation for putting on leading rap artists going back to Public Enemy and Run DMC through Ice Cube and Ice T to fantastic sets this year from Jurassic 5 and The Roots amongst others. 50 Cent is one of the world’s biggest rap acts and we were proud to have him on the bill. Don’t like him? Go and get a drink, go and watch another band. No-one’s going to like every band on the bill, fair enough.

 

"The huge crowd for Jurassic 5 on the Friday, and large, appreciative crowds for The Roots, Roots Manuva, Dizzee Rascal, The Streets etc over the weekend is proof that the vast majority of the Reading audience is interested in a wide range of music so I don’t believe this was anti-rap.

 

"I guess it was perceived by some as a game. A game that was extraordinarily dangerous and put a downer on what was otherwise a trouble free and hugely enjoyable weekend.

 

"So what was achieved by throwing stuff like that? Do you think 50 Cent was upset? Think again, he’s not going to be bothered by an audience throwing stuff. They came off laughing… all the way to the bank.

 

"All that was achieved was that people who wanted a chance to see him didn’t get that. The festival that, for my money, has the most knowledgeable, enthusiastic crowd of any festival in the world was left looking narrow-minded and vindictive and everyone who threw stuff at the stage should feel ashamed. A bit of tolerance and respect for acts and fellow festival-goers is the least we can expect at a festival."

 

Credit : nme.com

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

It's still great fun to throw shit...at the crowd.

 

I personally have never chucked anything at a stage to my recollection, though I might have at some point and can't remember. Mainly because if I were on stage, and some bozo hit me with a glass bottle, I'd be hot.

 

If you're gonna throw crap, make sure it's at the other patrons. There's a lot of money and time invested into that stage. Let 'em play, and take it out on each other. That's the real way to have fun.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

I don't care, the actual decent hip-hop acts that were there got their due (My friend said jurassic 5 were absolutely mind blowing) and he was a stupid choice, considering the rest of the acts on there that day. That said, I would have headed for the bar personally, because I'm not congratulating the nu metal and indie twats who set fire to leeds every summer and they probably liked the rest of the shite that was on.

[DCMaximo 0]

Maybe they should look at WHY 50 Cent got bottled off? You put a rapper who nicely represents the blimg bling/chav culture in the UK on the same stage as the likes of Green Day and the Dropkick Murphys, and he really does stand out like a sore thumb. Comparing Public Enemy, a band who actually had something to say with their music and wrote great, challenging rap songs with the guy who sings about being a "motherfucking PIMP" is ridiculous.

 

The huge crowd for Jurassic 5 on the Friday, and large, appreciative crowds for The Roots, Roots Manuva, Dizzee Rascal, The Streets etc over the weekend is proof that the vast majority of the Reading audience is interested in a wide range of music so I don’t believe this was anti-rap.

 

Again, these acts, like them or not (and I personally can't stand the Streets) don't represent a culture that is hated by 99% of people who go to Reading and are actually doing something interesting within the genre.

[justsoyouknow 0]

If you don't like the artist on stage, boo him. Shit, walk out on him. But to throw stuff at him is just downright disrespectful. Sure, it's funny because he didn't represent the scenester kids there, so they felt rebellious by acting out against the mainstream, but fuckin' a. If you went to your job and got booed when you walked in the door, I'm sure you'd feel like shit. But if a fucking bottle comes flying over the wall of your cubicle, you're going to be steamed, that's for damned sure. Would it be alright for your co-workers to justify throwing shit at you because you "aren't doing anything within the genre"?

 

"You're not improving the quality of the Big Mac, so it's cool if I wanna be a total asshole to you and throw shit. It's justified, you know."

 

And The Streets fucking sucks. I don't know how anyone can seriously say that he's better than 50 Cent. I'd take 50 over that English twat any day of the week.

[DCMaximo 0]

I'm not saying the bottling was justified, indeed with so many stages at Reading people could easily have found someone else that they wanted to watch (as I did when I'd finished laughing at the godawful performance by the Streets last year), but the promoter shouldn't be so surprised that it happened. Reading has a history of acts being bottled (Meatloaf in 88, Daphne and Celeste- who Reading clearly only booked so they WOULD get bottled- in 98 and even Good Charlotte last year) and they should surely have realised that 50 Cent, who had nothing in common with any other act on the stage that day, would go down like a lead balloon with the crowd.

[BUTT 0]

Well if they bottled Meat Loaf in '88, then they're seriously fucked up. Meat Loaf fucking rules.

[Guest Shoes Head]

50 got his money for the show, I'm sure he doesn't care at all.

[Vanhalen 0]

See, heres what I dont understand, to me, the whole Shady records thing, they are all the same type of artists(broadly speaking), but Eminem and D12 have played there with absolutly no problems

[Guest Shoes Head]

Because his music isn't soaked in the usual hip pop cliches as much as 50 cent's. 50 would rather rap about the usual "I treat women like garbage, I shoot people all day long and smoke lots of marijuana." Eminem on the other hand bitches about his cheating girlfriend, how he's going to kick so and so's ass, and how he hates his mother. Sounds more like the usual rock music topics to me.

[Vanhalen 0]

Yeah, you make a good point there mate