The Disco Demolition Night of 1979 is a perfect reflection of the anti-disco sentiments held by many rock fans. The undertones of this event showed the racism and homophobia within the rock community and 1970s American society as a whole. Disco Demolition Night marked the beginning of the end of the popularity of disco. This event took place at Comiskey Field in Chicago between the two double header games of the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers. The event was organized by Steve Dahl, a local disc jockey. Dahl was bitter because the rock music that he played on his radio station was being replaced by disco music. He was then able to coordinate with Mike Veeck, a failed rock musician whose father was the owner of the Chicago White Sox. Veeck was successfully able to convince his father to hold the event (Myers). Bill Veeck, Mike Veeck’s father, was known for his unique promotions as owner of the White Sox such as a pyrotechnic scoreboard and a shower near the bleachers at center field (Waleik). He thought that this would be a creative way to increase attendance at the stadium that night. The purpose of the event was to promote the end of the popularity of disco music. Most of the attendees were rock fans who hated disco music. Attendees of the event were encouraged to bring their disco records to be blown up in the middle of the stadium. The stadium was beyond full capacity. It was estimated that at least 50,000 people attended the event. To put that into perspective, White Sox officials were expecting a crowd of 20,000 people at the event, up 5,000 from the average attendance of White Sox games. Admission to the event cost only ninety nine cents if attendees brought a disco record to be blown up (Terry). Naturally this also helped increase the number of attendees. The vast majority of rock fans who attended the event were young white males. The rock fans chanted “disco sucks” and made their own signs to voice their opinions. After the records were blown up, it was estimated that a couple thousand people stormed the field to show their disdain for disco music. Reports from the night indicated the heavy use of marijuana and alcohol by the crowd, which added fuel to the fire. The attempts to clear the field of rock fans by stadium officials were futile. The baseball broadcasters watched in anger as the crowd of rowdy young rock fans were ruining a night of baseball. The second game of the double header eventually had to be forfeited to the Detroit Tigers and the crowd didn’t disperse until the riot police arrived.

 

 

The video below provides a great perspective into what happened that night at Comiskey Park.