Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Heavy metal hits hip-hop backstage

Live Nation cancels Sleep Train hip-hop concert because of "an active investigation" into last week's backstage murder

Rapper Young Jeezy being held in Orange County on $1 million bail in connection with concert killing.
Rapper Young Jeezy being held in Orange County on $1 million bail in connection with concert killing.

The canceled hip-hop show that was supposed to happen Saturday, August 23, at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Chula Vista may trigger some big changes in the concert industry.

Headlined by Wiz Khalifa, the “Under the Influence of Music Tour” was tainted by a backstage murder the night before at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in San Jose. A 38-year-old man was fatally shot five times. A statement from the promoter, Live Nation, on the afternoon of the show said the Chula Vista date was being canceled due to “an active investigation.”

Besides the negative publicity that a dead body gives to hip-hop concerts, insiders say Live Nation is faced with a lawsuit and a huge hit to its bottom line. “I would guess Live Nation was on the hook for $200,000 to pay for all the security, maintenance, tech, and sound crew that were hired for the Sleep Train show but who didn’t have to work after all,” says one insider.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The tour, which also included A$AP Rocky, Ty Dolla $ign, and Rich Bull Homie did make it to its next scheduled date, at Orange County’s Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on Sunday night. But one artist who did not make it was four-time Grammy nominee Young Jeezy (Jay Jenkins, 36). It was announced the next day that Jeezy and other members of his entourage were being held by the Irvine police department for possession of an automatic rifle and other guns in connection of the backstage murder. Jeezy’s bail was set at $1 million.

Before it was announced that Jeezy had been arrested, allhiphop.com stated the victim was involved with promoting Jeezy’s after-concert party.

Insiders maintain the whole problem could have been avoided if the security at Shoreline would have used a metal-detecting wand to search everyone backstage just as they checked everyone else attending the concert.

“Let’s face it, if you have an all-access backstage pass, they don’t check you [with a metal detector],” says one insider. “If you are with the band, the tradition is you can bring pretty much anything you want with you backstage. That will change, I'm sure."

Gary Bongiovanni, publisher of the Pollstar concert industry trade magazine, admits the incident could be a game-changer. “I’ve never seen a situation where the band and its entourage was searched with a metal detector unless they were playing for the president.”

But Bongiovanni admits that if a headliner shoots and kills, it could change everything. “Historically the problems are with the hangers on, not the band or their road crew... Absolutely this could change the way backstage security is handled.”

There are unanswered questions: Why wasn't the canceled show rescheduled to another date, since Live Nation owns Sleep Train? And will Live Nation start checking its backstage access policies and institute more stringent security measures?

A call to the tour agent, Peter Schwartz, was not returned, and an email to Khalifa's management company, Taylor Gang Entertainment, also did not get a response. Live Nation spokesperson Greg Terlizzi did not respond to a request for comment.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Croome Brothers Trio, Jack Tempchin, Ricky, Swami & the Bed Of Nails, Kahlil Nash

Acoustic and electric in Del Mar, La Jolla, Little Italy, and City Heights
Next Article

2024 continues to impress with yellowfin much closer to San Diego than they should be

New rockfish regulations coming this week as opener approaches
Rapper Young Jeezy being held in Orange County on $1 million bail in connection with concert killing.
Rapper Young Jeezy being held in Orange County on $1 million bail in connection with concert killing.

The canceled hip-hop show that was supposed to happen Saturday, August 23, at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Chula Vista may trigger some big changes in the concert industry.

Headlined by Wiz Khalifa, the “Under the Influence of Music Tour” was tainted by a backstage murder the night before at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in San Jose. A 38-year-old man was fatally shot five times. A statement from the promoter, Live Nation, on the afternoon of the show said the Chula Vista date was being canceled due to “an active investigation.”

Besides the negative publicity that a dead body gives to hip-hop concerts, insiders say Live Nation is faced with a lawsuit and a huge hit to its bottom line. “I would guess Live Nation was on the hook for $200,000 to pay for all the security, maintenance, tech, and sound crew that were hired for the Sleep Train show but who didn’t have to work after all,” says one insider.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The tour, which also included A$AP Rocky, Ty Dolla $ign, and Rich Bull Homie did make it to its next scheduled date, at Orange County’s Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on Sunday night. But one artist who did not make it was four-time Grammy nominee Young Jeezy (Jay Jenkins, 36). It was announced the next day that Jeezy and other members of his entourage were being held by the Irvine police department for possession of an automatic rifle and other guns in connection of the backstage murder. Jeezy’s bail was set at $1 million.

Before it was announced that Jeezy had been arrested, allhiphop.com stated the victim was involved with promoting Jeezy’s after-concert party.

Insiders maintain the whole problem could have been avoided if the security at Shoreline would have used a metal-detecting wand to search everyone backstage just as they checked everyone else attending the concert.

“Let’s face it, if you have an all-access backstage pass, they don’t check you [with a metal detector],” says one insider. “If you are with the band, the tradition is you can bring pretty much anything you want with you backstage. That will change, I'm sure."

Gary Bongiovanni, publisher of the Pollstar concert industry trade magazine, admits the incident could be a game-changer. “I’ve never seen a situation where the band and its entourage was searched with a metal detector unless they were playing for the president.”

But Bongiovanni admits that if a headliner shoots and kills, it could change everything. “Historically the problems are with the hangers on, not the band or their road crew... Absolutely this could change the way backstage security is handled.”

There are unanswered questions: Why wasn't the canceled show rescheduled to another date, since Live Nation owns Sleep Train? And will Live Nation start checking its backstage access policies and institute more stringent security measures?

A call to the tour agent, Peter Schwartz, was not returned, and an email to Khalifa's management company, Taylor Gang Entertainment, also did not get a response. Live Nation spokesperson Greg Terlizzi did not respond to a request for comment.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Nation’s sexy soldiers stage protest at Pendleton in wake of change in Marine uniform policy

Semper WHY?
Next Article

OSHA rules wall falls our fault

Who, U.S.?
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.