by Bonnie H. Chuen
Staff Writer
People dancing, bottles being thrown, people fighting, smoke bombs, clothing torn, broken bones and a lot of rock and roll in a very packed bar.
This would normally describe a scene at Mardi Gras or the Los Angeles riots. Instead, this was a scene at the Sunset Club, in the sleepy town of Sierra Madre the night of May 4 when University of La Verne juniors Pete Carona and C.J. Robertson’s bands played.
According to Carona, the concert was dubbed fondly as Carona-palooza in celebration of his birthday, which was actually April 23. The show was postponed a week due to trouble with booking at the Sunset Club.
At approximately 11:30 p.m., Carona stepped up on stage to introduce Robertson’s band the Curbfeelers. They kicked off the concert with “Insultor Culture” in tribute to Carona’s band the Insultors.
“I’m ready to kick off some cool vibes. We’re coming out of seclusion for the special show,” said Robertson on stage.
The Curbfeelers are a reggae band made up of four members. Robertson as lead singer and melodica; Vince Cabanilla on guitar; Todd Clarke on drums and Jason Toland on bass.
People from the packed bar stood up, cheered for the band and danced as they played.
“I love it because usually no one dances, and when they come on, people dance,” said fan Valerie Meijer.
The Curbfeelers played eight songs. The second song was “Your Hurtin,” an original by the Curbfeelers. They also played covers such as “5446” by Toots and the Maytalls, “Jamaican Colley” by Dillinger and “Fight for Your Right” by Don Carlos. The last three songs were originals, “The Sound,” “Gridlock” and the finale, “Ganja.”
“It was a lot better than I expected, as it usually is. I’m really tired and I’m really thirsty. I just want to go home so I can put my feet up and relax, chill,” said Robertson after their portion of the concert.
During a brief intermission, the Insultors set up on stage. Carona walked up on stage with a box filled with toys, American flags and a big bottle of Jim Beam. Certain members of the crowd were warned to back away from the stage.
Chris Mitrvich, as well as Carona’s mother, got up on stage and introduced the Insultors as they jumped into their first song “Jim Beam.”
“I think he’s fabulous,” said Mrs. Carona.
Carona came up on stage with his body spray painted half red and half blue and dressed in a blue, green, white and black robe. As he sang, Carona sprayed the crowd with silly string and tossed out American flags.
The atmosphere of the crowd quickly changed from the mellow reggae beat to a fast-paced beat with people slamming in front of the stage.
According to Robertson and Toland, the Insultors earned their name by insulting the crowd, which is why their fans love them.
The band is made up of lead singer Carona, bassist Pat Waltom, guitarist Eddie Kurtsey, Jason Harvest Hardestey on lead guitar, drummer Tommy Montez and “Spidy” as guest guitarist.
During the second song, “Arcadian Band,” Carona was in yet another costume. This time, he was draped in a garbage bag.
By this time, the crowd was going wild and the sound man at the bar was advised to turn Carona’s microphone off.
The crowd did not respond well to this, nor did Carona. He picked up a chair and managed to shove the leg through the ceiling twice as he screamed at the crowd.
The crowd just danced to the background music from the band.
“This is unreal. I love every minute of it,” said junior Scott Fitzgerald.
As in many slam pits, people were injured. One audience member, Jeff Grosso, was slapped and proceeded to toss a chair across the dance floor, while another man jumped on him. Robertson pulled the man off and held him back.
During the fight, a man sat in the corner, with his ankle tied to a board, broken in three different places. He was later driven to USC for treatment.
“We’re all brothers and sisters here. Everything is cool,” said Carona responding to the fight.
During the third song, “The Last Time,” Carona set off smoke bombs in the bar. At this point in time, someone had severely hurt their knee.
The Insultors ended their show with their song “Sweet Home Santa Anita.” Carona set off fireworks in the bar as his microphone was turned off by the sound man.
A devoted fan ran toward the sound man and proceeded to take off the divider and push the sound equipment onto the ground as he threw a chair. Joey, as the man was called, had to be pulled back before he attacked the sound man anymore.
The police were called at this point. The bands were told to quickly get their equipment out of the place, and people were kicked out.
As Carona and his band were taking equipment out, the back door bouncer began yelling at the lead singer for him to control his crowd in the future. Robertson responded with, “I wouldn’t listen to him.”
The police showed up approximately five minutes after they were called, and were told to arrest the Insultors for inciting a riot. According to Robertson, the police advised the owner not to press charges or they would have a real riot on their hands.
Needless to say, the last band never played.
When questioned after the concert, Carona’s response was, “Let the good times roll, nothing but G.T. for good times.”
