Tonight (July 12th) marks the 40th anniversary of the infamous “Disco Demolition Night” at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. In 1979, Chicago DJ Steve Dahl, who had just been fired and had to get a new job after his radio station switched to a disco format, came up with a promotion idea. He invited fans to bring their unwanted disco records to a scheduled twilight-night American League doubleheader on July 12th, between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers, in exchange for admission of 98 cents. The event was billed as “Disco Demolition Night.” Promoters hoped for an attendance boost of 5,000, but about 50,000 people showed up, many of whom did not get in.
During the break between games, a box containing the disco records was brought to center field, and it was then exploded. The bomb in the box ripped a hole in the outfield grass, and thousands of fans then ran onto the field, setting fires and ripping up bases. Police in riot gear were eventually needed to clear fans off the field, and the manager of the Detroit Tigers refused to let his team play, out of fear for their safety. The White Sox forfeited the game to the Tigers. Six people reported minor injuries, and 39 were arrested for disorderly conduct.
In 2001, disco star Harry Wayne Casey, or KC of KC & The Sunshine Band, received an apology from Mike Veeck, son of Bill Veeck, who had been the White Sox owner at the time of the incident. Mike Veeck had been the White Sox’s “brains” behind the promotion, and was reportedly blacklisted by major teams for years. Of his disco-demolition campaign, Veeck said, “I made a big mistake and it backfired… It cost me personally. I went down the sewer. KC wasn’t the only one whose gravy train stopped.”
