Lamb of God Singer Randy Blythe Acquitted of All Manslaughter Charges…

Just how much responsibility should a band shoulder when something goes disastrously wrong? 

This was a case that threatened to change live concerts, at least in some parts of the world. According to a decision delivered by Judge Thomas Kubovec of the Prague Municipal Court, Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe will not face charges of manslaughter. Barring appeal, that marks the end of a nearly two-year battle against the singer after a chaotic and aggressive show.

In that fateful gig, Blythe did shove at least one fan off the stage, and admitted that much to the court. But he was completely unaware of the death of 19-year-old Daniel Nosek, who plunged headfirst onto the concrete floor of the packed venue. Whether that shove came from Blythe still seems to be unclear.

Perhaps that connection is immaterial. Since the beginning, Blythe attorneys argued that the price of admission doesn’t include bum-rushing the stage, disrupting the performance, and endangering the band. And, what about the venue staff?

Blythe’s attorney bluntly approached that topic. “If they had done what they were supposed to, people would not be on stage and this would never have happened.”

“The price of a ticket to a show does not entitle audience members access to a band’s stage. In the years since the murder on stage of Dimebag Darrell Abbott, performers of all genres have had to become more guarded while performing in response to the dangers presented by fans trying to become part of the performance. We believe that Randy responded professionally to the numerous amount of fans rushing the stage that day, a number of them captured on videos that have been posted on the internet.”

Source: Digital Music News