February 4, 2008
Lance Throws Hissy Fit at La Zona Rosa
After last night's sold-out Band of Horses show at La Zona Rosa, former Austinist co-editor Matthew Odam happened to witness a precious exchange between the seven-time Tour de France champ and the door guy at the Backstage Bar. Armstrong, evidently operating under the notion that he was exempt from pesky TABC laws, attempted to leave the club with drink in hand. When Sean Higgins, the door man, stopped him, Armstrong quickly morphed from that affable fellow gazing peacefully out from the cover of this month's Texas Monthly to some deranged celebutante:
He returned to the door, full of sound and fury. Higgins, who has worked at the Backstage Bar for four-and-a-half years, made it quite clear that he had no interest in Armstrong’s celebrity or defense of his actions. Armstrong, not willing to drop the issue, flailingly tried to retake whatever sense of pride he apparently felt was taken from him, by berating Higgins while his friends stood at his side. With a finger that came inches from Higgins’ face, Armstrong, according to Higgins, let loose a series of threats that concluded with the time-worn threat of “You’ll never work at this bar again.”Higgins, who apparently didn’t get the memo that nobody puts Lance in the corner, scoffed at the irate Armstrong, who then left to a series of under-breath cat calls and one patron labeling Armstrong as overrated (the cleanest of the insults softly launched his way.)
Neither Higgins nor those in the bar were impressed by Armstrong's antics. "Overrated," indeed.
Read more: Lance Armstrong loses his cool (Band of Horses does not)
|
Advertisement: Austinist Continues Below!
Post a comment (Comment Policy)
This should really be files under the No Surprise News tag: All Celebs are D1cks.
Sounds like Lance had 'roid rage.
Excuse me, gentlemen, both of you need to BACK OFF, STEP BACK, and PEACE OUT! Lance Armstrong has problems. He's got mountains of money, he's really 72 years old in there, Heath Ledger died, he only has ONE ball and he doesn't need any lip from the likes of you. If L.A. wants to bring his drink outside, it is not your place to tell L.A. he can't. Michael Jackson gets to fuck little boys. I think the world will keep turning if Lance Armstrong gets to take his seabreeze to Qua.
Both of you (yeah, you) you'
ll never comment in this town again.
Haha, this is awesome. Yet another reason to love Austinist.
ol' corner pocket is at it again. what a douche.
He and stinky matt could start the "do you know who I am" society. Whereby they sit around and mutually admire each other without their shirts, oh wait they already do that. Dang. All the good ideas are taken.
I can not stop laughing at the image used to accompany this fine piece of journalism. Bravo, AYC, Bravo.
We should all go to SIX and try to walk out with drinks and then tell the bouncers who stop us that they will never work in this town again!
I see a flash mob coming on....
man, he's got a set of ball on him.
What a douche. "One-Nut Lancelot" needs to chillll. He's always got that air of superiority about him. Loser.
Man, am I really glad I have never acted like an asshole when I am drunk at a club. I'm glad to hear that none of the other commenter's on here have ever been obnoxious while drunk, either.
Man, am I really glad that I am making $50,000,000 a year and can pass legislation restricting the behaviors of other people while acting like a complete asshat myself.
"man, he's got a set of ball on him."
Laughed. Out. Loud. Thanks, toof. I needed that.
Yeah, you know, this whole incident probably got blown out of proportion, Lance was just acting like "anyone" would have acted, blah blah blah...
Doesn't change the fact that the guy irks me, and I feel a sense of smug justice reading this story. And smug justice is one of my favoritest feelings.
I've been removed from a variety of public venues for equal or worse behavior. You probably have too.
But he isn't above being press-slammed, or even: an outright ass-whooping for being a total dick, drunk or not. None of us are immune to that.
I'm gonna abstain from laying down some snarky invective against Mr. Armstrong. Partly because I'd imagine celebrity is pretty fucking stressful, and partly because I'm amazed anyone (allegedly) acted like that and didn't get punched in the nose.
(And, when I'm more than part-drunk, I usually find most door guys to be complete a-holes.)
But: I think Mr. Armstrong probably likes Austin, and he'll probably apologize to Mr. Higgins. Because downtown Austin is little more than a big, connected tribe of Higginseseses.
I will have to give the man props for calling KLBJ this morning and offering a mea cupla and flat out saying that he was basically behaving like a dick after too many beers, the superbowl, and an exciting concert. It was fairly cool of him.
Has he apologized to the bouncer? That's who he shit on, and who really deserves the apology.
He didn't shit on his fans (they kinda shit on themselves).