Cashbox
By George Albert
Spartanburg Herald-Journal - Friday, August 26, 1983

Back on the contemporary scene, rocker Tom Petty recently got a taste of what some concertgoers are routinely subjected to, and he didn't like it at all. Seems that Petty was watching Duane Eddy and Ry Dooder jamming at a local theater when he decided to light up a cigarette. A gruff security guard came over and demanded that it be extinguished due to fire department regulations. Petty complied and then left for the restroom, where he lit up another. A little while later, he sauntered back into the show, inadvertantly carrying the cigarette back into the forbidden zone. The same guard then came over, pulled the cigarette from his mouth and pushed the rail-thin rocker into his seat. A sparring match followed, and soon a fight erupted. After the incident, Petty said he got a better understanding of how kids are treated at concerts and deplored the use of "goon squad" tactics under the guise of "security."