By Jesy Beeson

Too often, it appears that the music industry is running solely for the bottom line as ticket prices and those irritating “service fees” continue to creep up. So, after paying nine dollars for a cocktail at Roseland Ballroom last month as I waited for the Rise Against show to begin, I was pleasantly surprised to see a Peta2 booth set up next to the bar.

Less extreme than their parent organization, Peta2 targets college and high school kids with a softer, gentler vegetarian message. With a simple goal to educate the crowd on the vegetarian lifestyle without shoving pictures of tortured animals down the audience’s collective throat, Peta2 seemed to be making an impact. The crowd was awash in “Meat’s not green” and “I am not a nugget” buttons, showing, if not an acceptance of the message, a willingness to wear the goods. Or a love of free buttons. Regardless, I felt a little better about the nearly ten dollars in various fees that had been tacked on to my ticket.

Impressed though I was that there was any socially conscious effort at the venue, until Rise Against took the stage, I wasn’t sure who had been responsible for bringing the nonprofit. When lead Singer Tim McIlrath asked the crowd to talk to Peta2 about veggie living, my love for the band grew as my irritation at the commercialism of the industry faded. Then I felt a little guilty about all of those “shared” Rise Against songs on my iPod.

While feeding my live music habit, I’ve experienced many noteworthy moments that seemed unique to the small bands and even smaller venues I usually frequent. But the fact that a mainstream band and a well-known venue provided this platform for an agent of change made a bigger impression on me. And although I wouldn’t consider myself a huge PETA supporter, I do appreciate any rational attempt to make the world a little better, a little cleaner, and a little less painful for others—cows and chickens in this case.

Even if I support the cause, I am just one person in a crowd of millions, hoping that things get better. Though Tim McIlrath is just one guy, when he has a microphone, hundreds of people are listening. Rather than use this opportunity for self/band/sales-promotion, he talked to us about vegetarianism. Later that week, I checked out the Rise Against website and found links to Peta2 on every page—the modern version of putting your money where your mouth is.

I was impressed by this method of spreading information and it was great to see a real effort to promote change during a concert experience. Regardless of whether you support this particular organization or cause, that they are given a medium to spread their message means that other organizations could have the same access to educate and make a bigger impact. We can only hope that other bands and venues follow suit.