In a new interview with Samuel Acevedo of El Planeta Del Rock ( via Blabbermouth Atreyu bassist Marc “Porter” McKnight reflected on one of the most challenging shows he and his bandmates ever had to play.
McKnight recalled a show in Monterey, Mexico, in February 2009, where his band was one of the opening acts for Iron Maiden , along with Morbid Angel , Carcass Lauren Harris 's band
“One of the most difficult shows we ever did was in Monterey, Mexico, with Iron Maiden, in, I think, February 2009. And we were the ones who played before them, along with Morbid Angel, Carcass, and Lauren Harris's band. And there were 35,000 people there, it was packed,” he said.
According to the bassist, the first 5,000 fans were completely focused on Iron Maiden and didn't care about anything else. “The first 5,000 people at that show didn't care about absolutely anything other than Maiden. And because we played before them, they hated us even more. Or maybe because we were wearing tight pants and weren't as heavy,” Marc explained.
According to him, the atmosphere became more hostile when some fans threw objects towards the stage. “They threw a lot of things at us. There was a lot of violence. They threw pesos [coins] at us. I was actually hit right here [below the right eye]. I have a skull fracture because of it, from a metal nail. Damn, I wanted to keep it. I have it, but I don't know where it is. I kept it. I almost lost my eye.”
Despite the chaos caused by the more aggressive fans, Marc revealed that the experience had its positive side. “It was tough, but besides those 5,000 guys who were hungry for Iron Maiden, [we had] mosh pits, [people] singing along, we sold all our merch — they really loved us. It was an incredible show.”
He also commented on the peculiar behavior of Iron Maiden fans, who, despite not being known as one of the heaviest metal bands, according to the bassist, have an extremely intense fanbase.
“It’s funny that Iron Maiden isn’t that heavy, but they have, like, the most insane fanbase on the planet. They’re super theatrical and triumphant, and then, every fan seems like they’re ready to get into a fight,” McKnight concluded.
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