I Hate What I'm Seeing

I mentioned in my last week notes that I went to a Menzingers concert in Allentown on Saturday. What I didn't mention and what I have been trying to process is that during the show there was an incident prior to The Menzingers coming on that stood out to me. A fucking nazi asshole came out and started giving the nazi salute. I still sometimes can't believe I witnessed that.

My wife and I had tickets in the balcony as we much like having seats nowadays, but during the intermission between I Am the Avalanche and The Menzingers, some asshole started causing a scene and giving the nazi salute. Being as far away as I was, I can't say I know all that happened, but the salute was pretty obvious and I'd be lying if I wasn't a little disturbed by it. There's a reddit thread about it. Apparently some punches were thrown and multiple people, including the nazi asshole, were escorted out by security.

I'm not naive enough to think that these people aren't around or that they don't exist. I just didn't expect to see it at a punk show of all places. Punk very often tends to be anti-nazi, and I'm not sure why you'd think The Menzingers, the headliners of the concert would be at all welcoming of nazis. They have been very clear in their songs and at past shows that they're very much against the far right. The song they opened with, America (You're Freaking Me Out) is apt for these times and very much hints at their political beliefs. They also wrote an alternative version after George Floyd's murder. Why you'd spend money to go to the concert of a band who hates everything you stand for is beyond me, seems like a waste of money.

He also might've been there just to start shit. Aggravate and bother the others who have gone to see bands they enjoy. In that, he partially succeeded in that I hate that he was there. I did kind of enjoy everyone dumping their beer on him, and the communal disgust and repudiation of what he stood for before he got escorted out by security.

The Menzingers did release a statement the next day.

On Saturday night in Allentown, a person was removed from our show for violent behavior and making Nazi salutes. In 2026.

We found out the next day and it's embarrassing to have played an entire show without being able to call out a literal fucking Nazi in the room.

Fuck him. Fuck everything he stands for. Get the fuck out.

Thank you to the Archer Music Hall staff for keeping people safe, and to our fans for making our shows a place of community and camaraderie since the beginning.

Nazi punks fuck off.

The title of my post pretty much says it all. I hate that this is even a thing in today's society. I wish it would have been left in the past, never to be seen again, but alas, here we are.