In 1975 psychedelic rockers Pink Floyd announced their Wish You Were Here tour in the United States. It was in April when they finished their album, Wish You Were Here and fans were quick to muster up their standing spots for the anticipated gig. The tickets sold out faster than you could shout:
“Hey teachers, leave those kids alone!”
The concert in Los Angeles held a roaring significance when 511 Pink Floyd fans were arrested for an array of offences dating from April 23-27, 1975. It has been 40 years since the arrests were made.
The Los Angeles Police Chief Edward M. Davis, who served from 1969-1978, had a reputation for hating rock music and just being an all round nark as the sixties and seventies youth would blatantly put it. The arrests were made for minor offences whilst the fans attended the shows. It was in 1975 that The Rolling Stones press had reported that attendees had been charged with marijuana possession, underage drinking and sexual perversion.
It had been only around six years after Woodstock and authorities and punters could still not tolerate having peace at a music gig. It seems that to police officers in 1975 that all these arrests made were – just another brick in the wall – a long line of unprecedented offences.
To read more on Pink Floyd go to Fashion Industry Broadcast’s Masters in Music Vol. 16.
