these, unbeknownst to me

[Vladv1]

"The show took place out in the boondocks, at a big campground in a nature preserve. And I have to say, it was exciting--probably the most intense night
Panic had known, or ever would know, as it turned out. These were hard-core bikers. Gang members. Now, I had seen Gimme Shelter, the 1970
documentary about the Rolling Stones' infamous and tragic performance at Altamont, during which security provided by the Hells Angels resulted in
murder and mayhem. So I had some idea what to expect. Was I scared? Hell, no!I thought I had arrived. But the night was both more and less than I had anticipated. There were two distinct odors filling the air throughout the evening: pot . . . and chili. That's right--chili. Vats of it, the result of a chili cook-off; these, unbeknownst to me, were fairly common at this sort of event. There were thirteen kegs of beer at the center of the compound--I specifically remember the number because of its symbolism (good luck, bad luck, as the case may be). We didn't do a sound check or anything like that. We just hung out, smoking dope, eating chili, drinking beer with these guys, until one of them yelled, "Start playing!" And that's what we did".
Dave Mustain "Hevay metal memoir"
What does these refer to? Thanks

 

[5jj]

Chili cook-offs

 

[Rover_KE]

Please provide the source and author of any quoted text.

 

[Vladv1]

Please provide the source and author of any quoted text.

Dave Mustain "Hevay metal memoir"

 

[emsr2d2]

Dave Mustain "Hevay metal memoir"

When you quote a source, at least have the respect to spell all the words correctly and to use appropriate capitalisation on the relevant words. If you're not sure, look at a physical copy of the book or at an online listing to see how it should be written.

 

[Tarheel]

Dave Mustain "Hevay metal memoir"

It's hard to believe that you really think "heavy" is spelled that way, but there it is twice.

 

[emsr2d2]

Source: Dave Mustaine, "Hevay A Heavy Metal Memoir".

Not only did you misspell "heavy" but you also misspelled the author's surname, and omitted a word from the title of the book. Take more care.

What does "these" refer to?

Remember to mark out the word(s) you're asking us about in some way.

Thanks.

Even a sentence as short as this requires a closing punctuation mark.