Boy, 17, stuck with $1,000 damage bill after punk show at Denny's (2024)

A 17-year-old boy was left with a $1,000 bill after a fast and furious punk rock show broke out at a Denny's in Southern California.

Police said the teen - since identified as Bryson Del Valle - was left holding the bag when police arrived at the 24-hour eatery in Santa Ana, California, Saturday night at about 8pm, following a show put on by hardcore punk act WACKO.

Video from the concert shows a mini circle pit forming as teens moshed around in front of the band.

Low-hanging yellow light fixtures can be seen being batted around as the teens stormed around to the beat.

Del Valle, of Costa Mesa, California, was said to be the only concertgoer remaining at the Denny's by the time police arrived at the scene.

Police told the Sacramento Beethat a table was damaged, but that no arrests were made that night, noting that the incident was'a civil matter between the group that rented the room and Denny's' and that the renters 'will be responsible for the damage that occurred during the event.'

According to a GoFundMethat WACKO set up to help Del Valle - the show's booker - pay the damages bill, Denny's has claimed that 'Between a few table a few chairs and those chandelier hanging light thingys the damages racked up to close to thousand dollars.'

The band added that in addition to having to shell out for the damages the Denny's has claimed, Del Valle also spent $400 renting out the space and then paid for a generator rental so that the band could host an after party and concert under a bridge for everyone who couldn't make it inside the sold out show.

'Show this kid some luv cause he put southern California punk s**t on the map hard asf,' WACKO wrote in the fundraiser that has so far seen $1,461 donated towards its original $600 goal.

Del Valle told Billboardthat he put down a $100 deposit to rent the back room of the Denny's for four hours that night, with the show set to start at 7pm.

More than the room's 50-person capacity showed up for the 'Grand Slam' gig and, once WACKO started playing, dozens of teens who couldn't get a ticket to the show were said to have pushed inside via the emergency exit.

Once the moshers started damaging the room, Del Valle said the Denny's manager told him that police had been called and that they needed to shut down the show, which Del Valle agreed to do.

'The pit was going hard the whole show and now it was going super hard,' told the music magazine, adding that the manager was 'super nice the whole time, though.'

Del Valle was later told that the damages would amount to about $500.

'I knew that was low and told the band we should try to raise double that just in case,' he said.

He was proven right when, four days after the show, Del Valle received a text from the manager stating that 'they wanted $1,800 for damage and that I had to pay it through cashiers check or money order.'

Del Valle - who said he doesn't 'even know what a money order is' - intends to pay the bill, although he noted that he isn't sure what were the exact terms of the agreement he signed to rent the Denny's, since he claims he never received a copy of the document.

The WACKO show as the first concert that Del Valle - a fan of the band's - had ever booked.

Getting the band to perform at the Denny's was a riff off a viral video performance by the Texas band Live Without, which took place at a supposedly defunct Denny's in 2013. Titled 'The Dennys Grand Slam,' video went on to spawn the 'What the f**k is up, Denny's?' meme.

Unlike the 2013 original, the recent homage took place at a functioning Denny's.

A Denny's spokesperson told Eaterof the incident that the location's 'manager was unaware a concert was planned, and the event organizers have been asked to pay for damages.'

The spokesperson also said: 'Denny’s is a family friendly restaurant and while we do have banquet space available at some restaurants, we do not allow events that can disrupt the dining experience of our guests.

Del Valle told Billboard that despite the hefty Denny's bill, he intends to keep promoting and booking concerts and that his mom is 'so proud' of him.

'She told me, "I'm trying not to be too proud because what you did was probably illegal, but I am proud,"' he said.