Graduation proves troublesome for two Boston night spots

At Bond in the Langham on Franklin Street, a local graduate's celebration ended with him covered in blood after duking it out with the DJ he'd hired. Meanwhile, parents and grandparents overstuffed Venu in the Theater District for parties for their proud BU and Babson graduates.

At a Boston Licensing Board hearing this morning, a police officer testified that a new graduate - he did not specify the school - grew fighty when the DJ he had hired for a private party at Bond on May 7 refused to let him thanks his guests over a microphone when the clock hit midnight and the DJ turned off his equipment.

According to police, the DJ told him he could get in trouble if he turned it back on, because it was now after midnight.

The new grad offered the DJ $100, but when the DJ refused that, the guy threw the money at him, then began turning the equipment back on himself. The DJ moved to stop him, a fight broke out, the grad's friends grabbed the DJ, who still managed to land several punches in the guy's face.

Eventually, hotel security arrived and broke things up. Police found the honored guest outside, sitting on the curb, his face and clothes covered in blood from what turned out to be a large, but superficial gash in his forehead.

On May 20, Venu on Warrenton Street quickly filled up with not just the young'uns who are its stock in trade, but their parents and grandparents, in town to celebrate their graduations from Boston University and Babson College.

Around 12:45 a.m., BPD detectives, BFD officers and ISD inspectors arrived for an unscheduled inspection. The club, which has a licensed capacity of 420 people, had 491 people inside according to a BPD count - and 500 according to a BFD count. The city officials immediately called for a "slow evacuation" to deal with the "dangerous condition," BPD Sgt. Det. William Mulvey said.

Club manager William Robinson acknowledged the problem. In hindsight, he said, he shouldn't have assigned a relatively new employee to the door on one of the area's busiest nights - the worker initially told police there were only 288 people inside. Robinson said most of the tables had already been reserved by BU and Babson families and "we shut the doors pretty early," admitting only parents and grandparents ("you can tell who the parents are," he said) but that the worker had trouble telling who was coming in and going out onto streets crowded with post-college revelers.

The citation for overcrowding is just the latest in a series for the Paga-owned clubs at Warrenton Street, which remain open as the owners appeal suspensions to the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.

The licensing board decides Thursday what action, if any, to take about the two incidents.