Hinder Schminder

Last Saturday, April 14th, 2007, the band Hinder came to Western Carolina’s Ramsey Center. I had the opportunity to work this event and was able to get up close with the bands, crew, and equipment. I was working with stage crew to help set up for the big event. We were working with the band’s crew members to unload trucks and set up on stage. First of all, these guys were not the nicest in the world. Even the crew behaved as if it was all about them. I went out with the guitar tech to the tour bus to get some guitars and such. After helping bring all the guitars in, the tech started setting them up; he opened the display case (that hold many guitars upright) to reveal pornography to the entire crew. The case had large pictures on the topside of it. This guy was obviously immune to its affect; perhaps petty pictures of pornography were not as exciting after seeing so much of it. Not only that, but before I brought in any guitars, I was asked to carry a microphone stand from their bus inside. The stand was laced with bras that appeared to be signed, and some looked like they had phone numbers written on them (I can’t be sure as it was disgusting looking at them anyways). Being a female, and a respectable individual, I cannot say that I was even slightly amused by the obnoxious disrespect. The drum set of the band also features a half-naked female with a nearly see-through shirt; this too was distasteful. The rest of the drum set was covered in more bras with writing on them. From the get-go, I had no respect for this band. When the concert finally began (nearly an hour late), I was working security between the stage and the barricades holding back screaming banshees. Puddle of Mudd was the opening band and they were not too terribly bad. At least they did not swear at “North Carolina” repeatedly using the “F” word. They did, however, have some off-color lyrics and language, but for the most part they showed a general respect for their audience and kept the female exploitation out of the picture. They put on a good show if you like that kind of stuff. When Hinder came to the stage a few minutes later, the screaming girls before me grew even more passionate and desperate for the band members. To be honest, I cannot understand why people worship a band and its members. As far as I know, Hinder has done nothing to help others and has not instilled great hope and perseverance in the youth of America. With songs like “One Night Stand” and “[Go Home] Get Stoned”, I am amazed that Chancellor Bardo and other administrators of Western Carolina University allowed Hinder to come and perform. The band could have at least cleaned up their music considering they were in a college and small town community and many people brought their children and families to the event. I was appalled when I saw a young boy with his neck against the barricades, directly in the front, looking up at these guys who were screaming obscenities and mentioning “F***ing North Carolina” over and over. I could not believe that a mother would bring her young child (he looked like 5 or 6) to an event like this and be jumping around while her boy is being smushed into the barricades. The best song that Hinder played and sang was the classic “Born to be Wild”, this was just about the only song without swear words and a suggestive theme. Sure, the general show, instruments, and lighting was interesting, but the message was 100% negative. Western has no excuse now when they catch people with drugs and alcohol and having sex with random partners, spreading diseases all over campus. The band that they brought here conveyed the message that all of those things are acceptable, and even good. What do you think people went home and did? Before the end of the show, a band crew/security member came up to my husband and asked him if he knew any “Bad A**” girls over the age of 21. Unaware of the guy’s intentions, my husband went and found a girl over the age of 21 and told her to go see the guy. She came back with a backstage pass (I believe it was a verbal invitation and ‘pass’); there is no doubt in my mind why they wanted a Bad a** girl over 21. Later that night, we found that the girls went into the dressing room with Hinder for quite a few hours after the show. I even saw her exiting the room to find a bathroom with messed up hair. They all had beer and extremely loud music in the room (I heard the beer part from their head security man, Rhino and I heard the noisy music myself). All in all, the show could have been great if it had been censored and if the band members and crew learned to show respect for their audiences and North Carolina. It was clear that they were overly full of themselves and that they were highly disrespectful. For most of you who might read this, to truly understand my point of view, you may have had to been there and seen what I saw (and I’m not just talking about the show); also, it helps to have morals, values, and respect for yourself. I cannot see a self-respecting person enjoying a show like that. I was completely repulsed. Hinder, who is Hinder? Why don’t we get an appropriate band or singer to come to Western?