There’s no denying that old metalheads can be a bit closed-minded when it comes to modern bands, but expressing those feelings with actual physical violence feels like a step too far.
In a recent interview with El Planeta Del Rock, Atreyu bassist Marc “Porter” McKnight said he and his band experienced exactly that while supporting Iron Maiden – alongside Morbid Angel and Carcass – in front of 35,000 fans just over 15 years ago.
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“One of the toughest shows we’ve ever had to play was in Monterey, Mexico with Iron Maiden in, I think, February 2009,” McKnight told El Planeta Del Rock host Samuel Acevedo. “And it was us in direct support to Iron Maiden… And the first 5,000 people at that show did not want fucking anything to do with any band but Iron Maiden. And because we were right before Iron Maiden, they hated us the most. Or maybe because we had tight pants and weren’t as heavy.”
“Isn’t it funny that Iron Maiden’s not that heavy, actually, but they have, like, the gnarliest fanbase on earth? They’re so theatric and triumphant, and then every fan is, like, beating the shit out of each other,” McKnight laughed. “It’s hilarious. I love it. I fucking love it.”
However, the fun and games quickly took a turn, McKnight said, when the crowd began throwing objects at him and his band. “They threw a lot of stuff at us. There was a lot of physical violence,” he recalled. “There were pesos being thrown at us.
McKnight then shared that he was left with a lifelong injury from that night. “I actually got hit right here, below my right eye. I have a dent in my skull from it… It almost put my eye out,” he said. “I was headbanging really fast. And it hit me right below the eye. I was bleeding everywhere. It was fucking wild.”
Ultimately, aside from some literal disfigurement, McKnight says the concert was a major success. “That show was difficult, but past those 5,000 people that were ravenous for Iron Maiden, we had circle pits, people singing along, we sold all of our merch,” he said. “They fucking loved us. We had a blast.”
