Chaos & Kindness opens with a bang

LACONIA — A crowd estimated by police at 10,000 people gathered Saturday in Lakeport Square for the grand opening of the Chaos & Kindness store and an all-day rock concert, including a Recycled Percussion performance that was followed by a massive fireworks display.

In an interview Monday, Justin Spencer, the group’s founder, proclaimed it a success. A store was launched, a large crowd was attracted, people were inspired, fun was had.

“And no one died — that’s a big thing,” he said Monday.

“We have fantastic fans. There was a feeling of excitement when it was really happening, ‘Wow, they really support us and care about us.’

“Our efforts are organic, our message is organic. We never had an easy life in a lot of ways, so we can speak the language of those suffering.”

He said the goal now is to build Chaos & Kindness into an international phenomenon that employs many and helps more.

“We want to make kindness cool — Red Bull energy drinks hits Hallmark,” Spencer said.

Calm event

Police Chief Matt Canfield said the crowd was orderly, even mellow.

“I think it went very well overall,” Canfield said. “There were decent crowds from the start with the store opening, but around the 5 o’clock mark, lots of people came in and it was very well attended.”

He said there were just a few minor incidents as would be expected for this many people — a fight and some drug and alcohol use.

Off-site parking and shuttle rides were set up for the crowd, but some organizations established pay-for-parking areas to raise money for various causes. With the city’s permission, Laconia Youth Football collected $20 per car for people wishing to place their vehicles on the grass of Sanborn Park.

Fire Chief Kirk Beattie also said there were no major problems.

“Overall, it was a successful endeavor for Recycled Percussion and the city,” he said. “Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.”

He said there were three medical calls, but no serious injuries.

Rabid fans

People waited in line for hours for the opening of Recycled Percussion’s Chaos & Kindness store. The store carries the same name as the group’s television show. Both are intended to reinforce the message that people can grow, change and improve.

Melony Mogot left her home in Dover with her spouse and their 12-year-old daughter at 4 a.m. and began standing in line outside the store at 5:30 a.m. They bought $22 VIP passes that allowed them in the store at 9 a.m., two hours ahead of the regular opening, and entitled them to take a photo with the band.

“We’ve been following them for quite a while,” Mogot said. “We just love their message of being kind, taking care of each other and making the world a better place.”

They purchased hoodies, sweatpants and Justin Spencer’s book, “One Life, One Legacy,” which describes his background and self-help philosophy. A portion of the sales revenue goes to charity.

Debra Calley, who collects scarves, hats and gloves for the homeless, was heartened by the crowd at the store opening.

“Look at this outpouring,” she said from a seat inside the store. “I’m so happy that they’ve done this because we need to revitalize our area, not just here, but downtown, too.

Growing up

As a young man, Spencer discovered kindness can be infectious.

Spencer, who grew up in a trailer park in Loudon, says in his book that school lunches cost 75 cents at the time. He was given 75 cents, but noticed that most of his classmates had a dollar and received 25 cents change.

He met with his principal and asked whether a bucket could be positioned so people could donate that quarter to a charity for Christmas. About $1,000 was raised.

Ten years later, when he decided to pursue a music career, he contacted the director of that charity, who put him in touch with a man who owned a chain of music stores.

“One thing led to another and I convinced the music man to loan me the sound system we needed for Recycled Percussion,” he wrote. “He was so impressed that he went on to invest $12,000 in my band to make our first live music DVD. We shipped that video everywhere we could and it became so popular it opened doors all over the country.”

Recycled Percussion recently was playing 500 shows a year in Las Vegas. It has toured the world.

Store’s chaos

Chaos was on display in the store in the form of a booth where people could write their hopes and dreams on a pane of glass, put on protective clothing and then break the glass with a bat — an act that is videotaped in high definition and slow motion. The crushed glass is put in a bottle as a keepsake.

The entire exercise is intended to reinforce goals and aspirations.

Dozens of Etch-a-Sketch toys hang from the wall. There’s a large tic-tac-toe game and a pinball machine.

In a Facebook post, Spencer said his favorite part of the store is an old telephone booth.

“What makes it so special?” Spencer asks. “Well, each week I record a message aimed at mental health, overcoming anxiety, fear, depression and daily struggles. So if you just need to hear a friendly voice, need to break down and cry, or just get out of your head and into a better place – you are always welcome in our store and into this telephone booth. Simply walk in, close the door behind you and pick up the phone and just listen.”

Investing in Lakeport

He said in another post that over the past several months about $500,000 was spent to open the store and stage the concert and fireworks.

“It’s our thank you to our fans for letting these young men (us) live out our dreams from the Las Vegas strip to now the Lakes Region of NH and beyond.”

In another post, he said 4,000 people walked through the doors of the store on its first day.

From the stage, he encouraged people to look over at the store and see its lights, noting that it is in a building that was vacant for years.

The performance

During the group’s performance, Spencer brought children on stage for a dance-off.

He told the crowd he doesn’t believe in substance use, and has never taken a sip of beer.

Spencer was born at Lakes Region General Hospital and feels an affinity for this area. He said he decided it could use the kindness inherent in Recycled Percussion’s message and its first retail store.

He didn’t have much money while growing up, but that didn’t stop him from dreaming of something better. He encouraged the crowd to think big.

“Don’t let judgement from other people change who you are,” he said.

He told people to be nice to one another.

“For real, be kind to yourselves,” he said.

He also thanked the city and the police department for helping make the concert a reality.

“The town bent over backwards,” he said. “And if it wasn’t for the police, this wouldn’t have happened.”

A shirtless Spencer also offered a musical opinion for the young people.

“The music of your generation sucks,” he said. “It was good in the ‘60s, ‘70s and 80s.”

The group then drummed to a series of 1980s hits, including “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!),” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Video Killed The Radio Star,” “Jessie’s Girl,” “Push It,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Rock You Like A Hurricane,” “Love Shack,” “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This),” “Shout,” “Shot Through The Heart,” “Addicted to Love,” “My Sharona,” and “Whip It.

At times, drumming was done on ladders, grinders threw sparks into the air and blenders were fired up. Band members threw drumsticks to one another across the stage.

Lighting the sky

Spencer promised to deliver the biggest fireworks in state history, and the show did not disappoint.

Chief Beattie said he had to sign off on the list of fireworks.

“That list was much bigger than we usually see,” he said.

The display began with fireworks that cast hearts and a smiley face above Lake Opechee and culminated with a gigantic explosion of fire and noise that put smiles on the faces of many of those watching.

Spencer said in another post that he cried during the fireworks show.

“You loved us and supported us today more than we could have ever imagined,” he said. “We have poured our hearts into Chaos & Kindness. Exhausted ourselves to the point of giving up. We have had huge success in Las Vegas the last 10 years with Recycled Percussion. However tonight was a new chapter and one that had uncertainty.

“After our show was done, I sat alone on stage looking across the parking lot as the fireworks rained down and I could see the lights on to the C&K store and I had a ‘you did it kid’ moment.

“I wish more than anything our fans (who I call friends) knew how much I care. How scared I am that I will let you down because you have put so much faith in us. We are good role models but far from perfect. We have made so many mistakes in our lives but I feel like you never judge us, you let us be us and because of that we have built and created something special. So from the bottom of my heart, from the tears running down my face. Thank you. And remember “in a world full of chaos, it’s important to always show your kindness.”