Teen Blasted out of Rod Laver after 'Timebomb' tweet

[brett_jv]

Source: The Age

A teenage boy is facing criminal charges after he set off a bomb scare by tweeting some of the lyrics of a Pink song at the US pop songstress's concert on Sunday night at Rod Laver Arena.

The 16-year-old was thrown out of the concert and subsequently arrested by police after he tweeted a reference to Pink's song "Timebomb", off her chart-topping new album, and linked the tweet to the Rod Laver Arena official twitter account.


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/music/teen-blasted-out-of-rod-laver-after-timebomb-tweet-20130708-2pl4d.html

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Tweet contents that resulted in the kid getting plucked from the concert and arrested:

@Pink I'm ready with my Bomb. Time to blow up #RodLaverArena. Bitch.

If you wondered whether or not the Terra-ists had won ... this story settles it ...

[AtheistCrusader]

1. Ok, OUT of context, that sounds really bad.

This should be an interview with the cops at most, and done. IN context, this is completely innocuous.

[brett_jv]

2. Exactly ...

Not to mention ... the idea that a tweet like that can get you ID'd and plucked out of a friggin concert by the authorities is just ... scary to me. What's next? "Feeling Comfortably Numb #ThePinkFloydConcert!" and the next thing you know, 8 cops are at your seat, searching your pockets for cocaine?

I mean ... come on.

If this is the world we're going to be living in, there's no doubt ... teh terra-ists have won.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Except that the tweet does not contain any lyrics whatsoever

Here are the lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/pink/timebomb.html

Nothing there about "I'm ready", "my bomb", or "bitch". The only reference to "blow up" is "If I fall it'll blow up in my face". And, of course, the song is not about a bomb at all. Or anything that could be a target of one.

If you want a Pink Floyd Wall analogy, I'd suggest it would be closer to tweet "I want to beat up some <insert minority slurs here> tonight - who's with me?", and then say "but that's part of the album story".

[AtheistCrusader]

44. By this logic, Lady Gaga fans are actually 'monsters'.

It wasn't a reference to a specific lyric, just that the song was coming up in the set list, and he was apparently enthusiastic about it.

This was not worth getting excited over in any way. Again, I don't mind that the police checked it out. Just that they went a 'bit' too far in doing so. Its not like they cleared the arena to check it for abandoned bombs. So clearly they didn't take it TOO seriously once they grabbed him. So throwing him out and charging him with a crime sounds more like pissed off police officers getting retribution for him fucking up their peaceful evening.

[muriel_volestrangler]

49. I agree the charges are going to far

but I think that getting him out of the audience to check him out would have been a reasonable, if cautious, reaction to a tweet like that.

[AtheistCrusader]

52. Yeah, I'm not concerned that they checked it out.

If they hadn't, and it HAD been nefarious, everyone would have had kittens over it. Can't win for losing.

I'm not sure what should have been done after they interviewed him... Allow him to go back in? I think to avoid disruption, probably give him a seat somewhere else, ask him not to do it again, and let him back in. I don't think that would have been an unreasonable solution.

[PatrynXX]

42. yawn

God forbid if Pearl Jam had a concert playing Jeremy and someone is brain dead saying he's gonna shooten himself yall

But he was caught up in the moment. Think Howard Dean is still paying for being caught at a pep rally.

[blackspade]

3. Arrested for that?

Bullshit.

[mimi85]

4. The big question is

why anyone would go to a Pink concert?

[JI7]

5. i wouldn't go for free

[Android3.14]

7. After all, Grammy Award winning artists suck

I probably couldn't afford to go to a concert, but if someone gave me tickets I sure as heck would check it out. Pink is talented. She doesn't have as good of songwriters as Adele or Lady Gaga but it's a similar style and vocal skill set.

[NutmegYankee]

12. Lots of reasons

[PatrynXX]

43. better her than Miley

but I'd waste my money on a movie. except for George Winston years ago and almost went to Def Leppard. it's too bloody crowded

[TM99]

8. And people here wonder why so many of us are upset at the 'War on Terror'

and the damn domestic consequences!

This is outrageous and fucking ridiculous!

[bunnies]

15. ummm. This happened in Australia.

So....

[TM99]

22. Australia - ally of US

and very involved with the 'War on Terror'.

And please read all the details of this which are the most disturbing.

A 12,000 person concert with darkness and stage lights - a haystack really - is where a security team (20 persons strong) tracked down a single 16 year old from his Twitter photo - meet needle. The only conceivable way possible is facial recognition software. The security team was part of the Seven Network which is a part of Seven West Media - a corporate media conglomerate - that owns several media outlets in Australia and a 50% stake in Yahoo, a United States business, one of which has been revealed by the NSA leaks to be involved in meta and date mining.

So a corporate police force napped this kid, and I am sorry it is bluntly obvious from his Tweet that this was in reference to her song - Time Bomb - as he even capitalized the words Time and Bomb, and are pressing charges even when the law enforcement officials know it was just a dumb teenager.

Therefore, yes, this is connected and is very concerning and ridiculous.

[bunnies]

23. If it was assigned seating, he'd not be so hard to find.

At least here, most tickets are scanned by bar-code, so clearly theyre in a system somewhere at the venue. The bar-code can then link the ticket to the purchasers name, etc. Id also expect that most of the stadium is actively monitored when its in use. As for facial recognition software... even my laptop has that.

And I seriously disagree that the tweet is "obviously" not a bomb threat. And you cant possible expect the security people to know even the names of artists songs. When someone says theyre ready to blow up a building "bitch". Theyre asking to be investigated. And should be. Though I dont believe he should have been arrested.

If that tweet had gone out & the building blown up, I think its safe to say that the reaction here would be very different.

[TM99]

26. Same old same old.

No, I do not think it warranted the actions taken. It was obvious to me, and I only cursorily know Pink's songs, what the kids was expressing in the slang of today.

No, my reaction would not have been different. Because if they have the security technology to locate this kid, assigned seating or not (and that is a speculation on your part at this point), they have the technology to determine if there was a bomb. They scan bags, if they are even allowed in to a concert venue, these days. Were there prior threats? Was there 'chatter' on the spy networks we spend so much on to monitor communications that would suggest a possible 'terrorist' event at the Pink concert. The recent Boston Bombings show us yet again that no matter how much we try and stop terrorism with incessant surveillance and police state like security tactics, it can and still will happen.

And yes, I do expect the person who monitors Pink's Twitter account and who contacted the security professionals to know the songs of their own damned client.

No, this was an over reaction from the beginning and continues to be with pressing of charges. It is the continuation of fear and control by this fear. I sadly expect that there will be more and more such cases here and in other countries.

[bunnies]

29. Pinks twitter account?

I have not a clue what youre talking about. This story had nothing to do with anyone monitoring Pinks twitter account. The venue was monitoring tweets that referenced it. Nothing to do with anyone at all that should no a damned thing about Pink.

And really? Kids are all the time tweeting about bombs and blowing up buildings? lol. Silly stuff, that.

[TM99]

30. Obviously, you do not understand what is going on or what happened.

The kid sent the tweet to Pink's account - @Pink not to @RodLaverArena. That is in the article and in the video.

Teenagers, yes, do reference songs and make slang allusions to things. I see it all the time in my practice. 'Bitch' is a common term among teens, especially those who listen to Pink's music. Pink is a pop star who uses the language of her and her audiences generation - like her first album M!Ssundaztood.

The song is called Time Bomb. Really only someone who is trying to not see reality as it is would not get that from the kids tweet -

@Pink I'm ready with my Bomb. Time to blow up #RodLaverArena. Bitch.

We aren't going to agree on this.

[jberryhill]

32. Look at the hash tag in the tweet

Yes, the venue monitors hash tags referencing the venue.

This is very common. I was at a concert two weeks ago and sent a tweet with the hashtag of the venue. Within minutes, I received two replies from the venue advertising upcoming shows of crossover interest.

And, no, I wouldn't expect the arena twitterers to be familiar with the lyrics of dozens of performers the arena books on a regular basis.

[TM99]

33. It was still an overaction. n/t

[jberryhill]

37. It was a misunderstanding

Misunderstandings happen.

[bunnies]

35. :)

My thinking was that its the "#RodLaverArena" that got him in trouble. Not the "@pink" part. The way it read to me was that the arena was looking at tweets with that hashtag. I wouldnt imagine Pinks security would be the one to alert them? Though I could definitely be wrong.

The bitch part, yeah. Might as well not even be a "swear" anymore. That didnt seem noteworthy to me at all. And if definitely heard things to the effect of "blow the lid off this joint" etc. I just think he took it a bit far with the way he worded the tweet. But, Im not a tweeter myself so WTF do I know. I imagine theres only so many ways to say things in 140 characters.

Maybe we kinda agree?

edit: damn smilies!

[TM99]

36. Perhaps we do in the end.

I am simply concerned day after the day with these types of over reaction to what has been normal behavior (even if youthful and sometimes not well thought out!).

I seen teens arrested at school for the silliest of things, but now we have to because they might really kill someone. Yet, that possibility exists anyway.

I am not a fan of authoritarianism in any form whether corporate or governmental.

So yes, we are probably not very far off in agreement. It can sometimes be difficult to properly communicate in this written medium. Nuances of facial expression, gesture, timing, and pitch are lost here.

[bunnies]

38. Arresting this kid was ridiculous.

Id think the swarm of security probably taught him the lesson. They should have let the kid go back in and enjoy the show. At least they didnt evacuate the building over the issue. That poor kid. What an ordeal.

I find it incredibly frightening that ONE sentence can get someone arrested and held in police custody. I guess Im lucky we didnt have this technology around when I was a teenager. I was in enough trouble with my mouth & attitude as it was. I never did take well to being told what to do. Still dont.

[TM99]

39. No kidding.

I got grounded after my first Rush concert and the antics I pulled there.

[bunnies]

40. lol!!

Bet it was a hell of a show though! Some things were definitely worth getting grounded over.

[TM99]

50. It was totally worth it!

I was 14, and I wasn't supposed to go according to my parents. My best friends 18 year old high school senior sister took us with a group of her friends. Coming home stoned was, I am sure, the last straw!

Ah, the craziness fun of youth.

[bunnies]

53. omg. You just reminded me of the time...

I snuck out to this "older kid" party. I was 14 and my friend was 18 or 19 and it was all his friends. Try sneaking back into the house after taking your first hit(s) of acid. I had no clue what I was taking and holy shit was I a mess! crash! oops. bam! oops.

[TM99]

55. Now that is funny!

Yes, I had some of those types of experiences too, but I best not reveal too many here.

[AtheistCrusader]

45. There are all sorts of juvenile 'bomb' references that probably give the FBI/NSA fits, no doubt

They probably have custom filters for 'da bomb' in reference to 'awesome', or 'someone set us up the bomb' in reference to 'all your base are belong to us' and who knows what else.

[Franker65]

9. Completely ridiculous!

Really, they managed to find the guy at a concert and throw him out? Surely he can get off those charges if he proves there was no malice behind the bomb scare.

[Javaman]

10. hair trigger stupidity by the surveillance state.

out of the blue, tracking your communications. ZOT! you are gone.

big brother would be jealous.

[bunnies]

14. The venue monitors tweets that reference it...

while shows are going on. Its not exactly "out of the blue" as you put it. "Time to blow up #RodLaverArena". You dont think they should have investigated that?

[Javaman]

16. Zot you are gone.

welcome to the surveillance state.

Out of the blue meaning, that you tweet and some uniformed dude drops out of the blue and you are removed.

as I stated Big Brother would be jealous.

[bunnies]

17. Do you think they should have investigated it?

You didnt answer.

[Javaman]

18. nope.

4th amendment and all that.

[bunnies]

19. 4th amendment in Australia?

Not sure I follow.

Aside, if you or someone you love is at a stadium & a tweet that sounds like a bomb threat goes out, you do NOT want it investigated. Am I getting that right?

[Javaman]

20. ah my bad, Thought it was here.

skimming an article is fraught with danger.

Cheers!

[bunnies]

21. Happens to the best of us.

[muriel_volestrangler]

25. Even if it had been in the USA, doesn't it sound like a stalker?

Imagine you're the concert venue, and someone tweets that to your hashtag, in the middle of a gig. They've just called your female performer 'bitch', said they're "ready with their bomb", and said it's time to 'blow up' the arena. Those are not, as I've pointed out, lyrics from the song. Shouldn't you investigate in case it's a nutter who's thinking of jumping on the stage and attacking her, even if you doubt it's a literal 'bomb' they have?

And I don't see how the 4th amendment applies. This was a tweet to Pink, with the hashtag for the venue - meant to be seen by the venue, and anyone interested in it. And by Pink, or her PR person.

Perhaps the prosecution is going too far, but I can see why they thought it was safest to pull him out of the gig.

[Hosnon]

24. Even if this was in the U.S, how/why would the 4th apply?

The other poster indicated it was the venue that monitors tweets, not the government. In addition, tweets aren't exactly private communications.

[jberryhill]

28. A right of privacy in Tweets?

Do you know how the Twitter works?

[jberryhill]

27. He hash-tagged the arena

I'm not sure what "the surveillance state" has to do with Twitter, which is an app for broadcasting one's thoughts to the world.

The management of the arena was clearly unfamiliar with the lyrics of the performer who was there that night.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Do fans normally address 'Pink' as 'Bitch'?

It doesn't seem to fit her image.

[AtheistCrusader]

46. That was not the intent.

the 'bitch' at the end is in reference to the viewer of the tweet, as the poster was gloating he was in the concert and enjoying it.

Substitute with 'mothefucka' or 'sucka' for similar effect. It's directed at the reader of the tweet.

[muriel_volestrangler]

48. The tweet was sent to Pink.

Not to a friend that was missing the concert. It wouldn't look so cold and insulting without the whole sentence being just 'Bitch .' Including the period at the end. Not an exclamation mark, or something else that might indicate enjoyment.

[AtheistCrusader]

51. Think of Pink's feed as a wall.

All Pink fans would then see the tweet, at the concert or not.

He's basically throwing shit at the wall for all to see. That's all.

[bunnies]

13. That is a really stupid thing to tweet from a stadium full of people.

Do people really not think these venues monitor twitter for signs of trouble? Maybe next time he tweets something stupid like that, he shouldnt reference the building he's in. Did he deserve to be arrested? No. But the venue was right in investigating.

[AtheistCrusader]

47. I do not look forward to educating my preschooler on the sorts of things you

simply cannot say in public spaces/electronic media. I mean, where do you even start.

[alp227]

31. At least there was not an evacuation/chaos.

Why would security have just REMOVED him for a perceived bomb threat rather than take ur seriously?

[matt819]

34. Think about this for a minute

A 16-year-old now was born in 1997. He was 4 when 9/11 occurred. To him it's ancient history, and while he may have grown up aware of the import of the words bomb, time, and blow up, its import is less than with older Americans.

[hughee99]

41. And 9/11 didn't even occur in his country. This story is from Australia. n/t

[matt819]

54. What an idiot I am

I hadn't noticed that, and yet I knew Laver was Australian. This makes the whole thing just that much more idiotic.