A 23-year-old man was stabbed to death after a fight broke out in a moshpit at a punk concert in the US. The event was to feature sets from Feels, Santoros, the Hurricane, Ghali and the Jail Birds, but was soon shut down. Hearing the aftermath of the incident at California’s Underground DTSA nightclub, Feels released a lengthy, heartfelt statement via their Facebook page.
“We are completely devastated, so totally at a loss for words but feeling the need to say some things in honor of the spirit of the kid who apparently got stabbed to death at the show last night,” they wrote in the statement below.
According to their statement, Nathan Joe Alfaro, the victim, was trying to “keep the one totally psycho violent moshing guy in check”.
“The psycho dude had crazy eyes and was slamming into everyone in the room, even on the edges, almost knocked over the entire DJ set up… but who could’ve known he had a knife,” they continued.
OC Weekly reported on the incident after speaking to vocalist and guitarist Laena Geronimo, who said that the suspect was “not moshing in a punk way.”
“I didn’t think it was that bad and then I looked at the floor and there was just blood dripping everywhere,” Geronimo continued. “Then the paramedics came and were opening this guy’s shirt and putting him on a gurney. It was really brutal. There was blood everywhere, it was really messed up.”
The band had watched the fight from backstage, however, they were not aware of the extent of Alfaro’s injuries. “Waking up this morning and finding out that he died in the hospital… There are no words. We are sending all of our love to the spirit of Nathan, his friends and family. We seriously hope that the murderer is captured and prosecuted to the fullest,” their statement continued.
They finished off their statement with a message to others who may attend a gig where someone may turn violent in the future. “If you’re at a show and you clock someone sketchy who’s just out to hurt other people- just driven by violence and not music- head straight for the bouncer.”
They mentioned that while moshpits are fun, safety is always the first priority. Everybody at the gig has a responsibility for upholding that safety. “If someone falls you pick them up- there’s an unspoken camaraderie in the pit. Fuck anyone who acts otherwise. Fuck this insane violence. We are sick with the understanding that this happened before our eyes.”
Read the full statement below:
Their Facebook post has sparked a thread of comments, with one asking if a benefit show was underway. According to Loudwire, the band responded to the comment, expressing their interest in helping out however possible.
Image: Music Feeds