In 2000, Sleater-Kinney addressed the need to create safe spaces at rock shows in the song “#1 Must Have”: “And will there always be concerts where women are raped / Watch me make up my mind instead of my face / The number one must have / Is that we are safe.” Those lyrics were a reaction to a widely publicized series of sexual assaults that took place at Woodstock ’99, including two that took place in the mosh pit during Limp Bizkit and Korn’s sets. And this sort of violence continues, like the concert last year where Staind frontman Aaron Lewis stopped his band’s set to berate concertgoers who were groping a young woman as she crowd surfed. (These are just a few of many depressing examples.)
Now Speedy Oritz has taken up the banner of show safety, although the band is not limiting its efforts to preventing sexual assault. In a flyer recently posted to the band’s Facebook page, Speedy Oritz provides a hotline number anyone at one of its sets who experiences “racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and all other marginalizing actions and microaggressions” can text. The text will go straight to a member of the band or its crew, who will get venue security involved:
Frontwoman Sadie Dupuis later further clarified the purpose of the hotline on Twitter, saying “I’m hoping we can leverage our privilege as performers to help keep our friends in the crowd safer. we’ll see how it goes but I’m optimistic.” She adds that if the system works, she hopes other bands will create hotlines as well. Speedy Ortiz’s fall tour kicks off tonight in Columbus, Ohio, where a safe, fun time will hopefully be had by all.
Speedy Ortiz 2015 Tour
09-08 Columbus, OH – Double Happiness
09-09 Kalamazoo, MI – Bell’s Back Room
09-10 Champaign, IL – Institute 4 Creativity
09-11 Chicago, IL – Riot Fest
09-13 Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge
09-14 Cincinnati, OH – MOTR Pub
09-23 Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
09-24 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
09-25 Portland, ME – State Theater
09-27 Washington, DC – Rock & Roll Hotel
10-05 Berlin, Germany – Comet
10-06 Hamburg, Germany – Golem
10-07 Cologne, Germany – Blue Shell
10-09 Turin, Italy – Spazzio 211
10-10 Bologna, Italy – Covo Club
10-13 Düdingen, Switzerland – Bad Bonn
10-15 Brighton, England – The Haunt
10-16 Manchester, England – Sound Control
10-17 Dublin, Ireland – Whelan’s
10-18 Leeds, England – Brudenell Social Club
10-21 London, England – Tufnell Park Dome
10-22 Glasgow, Scotland – Stereo
10-23 Birmingham, England – All Years Leaving
10-26 Brussels, Belgium – Le Botanique
10-28 Nijmegen, Netherlands – Merleyn
10-29 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Bitterzoet
10-30 Lille, France – La Péniche
10-31 Nantes, France – Soy Festival
11-06 Austin, TX – Fun Fun Fun Fest
[h/t Pitchfork]