If one were to ask just about any student in this school what a favorite hobby of theirs was, chances are that music would be involved in their response. Music plays an important role in just about everyone’s life, and everyone appreciates it differently. Some students find that rather than saving up the 20-30 dollars to attend a show with their favorite performances, it is sometimes easier to scrounge up about 10 dollars and go support the local bands here in Florida. The local scene has been around for some time and is building its empire daily. It consists mostly of bands with an extreme amount of talent looking to make it big, and for many, they have been successful.

Some of the most well known local venues include “Kafe Krystal” and a more recent addition “The Roxy Theatre.” These clubs are natural habitats to teens because there is no age requirement and there isn’t any alcohol being served. Kafe Krystal is well known for its local shows and chances are if you’ve ever passed a fallen flyer here in Varela, the location would be there.

However, The Roxy Theatre has been home to many different types of events and shows. From Improvisational Friday night shows to minor plays and such, the Roxy is thought of just as it is named, “A Theatre.” Local shows are a place to have fun and let loose, and there are rarely any reports of serious injury or chaos, because it has normally been kept under control. Both clubs allow all ages to come and no alcohol is served during the shows, though Kaffe Krystal allows you to smoke while the Roxy does not.

However on Saturday, August 12, the Roxy scheduled a series of bands to come and perform for their fans. This was not the first local show held at the Roxy, but it certainly might be the last. During the closing band’s set, a huge mirror wall located in the room was shattered accidentally. The man in charge of the event took the stage and asked for the moshing and dancing to cease to prevent further damages. The kids continued to dance to the point where it got really serious. When a security guard attempted to grab one of the dancers, the teenager retaliated violently.

“From the very beginning, things were going wrong,” said Eric Lopez, guitarist of local band Jane Doe who was at the theatre that night. “Sets were off time, and the bands were not happy. The mirror broke accidentally, and it ended up in madness.”

Security then drew pepper spray and started to spray it into the air. This caused an outbreak of fights, people coughing from asthmatic reactions to the spray, security being attacked, and tons of broken furniture. The stores around were closed down because teens rushed in to find baby oil to heal their eyes. Ambulances and police officers came, and little by little the commotion was stopped. However the man who was responsible for paying the bands was nowhere to be found and this resulted in retaliation on his vehicle. All of this sent many teens home injured and traumatized.

The question in mind here is, “Was the pepper spray really necessary?” There was likely a much more professional way to handle this. Do teens from our local community who just wanted to spend their Saturday supporting the music they love deserve to be pepper sprayed? Many of the kids that had absolutely nothing to do with the violence were affected and may never want to attend another show due to this experience.

Mr. Rey Bode, a drama teacher here at Varela, is part of an improvisational group that performs at the Roxy Theatre on Friday nights regularly in improvisational show known as Impromedy.

When asked if he thought this would ruin the Roxy’s reputation with teens and possibly affect his show as well, he said, “I think that only the kids who attend these events would be affected. People know that our crowd and the concert crowd are totally different, so I don’t think they will be worried.”

So for those who are regulars at the local venues and shows, make sure to check in with the status for the Roxy since it is unclear if these shows will continue.