Music

Modern Baseball launch hotline to keep fans safe at their shows

by Tyler Munro

The last time I went to a Modern Baseball show, their set was stopped for upwards of 15-20 minutes after a crowd surfing incident left a fan motionless, possibly unconscious, on the Opera House floor.

It’s incidents like that which have led bands like Joyce Manor to ask their fans to stay grounded, and, in Modern Baseball’s case, inspired an innovative new idea. Like Speedy Ortiz did late last summer, they’ve launched a hotline to keep fans safe during their upcoming tour with none other than Joyce Manor.

Fans can call or text the hotline if they’re feeling unsafe, or uneasy, at any point during a Modern Baseball show, and the message will be instantly relayed to the band’s tour manager. Guitarist Brendan Lukens says the idea was inspired by Speedy Ortiz’s after receiving messages from fans.

“I feel like enough people were just coming up to us after shows and hitting us up via Twitter in general and just giving us subtle hints or just flat-out telling us that they were having a weird time or an uneasy time at our shows,” said Lukens to MTV.

Whether that means fans are uncomfortable by the aggression in the pit, a creeper at the bar or flesh hungry monsters, it’s an interesting initiative from a band who strives to put their fans first. And for Modern Baseball, it’s the tip of the iceberg: They’re working to have gender neutral bathrooms at all of their upcoming shows, and, like, they’re clearly just such nice boys.

Watch the band explain the hotline in a charming video made with help from Marisas Paternoster’s Screaming Females.

And if you do catch the band soon, keep your eyes open for any funny business, will ya?