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Two Metallica supporters had to come into contact with the long arm of the law after the band’s performance in Perth, Australia. The judge described their actions as an “incredibly stupid action and a good way to ruin their evening”, which now means that they will never be allowed to enter the Optus Stadium in the city again.
What had happened? The two apparently risk-averse fans, 20-year-old beau William Loch Rollings and 23-year-old Rory Hugh Culbert, climbed a loudspeaker tower during the Metallica concert on November 1st.
Like the local news agency PerthNow reported that both deliberately jumped over a security barrier and climbed onto the central tower inside the stadium, where they held on to the structure at a height of up to 50 meters for around 20 minutes during the concert.
Metallica fans wanted to brag about cell phone footage
The life-threatening stunt then triggered a large-scale security operation. Stadium security and the police intervened while the concert was going on and thousands of onlookers watched as the two climbing monkeys were brought down (safely).
The police later confiscated the two’s smartphones, on which of course (to brag later) the recordings of the climb could be found. Later, trespassing was investigated and charges were filed.
Both Rollings and Culbert pleaded guilty and acknowledged the problematic nature of the situation, although they did not reveal a motive in court. Both were fined $1,000 and ordered to pay $308.80 in court costs.
Judge Ruth Dineen expressed little sympathy for the action, noting that what “seemed funny at that moment” had escalated into a serious security problem. The two fans’ defender, Rachael Gemmell, described it as “stupid behavior” and also pointed out that the experience had already been sobering for the young Metallica fans, even without punishment.
Metallica were in Australia in early November as part of their “M72 World Tour”. They last played on Saturday (November 6th) as part of the entertainment program for the Formula 1 race in Abu Dhabi.