If I had to choose between the band or the friendships, I'd choose the friendships at this point.
The problem with leaderless uprisings taking over is that you don't always know what you get at the other end. If you are not careful you could replace a bad government with one much worse!
The Internet is a great information tool, and can be a place where kids learn, but we must remember that when kids are online, they are in public.