Fight Erupts During Boston Pops Concert

Symphony Hall Scuffle In Balcony Halts Show On Opening Night

(CBS/AP)  Concert-goers and even Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart were caught off-guard when a fight broke out on opening night at the usually sedate Symphony Hall in Boston, Mass.

Video of the fight on Wednesday night showed two men struggling in the balcony — one with his shirt pulled off — as several people stood around them.

CBS Station WBZ correspondent Joyce Kulhawik said one man objected to another man's talking. "A woman screamed, then suddenly it came to fisticuffs."

Witnesses said they heard a scream from the balcony, and the sound of chairs falling, then a second scream as the fight escalated.

At that point, Lockhart halted the performance while police intervened.

Boston police spokesman David Estrada said police officers on security detail at the hall escorted the men off the property, and no charges were filed. No injuries were reported, he said.

"It was an unfortunate incident, but thankfully this kind of behavior is truly out of the ordinary at a Boston Pops concert," the orchestra said in a statement. It referred calls to the Boston police department.

The performance launched the 122nd season of the Boston Pops.

The fight broke out during a medley of tunes from the movie musical "Gigi." Kulhawik noted, dryly, "It has that effect on some people."

[happened2us2]

At the '06 San Fran Opera opening gala, a man in his 20's was playing games by the light of his cell phone and talking through the 1st act. We suffered through it and didn't tell an usher. We should have. In the second act, he whipped out the phone and started again. We asked him to stop and he told my hubby and me to "shut the *** up" TWICE! We were stunned. After awhile he did stop though. At the end of the opera, he turned around to us and gave us such a look I thought he was going to start a fight. People have no class anymore. None. If there is ever a next time, I won't hesitate to contact an usher immediately even if it is in the middle of the act.

[toolmangler-2009]

"Where are we headed as a nation?"
Posted by sickovit at 07:37 PM : May 10, 2007


I say this without rancor, "The USA will become a 'Third World Country' by the end of this century". Only a major overhaul of the Government (not replacement) can keep this from happening.

[sickovit]

This is all about common sense, manners and the big question, "Where are we headed as a nation?"

[arthurcl1]

Probably Bruins Hockey Fans trying to learn how to listen to the Boston Pops Orchestra!

[toolmangler-2009]

eh, one of the gus was probably a Yankee fan, and you know how that goes......
Posted by mitch0927 at 03:33 PM : May 10, 2007


This YANKEE fan knows the difference between a 'band' and an 'Orchestra' and he also carries his own "Licensed" concealed weapon and furthermore even having it on me in the Orchestra Hall I would still 'NEVER' talk during an Boston Pops performance.

[thgdriver]

It's the dress code that's the problem. Look at the folks in the picture, if they all had to put on jackets and ties to get seats, like some restaurants do, this never would have happened.

[coltsfanto]

Can't go anywhere anymore with out a fight starting...

[comfortmd1]

seems like it was started by a rude jackazz then made worse by a self-important female egging her date on.

i just hope they re-started the symphony afterwards...

[tmn]

It would have been more expected had they been doing selections from "West Side Story"...

[bildooreilly]

The band isn't supposed to stop for fights, you're supposed to keep on playing. What a bunch of amateurs.

[feedback3-2009]

This is what happens when you mix drugs and that heavy rock and roll. I've heard the mosh pits at the Boston Pops (or BP-Yo! as those crazy kids call it) are wild.

[mitch0927]

eh, one of the gus was probably a Yankee fan, and you know how that goes......

[feedback3-2009]

This is what happens when you mix drugs and that heavy rock and roll. I've heard the mosh pits at the Boston Pops (or BP-Yo! as those crazy kids call it) are wild.

[wayne5002]

One more reason to keep guns legal. Guns scare the *** out people. If the blabbermouth on the phone saw someone with a 9MM under his shoulder, he probably would had shut the hell up.

[acctriangle]

In a way this is somewhat funny. You have to admit, you see this kind of activity at a lot of heavy metal, rock and rap concerts but never at the symphony. People could care less about what others think, believe and say. There is no tolerance for anything. Whether in politics or in society in general, we just do not like each other as people.

[soldat44]

More and more people act as if they were raised by wolves. A simple lack of manners and civility. Sad.

[mangoboy3]

I hope the folks at the Pops find out a few things about those guys: age? Where they live? radio stations they listen to? do they have ipods?

The BSO needs more folks filling those seats!!

[kimjongsyrj]

Yeah, a symphony hall is NOT the place to even fidget your feet. I always close my eyes and sit like a statue at a place like that, and last night there was plenty of extraneous noise. I could tell the people that went there often were a little annoyed.

I was appalled at myself because I realized I forgot to shut my cell phone off... so I quietly removed the battery so that it wouldn't make a tone shutting off. Meanwhile, apparently one of the guys in this fight was blabbing the whole time.

There seems to be so much tension these days, it really is sad.

[turtle_head1]

Where's Bill Oriley when you need him?

[mottasa-2009]

Yes it seems that the rules of etiquette are getting less and less nowadays. Soon they will be "tailgating" with beer and bbq in the balcony as well. Might as well go to NASCAR.