Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul,” is known for inspiring awe, motivating listeners to dance, and — on at least one occasion in Colorado — sparking a riot.
On Aug. 4, 1968, Franklin was scheduled to perform a Sunday night concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. But she went on stage to announce that she would not be performing because she hadn’t been paid by the program’s impresario, according to Denver Post archives.
About 200 people in the audience stormed the stage, destroying chairs, music stands, a grand piano, footlights, electronic equipment and anything else they could get their hands on. Bottles and rocks were thrown onstage. Metal trash barrels were rolled down the grandstand.
As police moved in, people went into the surrounding park, setting fire to trees, bushes and trash. Despite the chaos, there was little fighting and no one was injured. Three people were arrested, and that was because they were suspected of stealing electronic equipment.
The riot resulted in a one-year ban on rock shows at the venue, according to the Denver Public Library.
Per Franklin’s contract, she was to be paid $20,000 before the performance, according to the original Post story. The New Yorker reportedd that Franklin always demanded to be paid in cash on the spot or she would not go onstage. The cash would go into her handbag, which would either stay with her security team or come on stage with her. The reason: She grew up in an era when Ray Charles and B.B. King would get ripped off, according to The New Yorker.
Franklin, the woman behind classics “Think,” “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Respect,” died Thursday morning in Detroit at the age of 76 after battling advanced pancreatic cancer.
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