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Durst Still Haunted by Concert Death
Testifying Monday via video link from Los Angeles to Australian authorities looking into a teenage fan's death during his band's set at the Big Day Out festival in Sydney last year, the Limp Bizkit's frontman told investigators that he was still shaken by the incident.
Durst was the latest to testify in the inquest, as Australian authorities try to determine who was responsible for the tragedy.
For his part, the rocker lays blame with concert organizers. Durst says he warned them about security lapses before the show.
"We definitely said that if they do not fix security we would not play," Durst said.
But, he says, the organizers failed to make good on their word when the band took to the stage on January 26, 2001, in Sydney.
Fifteen-year-old Jessica Michalik was caught up in a melee in the mosh pit, suffered a heart attack, fell into a coma and died five days later.
The 30-year-old singer says he brought up the issue of crowd control with Big Day Out promoter Vivian Lee before the Sydney show, stating that he was concerned about how security was implemented during a previously rowdy Bizkit set in Auckland, New Zealand, which nearly resulted in another crush of fans.
"I just hope the security's better at the next show because that [Auckland] was a little out of hand," Durst testified as telling Lee.
The brawny, baseball cap-wearing rap-rocker also admitted to still being haunted by the girl's death.
"It was so overwhelming that a young girl came to see her favorite band and left in a coma and died," he said. "I'm very emotional right now talking about it, it's taken me a long time to talk about this."
Limp Bizkit was so distraught following the stampede that it immediately pulled out of the festival's remaining three dates in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, citing inadequate security measures and promoters' refusal to make necessary changes.
Months after their departure, the band eventually became the focus of a routine investigation after the coroner suggested Sydney police fly to Los Angeles to interview members.
The promoters alleged that, shortly before Jessica's death, Bizkit incited "unprecedented and ferocious crowd activity in front of the stage," charges the group and its management have denied. The promoters also said the oppressive heat contributed to the crush that left six others injured among the 55,000 who attended the traveling rock fest.
However, concert organizers did admit Durst and the boys halted their set several times and appealed to the crowd to back up and give the people in front some space.
There's still a chance the top-selling rage rockers--best known for the multiplatinum albums Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog-Flavored Water and Significant Other--may face criminal counts in Michalik's death.
This month's inquest is to help the coroner decide whether to recommend whether charges should filed against one or all of the parties, although prosecutors are not necessarily required to follow through on them.
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