This wasn't exactly a great week for Lamb of God news. On Monday, frontman Randy Blythe was officially indicted in a Prague court for manslaughter stemming from a 2010 concert where a fan died from injuries sustained after allegedly being pushed while stage diving.
Needless to say, this has spooked the band enough to where they don't want anybody on stage during their show other than their fellow bandmembers.
Bassist John Campbell was recently interviewd by MLive.com about that very claim, and he makes his feelings abundantly clear:
MLive.com: Does [the] incident reflect upon the issue of safety at live concerts?
Campbell: It was a tragic event that happened. It's not the first time somebody jumped off stage — I've done it myself, when I was younger.
MLive.com: I have, too.
Campbell: We should count ourselves lucky, then, and take a moment to pause and reflect on a life that was lost. I don't want to lose focus on that.
MLive.com: I understand you have to be careful about not turning one unusual, individual incident into a bigger issue. Fans jump on stage and dive off at concerts every day.
Campbell: Yeah. In this day and age, though, I'd prefer not to have people on stage. People pay to see us perform, and that's not part of the production we have planned. It's not about a guy jumping on stage and flapping his arms and jumping off. And then there's that one time where a guy got on stage and murdered Darrell Abbott. In my opinion, [the Czech man] never should have been on stage in the first place.
You can't blame the band for taking extra precautions, and really, it's long overdue. There are huge safety risks involved in metal shows, and with the litigious culture we live in, bands have to protect themselves.
