UNDERSTAFFING

Trouble began when openers Spineshank began to play.  With just three stewards in front of the barriers, it quickly became apparent that inadequate staffing was going to be dangerous.  The surprisingly enthusiastic reaction to the band resulted in there being a greater number of crowd-surfers than anticipated.  As fans were carried to the front, there was nobody available to catch them and they simply fell to the ground in front of the barrier.  Badly-designed barriers caused some fans to injure themselves on the barriers as they fell.  By the time Fear Factory's set began, only six more stewards were added.  As they became more blatantly overwhelmed, they appeared to panic and vent their frustration on the fans, pulling them roughly over the barriers.  In the rush and confusion, the injuries started to increase.  One fan was seen to be taken unconscious from the mosh pit and taken away in an ambulance.

When asked whether he thought there was adequate security in place, a guard assured me it was "all under control".

UNPROFESSIONAL

The stewards did not appear to be wearing a uniform, and instead of photographic ID badges issued to most licensed stewards, the staff at the Academy were simply wearing numbered badges.  In addition to this unusual appearance, the few uniformed security guards were noted to display a belligerent and unprofessional attitude.

In one incident, I witnessed a female concertgoer rush up to a security guard and headbutt him ferociously.  Instead of the usual minimum-force restraint methods licensed staff would employ, the guard simply grabbed the girl's hair and threw her to the ground.

Soon, the first aid area began to fill up, and ambulance crews started to arrive.  With three people appearing to be unconscious, the crews had to remove them to safety to make room for the further casualties arriving.

PUNCHED

During Fear Factory's closing "Resurrection", a member of the audience threw a bottle at Burton C. Bell's face.  Although he appeared uninjured, the band were furious.  Dino persuaded the offending bottle-thrower to own up, and then expertly diffused tension by cracking a joke about the man's Coal Chamber T-shirt.

Uglier scenes were to follow at eleven o'clock sharp when the band's set was supposed to end.  A member of security switched on the house lights whilst the band were still playing.  The lighting technician, from the local area, turned the lights back off.  The security guard retaliated by punching the lighting technician hard four times in the face.

This was too much for those connected with the band, and a full-scale row broke out.  Venue staff attempted to clear the area as quickly as possible, as police and ambulance crews arrived.  Even fan club members with After Show passes were asked to leave the venue and reassured that the band would attend the local rock club later that night.

As we were pushed out of the building, we saw guitarist Dino shouting "Who the fuck punched my brother?" as a crowd of security guards quickly surrounded him.

"ONLY PAID TO ELEVEN"

When asked to comment, a security guard took me aside and said "Listen, we were only paid to eleven o'clock.  That's the way it goes."

A spokesman for promoters MCP advised me that the events were a "storm in a teacup. You're trying to make a story out of thin air.  Anything you write will be pointless.  This really doesn't warrant the length of this conversation."

So what about the injured fans.  The boy with the broken leg?

"He just twisted his ankle."

And the unconscious boy dragged from the moshpit?

"He had drunk too much."

Emergency services at the scene declined to comment, even when asked to reassure us that nobody was seriously hurt.

A source close to the band told us, "After the gig was over, the boys just went home.  They just didn't want any hassle.  Of course, if I was them, I'd have sued the venue's asses off."