FIRE SALE: Los Angeles’ eager fire marshalls...

FIRE SALE: Los Angeles’ eager fire marshalls struck again last weekend at the Palomino Club, where Joe Ely was barely 30 minutes into his headline set when a squadron of fire inspectors shut down the club for the night, citing an overcapacity crowd.

Though Ely fans were peeved by the abrupt closure, Palomino owner Billy Thomas acknowledged that the marshalls were faithfully executing their duties. “Technically, it’s my fault,” he said. “They claimed the aisles weren’t clear, which they weren’t. The aisle along the bar was jammed. We have a separate patio area, which adds to our capacity limit, but we can’t keep people out in the patio once the show begins. It just gets too ugly. Once Ely went on, the crowd just ran inside and charged the stage.”

Thomas said he had asked that an employee make an announcement from the stage, but as his orders were being relayed, the head fire inspector arrived. “He took one look and called his people in. I’d prefer to see them give us an opportunity to clear the aisles before they close us down, but they just rush in and get it over with.” Unfortunately, it’s the fans who suffer. Thomas doesn’t give refunds, though he said he does offer disgruntled patrons passes to their choice of upcoming shows at the club. The Palomino’s official capacity is 299, which expands to nearly 500 when patio attendance is included.