100 Monkeys in Vegas: The Trainwreck that should NEVER have happened.

I know, this has nothing to do with the stories I write or anything else. But this is something I feel completely passionate about and I need to get the word out there about what happened. On January 30, 2010, 100 Monkeys played at the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas. Now, what I'm going to say is something that needs to be said. I won't rehash what happened. But I will give my opinion and what I have seen. For more information on what happened. Visit these two sites: Trainwreck and Ten Gossip. They can tell you exactly what happened and stuff to do to correct this error. 


Have you seen what happened? Go read that before you read what I have to say. I'll wait. Okay, you read it, right? This is where I need to step in and say something.


In June of 2009, I saw 100 Monkeys when they played their very last show in Pennsylvania when Jackson was filming The Last Airbender. My friend Jordan had taken me because it was my birthday about a week before. And it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. That was just LISTENING to the band play. The guys came out and did their encore, then Jordan and I left and went to the back exit to wait for the guys to leave. Interestingly enough, she got autographs from everyone who played before the Monkeys, and she got pictures with everyone in all of the bands. I got my picture taken with the guys of The Riot, but that's because they live right across the river from me.


As we were waiting, Jerad, Ben, Ben, and the one band that played before the Monkeys told us that Jackson had left before hand. No one believed them. But it was getting late. It was a Sunday. We both needed to get home. So, Jordan and I decided we would get autographs from the other guys. Of course, the first person we ran into was Uncle Louis. He gladly signed our CD cases and even said happy birthday to me because he had found out it was my birthday. Then we found Ben and Ben. Got their signatures. The same thing happened. Jordan even got her picture taken with both of them. Then we walked up to Jerad. We sat around and talked for a few minutes about how the show was and just talked to him. It was a very surreal experience. He was the only person I got my picture with. He signed our CD cases, and gave us both a hug, and apologized profusely for being so sweaty. Jordan and I just laughed because it was to be expected. It was a night in June, they were in a club, and if you have seen the Monkeys, you know those boys dress up for their shows. That night, Jerad was in a full suit. I told him he was insane. I got a kiss on the cheek, a hug, and a happy birthday from him as well. On our way back to the car, Jordan and I ran into Marty the Bananager. We got his autograph, and he was incredibly sweet. 


There was a parking garage right across from the club. However, it hated Jordan's car. So, we ended up parking three blocks away. We walked into the garage and we saw Jackson and Uncle Luis standing at a blue Prius. Yes, I said it a BLUE PRIUS. Jordan and I stopped walking and just stood there taking in everything that was the backside of Jackson Rathbone. Uncle Louis said something to Jackson and waved us over. We slowly walked up and were BLESSED to talk to Jackson. He signed everything we asked him to, but was refusing pictures. We understood. Earlier that day, Peter had confirmed that Rob was hit by a taxi cab in New York. We took it that way. We weren't hurt. In all actuality, we were on cloud 9 because fate told us to park in that garage. We said our good nights and went to the car. As we were leaving the parking garage, Jordan realized she was out of money and we still needed to pay for the parking garage. We ended up looking around for an ATM. Once again we ran into all the guys. They laughed at us in a good way. It was a funny situation. We walked into the hotel to hit up their ATM and gee golly whiz. It was the hotel the Monkeys were staying at. The guys got a good laugh at us. Well all but one of the Bens. He was MIA and Jackson called him to make sure he was okay. This time it was our turn to laugh at them. We left that night with a handful of memories and great experiences.


Now, on to why I am posting this. Does that sound to you like a bunch of "Assholes"? They were gracious and very accepting of everything we asked of them. They were some of the funniest guys I have ever met, and they were great live. They do everything in their power to make things happen. They interact with their fans and are willing to do almost anything for them. Does this sound like a bunch of guys who would WILLINGLY break a mic stand, then turn around and refuse to pay for it? No. Don't think so. So I'm going to tell you the same thing that was said on TEN Gossip. 

Are you a livid Monkey fan? You can help too…contact the Hard Rock, let them know that our boys deserve better treatment.
You can reach them at:

Peter_lin@HardRock.com

and/or

702-733-7625 (Ask to speak with Andrew)

Be straightforward, and honest, but as polite as you can be. Please nothing that can be construed as threatening, we don’t want anyone in trouble. That would be counterproductive.

I'm guessing you guys want to know if I have written an email or if I have called the Hard Rock. And the answer is not yet. But I'm getting ready to. I wanted to get my honest opinion out before I completely lost it in an email and was completely unprofessional. Yes, I am upset about this. But there is a right way and a wrong way to handle it. Flying off the handle would be a BAD thing. I don't want the guys to get a bad reputation because some of us reacted without thinking.

If you feel as passionately about this as I do. Send an email. Call Andrew. Do something. But the Hardrock needs to admit they THEY were in the wrong in this situation. Not the Monkeys. That's all I have to say about what happened. I think my head is level enough to send an email now. 

Tilly.