Bad Religion The Riot

"December 29, 1990 - My brother, Brian, just phoned - "Get your ass down here and film! NOFX & Pennywise are opening for Bad Religion! Eric (of NOFX) says it's cool." My friend, Louis Elovitz, & I arrive at the El Portal Theater in N. Hollywood a little before 5:00 p.m. No hassles from security - they've been expecting us. The theater is relatively empty É except for the members of Bad Religion. They see us, we all nod our heads, "What's up?" They're ready for their sound check; Louis & I start taping. We're the only camera guys in the house - that's how I became the only cameraman to film the Bad Religion Riot of 1990 from first beer bottle thrown to the last É

The Fire Marshall's decision to cancel the gig incited an over-capacity crowd of 1,000 Bad Religion fans into an angry mob. Rocks & Beer bottles went flying causing an estimated $25,000 in damages. Paramedics rescued the injured, firemen hosed the masses, and police "escorted" the diehards. You've seen "The Riot" footage when KABC-TV aired it internationally on ABC World News Tonight and when Pennywise used it in their 1995 Epitaph release "Pennywise: Home Movies." Now you can see it live and uncut in its entirety. Bad Religion: The Riot - a piece of punk rock history." -Richard White

This self-proclaimed "punkumentary" explores the feverish, sometimes violent passion that punks exhibit when in the presence of the bands they favor. In this case, the band is seminal L.A. punk band Bad Religion, and the "passion" of their followers results in an actual riot. The first part of the aptly titled THE RIOT shows footage of a typically raucous Bad Religion gig in Northridge, California. It then moves on to the grainy news clips of a riot on New Year's Eve, 1990--a riot that was spurred on by the shutdown of a Bad Religion concert. Raw, exciting, and totally punk rawk, BAD RELIGION--THE RIOT is a great music video as well as an illuminating sociological exploration.