One week after Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz
jumped into the crowd and fought a security guard at the band's show in Albuquerque, the band members have offered more details about their side of the story. "I was standing on a riser, stage left, and I see this meathead dude pushing around girls and trying to get into it with our security guy," guitarist Joe Trohman explained to MTV News. "All I can tell you is the dude was a meathead, and he was being a real jerk. I saw it all happen right in front me, and he started it all. He was pushing around girls, tried to push around [the band's security guard] Charlie. He was out of his gourd."
Wentz said that he reacted the way he did because he thought Charlie was in danger, and he was simply standing up for a friend. "The whole thing escalated real quick, but when I watch the video, I know what I see: I see [the venue security guard] push Charlie," Wentz said. "And a lot of people were like, 'Oh, it was just a security guy,' but I've known Charlie since he was 16 and moved in with me after getting kicked out of his parents' house. And I'm not gonna let my friends fight alone. Nine times out of 10, that security guy would've kicked my ass because I'm not really into fighting. But, you know, it was my friend."
Luckily, no one was hurt in the incident and no one has pressed charges. But the owner of the venue, the Sunshine Theater, says that Fall Out Boy shoulders some of the blame for allowing fans to get on stage during their set, which violated club policy.
"They said that the incident happened because the house security guard was grabbing on some kid, and that's not totally true," club owner Joe Anderson told MTV News. "Of course, they're gonna ride the hype of the whole thing, because the video got out there, but I've read their explanation and they glossed over some things a little bit. Everyone's just very disappointed with the way the whole thing went down... We have a policy at the Sunshine that we don't permit audience members on the performance area. It's a liability. You just can't have 800 people running to get up onstage. Now whether or not the band was made aware of this before the show is up for debate. The people at the venue say that it was made clear to Fall Out Boy's security team at the preshow security meeting. And all I'm getting from the band is some pretty shifty stories. But somewhere along the way, the message was lost."
[source:fmqb]
