Guitarist Pete Towshend says "Fuck of!" to 7yr old fan
 

What a douche!

Fully story - http://ca.omg.yahoo.com/blogs/north-...160457131.html

The Who took their Quadrophenia tour to Hamilton, Ontario, earlier this week, and while guitarist Simon Townshend called it a "great crowd," his brother did not appear to feel the same way.

On Tuesday night, the iconic British rock band played the Copps Coliseum, and in the audience was American fan Eric Michael Costello and his 7-year-old daughter, Janey, who reportedly had never been to a concert before.

In a video from the gig, guitarist Pete Townshend is seen unleashing an expletive at Eric and Janey, who was holding up a sign which read, "Smash your guitar, Pete!"

"Go away with that sign, please," Townshend says. "Don't bring your children, use them. I would tell you two words but I can't because you've got a child with you."

He then clearly mouthed the words "f--- off" before moving on.

Unsurprisingly, Costello was unimpressed.

"I expect a 70-something-year-old man to respect the fact there's a 7-year-old girl standing in front of him," Costello told the Toronto Sun. "Whether it was directed to just me or both of us, you can't tell -- she was on my shoulders and he was looking directly at us. But nobody talks to my 7-year-old daughter like that. Nobody tells my kid to f--- off."

Janey's father bought her the tickets, which placed them in the 15th row and were worth almost $300, as a birthday surprise. During the show, Janey, who was holding her hand-painted sign, climbed up on her dad's shoulders and he walked towards the stage.

"It all happened so quickly. Some people have explained that he had thought that I was using her, and I want to make it perfectly clear that is not what happened at all and I support my daughter in what she wants to do," Costello said.

The 50-year-old Cleveland native claimed Townshend broke his daughter's heart, adding that Janey even began whimpering because she could tell the 67-year-old musician was angry with her.

"I had to keep explaining to her it wasn't the same band as before -- they don't smash up their equipment, they're older now, and they don't behave like that," he said. "Both she and I were huge fans of the band and now I'm left trying to explain to her that heroes are not infallible. Instead of being this joyous, momentous occasion, it turned into a sad, regrettable kind of incident."

Though Costello "would appreciate an apology," he doesn't expect one, and if their Twitter account is anything to go by, the Who remains oblivious to the whole event.

"Great night in Hamilton, ON," tweeted Simon Townshend Tuesday night, a message that was retweeted by the Who's Twitter account. "Great show - great crowd."


Clip of the incident

what a peice of shit , if he would of said it to a dog it would have been worse tho

I thought he LOVED kids!

So the world is supposed to bow down to dumbasses because they have a kid with them?

The guy puts his daughter on his shoulders, has her holding a stupid sign and proceeds to creep up to the first few rows hindering the view of everyone behind him. He deserves to be told to fuck off.

That's what happens when you take your kid to see a registered sex offender.

.

Oh...but he was only doing "research". :error

Hahahaha

That's what you get for bringing your 7 year old to see a half-deaf pedophile perform.

Edit: beaten by lpink

Insert Kanye West meme, "Imma let you finish smashing your guitar Pete, but Hendrix was the best guitar destroyer ever..."

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/webroot/a.../2241964_o.gif

:firehair :banana :stoned

ADG

Yeah, exactly. I'm tired of this prevailing attitude among parents as well.

Parents need to realize there's a time and a place for children. Being in an environment that is predominantly adults is not likely to be one of them.

In that clip, when he says I’ve got two words for you, he holds up two fingers which is the British equivalent of the one fingered salute. Also saying "Don't bring your children, use them.” is a strange thing for someone with his history to be saying don’t you think?

Yeah, that struck me as rather odd too. Although, I think the inference was 'use them to get attention' - but his phrasing was...lacking.

I've always been a big Who fan - went to their Who In '82 farewell concert at Maple Leaf Gardens back in the day. But Towshend was a real asshole this time IMO. There was no need for him to say and do what he did. If he had a problem with the father/daughter and the sign...he could've said something to security - or simply be more diplomatic at the mic.

He should've been grateful to the father for introducing a new generation of fans to the band's music. They paid $300 bucks to see them in Hamilton - and he treats them that way. Pathetic. :Oh crap

I think he is saying "don't bring your children and use them to get what you want".

His angle is from the point where a celeb might wave off 30 adults trying to get an
autograph and then one fan, who was already waved off, grabs a child and runs up to the celeb and now the celeb has to stop and give an autograph. That is "using kids"!

It's more like he didn't finish the sentence because he ran out of something else to accuse the fan of.

A full sentence along those lines might have looked like this :

Don't bring your children, use them, cut the line, drink free and then leave.

Apparently he has apologized already to the family, but I'm sure he didn't have much of a choice, given the media shitstorm about it.

Yeah, a local radio DJ on GiantFM who's a friend of Towshend got involved and negotiated an apology - but only after the media blew the story up.

It was damage control after-the-fact.

Someone explain when on earth Pete was supposed to be anything less? Pete has been flipping off his fans since day one and frankly the day he stops being an edgy bastard is the day he should quit rock and roll.

What? Now Keith Richards is supposed to be a kindly grampa that passes out lollipops to young fans in the front rows at Stones shows?

Has anyone ever been down close in a Who concert? That is no place for a kid that age. Fuck that parent and fuck his entitled indignant ass with a fucking unstrung strat. :2 cents:

Here is one for Pete, :321GFY

The pro creator needs to TAKE A STEP BACK!!!!!

To each their own, but $300 tickets to see the Who seems an odd surprise for a 7 yr old.


The vid is a good reminder how mindless people get at concerts. Pete could have been saying he likes to eat fresh shit out of a spider monkey's asshole, after raping their mothers and fans would be screaming "whoooohoooooo!!!!! go Pete!!!!! you ruuuuuleee!!!!!!!"

This isn't the 60s - nor is it Woodstock or Monterey. The Who aren't seen as the same rebellious, activist band by new generations of fans.

It was promoted as an all-ages concert.

It's not as if the young girl did something to insult or piss him off. His reaction was totally inappropriate and un-called for.

Townsend told the dad to fuck off, not the little girl.

What a dickhead.

People have died trying to get down in front at Who shows. No matter how it was promoted it still is insanely irresponsible to bring a child that age that close. Even with the reduced volume due to Pete's tinnitus that is still too loud for a kid that age. And even though, yes, age may have mellowed them in some ways, they are still cantankerous English bastards at heart, especially Pete... although Roger probably would have hugged the kid and made sure she was alright before brawling with Pete about it backstage.

At least he didn't dedicate "Fiddle About (Uncle Ernie) to her... :winkwink: :upsidedow

:stoned

ADG

If it was Keef, he would have bashed the kid in the head with his telecaster. :1orglaugh

100% in agreement. You take a 7 year old to a Who concert and you're an idiot.

When my kids were 7 they didn't go to ANY concerts. Hell, my youngest is now 15 and the only "concert" she ever went to was The Disney Channel's "Cheetah Girls"

I'm gonna let her go see Britney Spears lip synch at Planet Hollywood this year in Vegas...but if she was 7, I woudn't even allow that.

The Who's music isn't intended for 7 year olds...or for that matter even girls. It was kinda the fist pumping music of teenage boys angst in it's time. And now it's the fist pumping music of us middle aged guys who grew up on it. lol

meh he sucks..

I would not take a young child into what is essentially "The Pit" at any concert. Regardless of whether or not the crowd tends to get rowdy. It's just too risky. Not to mention that sound is too much for most adults, let alone a young developing child.

Strange situation.

Apparently the child was wearing ear-protecting plugs during the show.

Stupid parents ...

That's rather cruel and unusual punishment. What'd the poor girl do to deserve having to listen to Britney Spears?

Pete Townsend is required by law to tell anyone under the age of 18 to "fuck off"

The law should also require him to stay 100 yards from anyone under the age of 18.