Knotfest Mexico became a riot, after safety concerns forced the cancellation of the event.
Over the weekend Slipknot held their music festival, Knotfest, in Mexico alongside Evanescence, Bullet For My Valentine, Papa Roach and more. Knotfest Mexico took place in Mexico City on Saturday, November 30.
Before Slipknot and Evanescence had the chance to hit the stage however, the festival was canceled due to safety concerns. It was reported that the barricade for the main stage had broken, and all attempts to repair it were unsuccessful. With a crowd of over 50,000 people waiting to see Slipknot, and no safety barriers in place, the decision was made to cancel the remainder of the festival.
In a statement released after the cancellation, Slipknot shared on Twitter, “Because of a broken barricade and failed attempts to fix it, Slipknot were forced to cancel our performance last night. Safety – especially the safety of our fans and fellow bands – is priority number one. We apologise profusely and hope you all understand. If anything were to happen to any of you, we wouldn’t forgive ourselves. Also, if we could have fixed the barricade correctly, we would have gone onstage. Again, we hope you understand and we will try to make it up to you as soon as we can.”
#KnotfestMexico pic.twitter.com/Sxo9Ot5pol
— Slipknot (@slipknot) December 1, 2019
The cancellation caused a riot at the festival site, which ultimately ended with fans rushing the stage and setting Evanescence’s gear on fire.
Adiós a la batería de Evanescence en el #KnotFest, gracias a la pésima organización y seguridad de Live Talent pic.twitter.com/5obb663pLo
— Uziel (@UzielChavz) December 1, 2019
Pésima planeacion por parte de @LiveTalentMx y aún peores asistentes.#knotfest #KnotfestMexico #knotfestMX #KnotFest2019 #KnotfestMexico2019 pic.twitter.com/MfFDwtvdjc
— ElEsePincheWey (@easp10) December 1, 2019
In response to the destruction and cancellation, Evanescence have released a statement on Facebook, which you can read in full below:
“Even though we are devastated by the destruction of our instruments and gear, we do not see the violent end to last night as a representation of our Mexican fans, or the Mexican people. 50,000 people were there, and sadly a handful of them turned to anger and violence after the cancellation. You have shown us an incredible amount of love from the very beginning, and we will always come back for you.”