I actually meant to have this written up a few days ago, but I’ve been busy and haven’t found the time to do so until now. As such, it might be old news, but it's still worth thinking about.
Although I’m not really a fan of Lamb of God, I have been following the proceedings of the Randy Blythe trial that have recently taken place in the Czech Republic, as I’m sure many metal heads have been. A quick search of any metal news website will pull up several articles regarding the charges and the trial. I’ve decided to reflect on the most recent articles and events, mostly for convenience’s sake.
For anyone who’d like a little bit of background to the story: The trial in the Czech Republic revolves around the death of a Lamb of God fan who died of an injury suffered at a Lamb of God concert in Prague in May of 2010. Allegedly Randy Blythe shoved the fan off the stage, which resulted in the fatal injury. Keep in mind that eyewitness accounts seemed to be somewhat conflicting and there have been incidences where ‘witnesses’ didn’t even show up to court.
Personally, I think the fact that Blythe was put on trial to begin with is ridiculous. From the scrambled accounts of events, it seems that the fan who died attempted to climb onto the stage, over the barrier designed to keep a certain amount of separation between fans and the stage. The presiding judge in the case mentioned that while Blythe was not criminally responsible in his alleged actions, that there was still some moral responsibility in what he did. The judge also mentioned that the young man who died of injuries sustained was not guilty of anything. Really? I completely disagree. He was attempting to climb over the barricade and onto the stage. Last that I’d heard, unless a fan is invited up on stage, the stage is there for the performer. As far as I’m concerned, the fan who died is guilty of stupidity.
Accidental death due to stupidity isn’t really deserved, but unfortunately there are sometimes unforeseen consequences to actions. The young man made a choice to climb over a barricade designed to separate overzealous fans from performers. He shouldn’t have been doing so in the first place. Period. What ever happened to the idea of personal responsibility? In terms of personal responsibility and what Blythe did, it seems a fairly justified reaction to attempt to keep someone from invading personal space. How are musicians to know what someone’s intentions are when they attempt to rampage through to an area where they are not supposed to be? Anyone remember what happened to Dimebag Darrell?
Randy Blythe himself was obviously willing to take responsibility for his actions, even though putting him on trial for manslaughter was unjustified. Isn’t venue security hired to prevent these kind of things from happening? Where’s the accountability on the part of the security company or security guards? If you take the stance that this whole is just a tragic accident, why should be Blythe be any more guilty of anything than the people that were hired to keep the crowd under control? As I said before, the fan isn’t free of ‘guilt’ either. It was his idiotic choice that led to the whole incident. Sure, people often perform actions lacking much thought for the consequences, but if you’re going to put someone through a criminal trial that was birthed from someone else’s stupid actions, that part shouldn’t be forgotten either.
From what I’ve read, the judge even seems to suggest that due to Blythe’s moral responsibility, he should consider entering into negotiations with the family of the deceased and somehow compensate them. Blythe himself is quoted as saying that the family hasn’t attacked him in the press which, to me, suggests that the family likely realizes the deceased fan is also somewhat responsible for what is ultimately an accident. So why the trial to begin with?
I’m still trying to figure out what the Czech legal system was hoping to accomplish with this. Not that I really know anything about the Czech legal system, but this entire thing seems unfounded. Most reasonable people seem to realize this is an accident. Accidental deaths have occurred at concerts before. Was the intention here to make a groundbreaking case suggesting that metal music is somehow morally corrupt and causes these things to happen? Was it to prove that metal musicians really are the bane of society, as some people seem to think? (The amount of times people who have tried to crucify metal musicians for somehow causing the actions of another individual astounds and disgusts me, but that is another discussion for another day).
I’m glad Randy Blythe was acquitted. As far as I’m concerned, this trial never should have taken place to begin with. I do realize that manslaughter is usually considered in situations where the death wasn’t intended but where responsibility still lies. Since this seems to be a shared responsibility, if there truly is any to be found, I still don’t believe this trial should have occurred in the first place. As if I haven't stated and thought that enough. I don’t doubt that this has made other musicians wary in some small space in the back of their minds that this could now potentially happen to them too. They’re there to perform, not to have to deal with idiots climbing onto stage. That should be someone else’s job, and a job which someone else utterly failed at in the case of the Randy Blythe trial. Every metal fan should have some responsibility and thought for how their actions at concerts can have outcomes that may either drastically affect themselves or others around them. It doesn’t mean that one can’t go to a show and have fun, it just means being smart about it and keeping in mind that doing something questionable can sometimes have unfortunate consequences.
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The most recent articles regarding the trial and acquittal:
