Se…curity, Drugs and Rock’n’Roll?

Imagine this… a weekend in Tsaghkadzor consisting of four rock bands, alcohol, too much snow and lots of young Armenians who were looking to have a good time.  What’s the result?  A good time, that’s for sure.  And besides that, quite a few security guards…Winter Armenia had organized this weekend in Tsaghkadzor which included Rock’n’roll and jazz as well.  (they will be organizing a summer weekend as well, so look out for this event at www.summer.am) The bands featured in concert were King’s Cross, Bambir, Stormy Monday Band and a new group, Arm Project.  The turnout of young Armenians was quite impressive and there were 1500 tickets sold for the event.  In addition, there were some big name companies who sponsored the event such as Smirnoff, Swatch and Ararat brandy.  Promotion for the event was organized quite well.  Even in Tsaghkadzor, most of the locals there knew about the event!

One thing which seems to consistent every time I attend these rock concerts is the amount of security at these types of events.  During the day, the security guards had already arrived to the concert hall and were “on duty.”  I was kind of taken aback by the number of security guards which were present for this concert.  It seemed that Tsaghkadzor was relatively a safe city and in general Armenia has a relatively low crime rate.  So I stood back and watched to observe these guards.  As people were coming in and out of the concert hall, they would watch them.  There was this one group of four young people who were wearing big sunglasses, one of them a girl had died her hair bright red, all of them wearing baggy pants and dressed in what you could stereotype as a rock’n’roll image.  They walked in together and were relatively quiet, walking slowly and observing the preparations being made for the concert.  The two security guards who I was closest to in physical proximitely were quite interested in this particular group of young people.  They watched as they walked by and started talking to each other.  I heard one of them say to the other “Look at these guys.  They are drunk….” and the other guard responded “Definitely.” 

What made these security guards think that these rock’n’rollers were drunk when they walked in?  Was it because they were able to confirm by the actions of these young persons?  What signs did they see that made them come to this conclusion?  Were they walking crookedly?  Reeked of alcohol?  Quite an interesting observation made by the security guards, but I would have to disagree with the conclusion they came to.  Especially since they showed no signs of “being drunk”, but then again I did not take out a breathalyzer in order to check their alcohol intake.  Yet, neither did the security guards.

I wonder- would they have said the same thing if this group of young people were dressed in all black and did not have colored hair, ripped jeans or earrings?  Would they have come to the same conclusion?  Probably not. 
So why is it that there tends to be more security guards at rock concerts in particular?  In fact, this is not the only case in which there was heavy security at a rock concert. In September 2005, there was a rock concert held in Republic Square.  The inner circle was closed off to traffic and only people were allowed for the concert.  It seemed quite successful as many turned out to watch some of their favorite Armenian and Georgian rock groups.  In addition to the many people, there was also heavy security at this event as well. 
Onnik Krikorian points out the heavy security present at this event in an article on Eurasianet. 

“The number of police, including Ministry of Interior troops deployed as security for the event, also surprised many. Although the festival would only attract a few thousand people, hundreds of police assembled in front of the stage. “Perhaps they think we’ll start a riot,” said one young rock fan, arriving early to watch the main stage being set up. “Maybe they like rock music,” another joked.” (The article entitled “Armenian Youth: Ready to Rock?” can be found at: http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/eav102105.shtml ).

Marieke, an EVS volunteer from Holland and interning at BEM Youth Progressive Action Center at the time, also pointed this out during the concert and in the same article quoted an EVS volunteer from Holland and interning at BEM Youth Progressive Action Center at the time, also pointed this out during the concert and in the same article quoted above.   She explained,

“I thought the rock concert was a great success, although at the beginning, when there were more police than spectators, I had my doubts if rock in Armenia would ever work.”

Is there a connection between rock and revolution?  If we think about the Sixties movement in the U.S., the anti-war movement and hippies tended to be known for their love for rock music.  Are the Armenian rock’n’rollers also starting a social movement in this country, which may pose a threat to the security and stability of this government? 

This is probably not the case, as rock music is not liked by a vast majority of the Armenian population.  In fact, Armenian youth who do not prefer to listen to rock music tend to stereotype all rock music as being “heavy” and “not understandable.”  It is also an image that they do not prefer to maintain.   So is that it?  Is rock’n’roll associated with such an image?  Some may agree.  Could that be why there were so many security guards present at the rock concert in Tsaghkadzor?  It comes down to this, I think.  Many Armenians tend to judge these people because they “look different” from the norm and also think that rock’n’rollers are bad people- criminals, or just unobedient children.  I mean, isn’t that why they choose to maintain such an image because they want to disobey their parents?  They are “not normal” which is why they do not shave, wear ripped jeans and the guys wear earrings.  Those people who make it a point to be different from others is unacceptable in such a homogenous society.  After all, as Zarchka points out in a recently written post these are the types of things that would make others say “Amota…mi ara.”

It is really sad to see such stereotypes about those people who do appreciate rock’n’roll in Armenia.  It is even more disappointing to see that having an image which is considered to be different from the norm is what makes security on “high alert”.