Fan Badly Hurt in Stabbing at Rock Concert

A heavy-metal fan stabbed at a rock concert remained in serious condition Monday as police tried to determine the identity of his attacker, who wounded three others in a mid-concert brawl, authorities said.

The 33-year-old El Monte man suffered a punctured lung, and the others were treated for minor wounds after the melee, which erupted during the performance of the band Iron Maiden at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Sunday night.

Police immediately questioned two men, but they were released for lack of evidence, said Irvine Police Lt. Sam Allevato.

“In a darkened concert, everyone’s fighting and pushing,” Allevato said. “You might not see who had the knife. We’re trying to sort it all out.”

The last publicized stabbing at Verizon, previously known as Irvine Meadows, occurred seven years ago during a performance by another heavy-metal band, Anthrax. Then, a Los Angeles man was stabbed in the neck, chest and stomach.

A concert safety expert criticized the venue Monday for allowing a fan to smuggle a knife into the concert. Paul Wertheimer, who tracks security problems at rock shows around the world, said Sunday’s episode is one of a series that have befallen the amphitheater during the last two decades.

Wertheimer cited four stabbings during the last 18 years at the venue and injuries from crowd surges.

Well-run concert venues have tough security measures to keep out weapons, with many employing metal detectors, he said.

“Is this unexpected from a band like Iron Maiden? No. It attracts a tough audience,” said Wertheimer, who runs Chicago-based Crowd Management Strategies. “They have this high-energy segment of their audience that can be violent.”

Irvine police defended Verizon’s safety record, saying that it is impossible to prevent fights from breaking out at high-energy concerts.

Allevato said Verizon didn’t use metal detectors Sunday but had security guards check every concert-goer as they walked in.