If I have to hear one more fucking John Lennon song today I’m going to shoot myself in the face. I know John Lennon was a great songwriter and musician but the trouble with mainstream media is on a day like this, one artist gets all the focus. Six years ago today Pantera/Damageplan guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott was killed while performing on stage with Damageplan at Alrosa Villa, in Columbus, Ohio. A man by the name of Nathan Gale jumped on stage shooting Darrell six times (4 times in the head) killing him instantly. What a fucking shock this was to not just the metal community but the world.
I can remember being absolutely horrified when reading this news. In all honesty, it wasn’t so much that Dime was murdered that fucked me up but that a guy managed to get into a venue with a gun and shoot him and others while the show was going on. Me and my buddies back in the day were always sneaking cameras and taping gear into shows and I can remember saying, “How fucked up is it that we got this shit in? What if we were carrying guns?” I never thought I would ever see the day when that thought would become a reality in somebody’s life.
We all know as we got to big concert venues like arenas and amphitheaters that they perform the usual bag check and casual pat down. They don’t want you bringing shit in that doesn’t belong and I’ve seen people get turned away for having a pocket knife, bottle of booze or what not. At small venues like 1,000 seat theaters and clubs it’s a different story. You could sneak a German tank into some these places and they wouldn’t see it. I never understood that because it’s these smaller, club shows that in my opinion are far more dangerous. The audiences tend to be more drunk, free to roam since there aren’t seats and the distance between band and audience is usually a matter of a couple of feet if any.
After this horrid murder, I thought for sure things would change yet here we are six years later and it seems nothing has changed at all. I just recently saw Exodus and Crowbar at two different venues. At both shows there was ZERO security guarding the stage and neither show did any kind of searching or scanning upon entry. At the Exodus show somebody set off firecrackers that literally made the band jump and look horrified for a second. Seriously, how could you NOT be fucking freaked out hearing loud pops like that at show? At the Crowbar show the audience was literally leaning on the stage. Don’t get me wrong I totally love being able to be that close to a band and I’ve even heard bands talk about how they love the energy and the vibe from shows like that but is it really worth it knowing that this happened once to put yourself out there in an open firing line? A lot of bands of all genres have some pretty manic fans and it’s impossible to even think that a horrible even like this wouldn’t happen again.
My biggest question is why aren’t the venues doing their part to assure the safety of their patrons and performers? I’ve heard that it costs pretty big money to have metal detectors and what not but couldn’t these venues put a tiny bit of effort? Pat the people down as they come in and check the bags. Yeah, it takes a longer time to do this but I’d much rather know that as an artist I was being somewhat protected than just totally giving someone the opportunity to relive a tragic day that could have easily been avoided.
As of the last show I went to, I literally walked in the door with barely even eye contact with the door guy who stamped my hand. I walked right up to the front of the stage camera in hand and had an amazing time rocking out with Crowbar. While I was totally enjoying myself, ever since the Dimebag tragedy, I find myself always looking over my shoulder. I find myself checking people out and if someone looks like they’re a bit on the crazy size, I get away from them and keep them in site. It’s a horrible feeling sometimes but it’s sad that because these venues don’t care, we have to care extra ya know? Why is it the crowd’s job to break up a fight? Why is it the crowd’s job to keep people off the stage from kicking the band while crowd surfing? All I ask is that these venues take some concern for their audience and performers to assure all a safe and positive concert experience. Regardless of how costly it may be, if you ask me, I think it’s priceless.
RIP Dime!
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