1983

It happened about forty foot behind where we were stood. St John's Ambulance were squeezing past us, like crazy, trying to save the poor bugger. Didn't have a scooby-doo what had actually happened though, until we read teletext the next day.

Does anyone know WHY the stabbing occurred?!

I remember reading about it early in my Queen fanship days back in 1992 and sort of wondering, aged 13 or whatever, why someone should get stabbed in a Queen audience.

Was it a disagreement that turned nasty? Why carry a knife to a Queen gig?!

Apparently someone climbed one of the lighting towers for a better view, slipped and landed on a group of bikers' heads who didn't take kindly and stabbed the guy. He died before the ambulance crew could get through the huge crowd. Stupid thing to do but he didn't deserve that. Don't think anyone was ever prosecuted either

[Kes]

Once out of the arena , many were then forced to wait for more hours as the police quizzed the passengers on each coach about whether they had witnessed the stabbing that took place at the concert ( three men were later tried and jailed over the murder )

http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/Knebwort ... -1986.html

Apparently someone climbed one of the lighting towers for a better view, slipped and landed on a group of bikers' heads who didn't take kindly and stabbed the guy. He died before the ambulance crew could get through the huge crowd. Stupid thing to do but he didn't deserve that. Don't think anyone was ever prosecuted either

That's not so - he walked out, held up by two people. They dismantled the fence in part of the guest enclosure and got him into an ambulance. I saw this and was shocked to later discover that he died (police held up every coach after the gig and searched them for the guy responsible).

[Kes]

Not just coaches, but also cars, and apparently bikes, and pedestrians too.

I don't know whether the poor fella walked out, or not, as it happened too far behind me to see, but I do remember the St John's Ambulance people frantically pushing through the crowd to get to the bloke. You can only really assume the message was passed to them via the main stage area and the people in the lighting tower talking to them.

Not just coaches, but also cars, and apparently bikes, and pedestrians too.

I don't know whether the poor fella walked out, or not, as it happened too far behind me to see, but I do remember the St John's Ambulance people frantically pushing through the crowd to get to the bloke. You can only really assume the message was passed to them via the main stage area and the people in the lighting tower talking to them.

Still seems odd that someone got stabbed at all at a Queen show. Queen are hardly known for their tough, hardcore fans.

Thought Queen fans were, by and large, a pretty soft bunch more likely to pinch you playfully on the bottom than stab you.

[Kes]

Can't have been THAT odd, as it wasn't the first time.

It made the music papers back on the Queen II tour in 1974 that a fan got stabbed at the Stirling University gig.

Anyways, although Queen headlined Knebworth '86, there were Status Quo and Big Country fans there too. I don't think too many people were there to see Belouis Some.

Not just coaches, but also cars, and apparently bikes, and pedestrians too.

I don't know whether the poor fella walked out, or not, as it happened too far behind me to see, but I do remember the St John's Ambulance people frantically pushing through the crowd to get to the bloke. You can only really assume the message was passed to them via the main stage area and the people in the lighting tower talking to them.

The first thing I saw was the roadies on walkie-talkie/radio things all of a sudden start to go frantic and jumping over the poles that separated the enclosure from the main audience area - these were in a criss-cross manner separating the two fences and they had to carefully jump over these and run along to where they dismantled the fence (corner of guest enclosure). They had backed an ambulance up to the fence inside the enclosure and I saw the guy supported by two (St. John's Ambulance people I think) guys walk out and up into the ambulance.
Either before this or after this happened a guy and a girl (off their tits - wild eyes and looked like they were on acid) clambered over the fence and into the enclosure right in front of me: whether or not this had anything to do with what happened I don't know but there were some strange people there that day.
I remember the press about the riot in Stirling from the time - and they'd already done 3 or 4 encores.

The only other time (in my experience) that a Queen gig was hair-raising was outside the venue in Dortmund in 1982: a big venue (8-10,000?) with 3 doors the size of a household door, to let the audience in through. The other side of which the security body-searched every single person that went thru. Outside, and in a bottle neck, with everyone pushing to get thru the doors, were about 30 (British - typical...) drunken squaddies from the nearby army base. Blind drunk and who'd been throwing bottles around prior to this - that was a little unnerving but mainly because of the extreme crush.
I remember someone I knew telling me that the crew saved the day at the front in Paris 1979, when there was a nasty situation between some guys in the 'Royal Family' and some locals - Crystal jumped into the audience with a cymbal stand to sort out that one.
It was rare for stuff to happen but occasionally it did...

[Kes]

I think you were doing well to stay on your tits when so many people around you were off their's.

I've never understood why people spend a small fortune on concert tickets to go there, get pissed out of their heads, and only carry away with them the distorted memories of throwing up on the poor bastards in front of them. They are depriving a sensible human being who'll appreciate the event, of the possibility of buying a ticket.

I think you were doing well to stay on your tits when so many people around you were off their's.

I've never understood why people spend a small fortune on concert tickets to go there, get pissed out of their heads, and only carry away with them the distorted memories of throwing up on the poor bastards in front of them. They are depriving a sensible human being who'll appreciate the event, of the possibility of buying a ticket.

Mr. Kes, you never said a truer word! I don't understand it either, especially these days with tickets costing an arm and a leg... The first ticket I bought to see them was £2.50! Big money in gigs these days - shame, really. I hate these really big enormo-domes. I lament the demise of the Astoria - bloody Crossrail...

[Kes]

Saying that, you'll see more of a gig from the very back of the O2, than I got to see from halfway back in the Wembley Pavillion (what a f*cking waste of space that excuse for a tent was!). Saying that, I recently went to a gig at the new go-faster Wembley Arena, and was halfway back there. I'm six foot, and THAT was a struggle to see anything.

Yeah, being fair, I think the O2 is possibly London's best big arena for actually seeing what you pay for, unless you're right at the front.

Saying that, you'll see more of a gig from the very back of the O2, than I got to see from halfway back in the Wembley Pavillion (what a f*cking waste of space that excuse for a tent was!). Saying that, I recently went to a gig at the new go-faster Wembley Arena, and was halfway back there. I'm six foot, and THAT was a struggle to see anything.

Yeah, being fair, I think the O2 is possibly London's best big arena for actually seeing what you pay for, unless you're right at the front.

Wembley Arena - saw some amazing gigs there: only if you're up the sides tho' and not too far back. But I also went to that bloody Pavillion. A lot of very unhappy customers over that. Will not go back to Wembley Stadium: far too big now, performers are like ants on the stage If you are at the back opposite it (they used to say that about Earls Court)- that's another venue with a license to print money... Sound also disappears up thru the roof - horrible place: much preferred the old stadium. Smaller and had a special atmosphere there. Shepherds Bush Empire is great for gigs, in terms of middle-sized London venues... Outside of London the Hallam Stadium is great in Sheffield.

Saying that, you'll see more of a gig from the very back of the O2, than I got to see from halfway back in the Wembley Pavillion (what a f*cking waste of space that excuse for a tent was!). Saying that, I recently went to a gig at the new go-faster Wembley Arena, and was halfway back there. I'm six foot, and THAT was a struggle to see anything.

Yeah, being fair, I think the O2 is possibly London's best big arena for actually seeing what you pay for, unless you're right at the front.

Wembley Arena - saw some amazing gigs there: only if you're up the sides tho' and not too far back. But I also went to that bloody Pavillion. A lot of very unhappy customers over that. Will not go back to Wembley Stadium: far too big now, performers are like ants on the stage If you are at the back opposite it (they used to say that about Earls Court)- that's another venue with a license to print money... Sound also disappears up thru the roof - horrible place: much preferred the old stadium. Smaller and had a special atmosphere there. Shepherds Bush Empire is great for gigs, in terms of middle-sized London venues... Outside of London the Hallam Stadium is great in Sheffield.

The new Wembley stadium is slightly bigger in terms of capacity but you would see more from the back of it than you would have done at the old Wembley, since the stands go up much higher but are much closer to the pitch...... if that makes any sense.

[Kes]

They're "steeper".

That's the same advantage the O2 has. Lots of seats, and you don't really go progressively away from the stage as much, as you go up, like you would in Wembley Arena.

Saying that, you'll see more of a gig from the very back of the O2, than I got to see from halfway back in the Wembley Pavillion (what a f*cking waste of space that excuse for a tent was!). Saying that, I recently went to a gig at the new go-faster Wembley Arena, and was halfway back there. I'm six foot, and THAT was a struggle to see anything.

Yeah, being fair, I think the O2 is possibly London's best big arena for actually seeing what you pay for, unless you're right at the front.

Wembley Arena - saw some amazing gigs there: only if you're up the sides tho' and not too far back. But I also went to that bloody Pavillion. A lot of very unhappy customers over that. Will not go back to Wembley Stadium: far too big now, performers are like ants on the stage If you are at the back opposite it (they used to say that about Earls Court)- that's another venue with a license to print money... Sound also disappears up thru the roof - horrible place: much preferred the old stadium. Smaller and had a special atmosphere there. Shepherds Bush Empire is great for gigs, in terms of middle-sized London venues... Outside of London the Hallam Stadium is great in Sheffield.

The new Wembley stadium is slightly bigger in terms of capacity but you would see more from the back of it than you would have done at the old Wembley, since the stands go up much higher but are much closer to the pitch...... if that makes any sense.

Yes, I know but it is still around 20,000-odd seats bigger and don't think it's great value for money really: if you're the opposite end of the venue to the stage. That's why I decided not to see Muse there again... As a football venue I'm sure it's great but I went a few times to the old stadium for gigs and sat in various places there - still prefer it to the new one...