I Was Ejected by PJ Security from Hyde Park 1 After Being Kicked in the Head Twice by a Crowd Surfer

KL159781 · July 2022

I’m writing this post in hopes it can reach the band and also to create a conversation on our rights as concert goers.

My wife and I travelled from Los Angeles to see Pearl Jam in one of our favorite cities, London. We had Ten Club pit tickets and arrived around 2:30 PM, which was good enough for us to secure third row from the rail in front of Mike. We had a couple of friends in front of us on the rail and several of my wife’s friends from Brazil joined us there. We were all enjoying the show and my wife and I were happy when Eddie pointed and smiled to us right as Mike’s solo on Even Flow started. (I mention this as we are amongst fans that have met him over the years and he recognizes. He will know exactly who is writing this if it’s brought to his attention.) As Mike soloed, I suddenly saw a large man crowd surfing and hitting the head of one of my wife’s friends, a woman who Mike acknowledges at every show he sees her at. This guy looked to be nearly as big as me (I’m 6’4”) and I became very concerned as his course led him over the heads of my wife and another friend and his foot was coming right at my face. I stopped his foot and pushed back at him and guided him forward to the rail for venue security to take him. I walked back to my spot and could see Eddie was looking in our direction with concern.

Within seconds I felt another crowd surfer hitting the back of my head. I turned around and without support, this guy fell to the ground. Security noticed this guy, but didn’t go after him, as he got up and moved back.

Even Flow then ended and Eddie addressed our section asking if everything was ok. People around me gave him thumbs up and the show continued. Within a couple of minutes, I felt a sudden painful jolt from behind again, hitting the back of my head and neck. I turned around and saw that it was the exact same crowd surfer that had hit my head before. He again fell flat to the ground. I was very angry that this same guy was hitting me again, this time more painfully. With him on the ground I leaned down, pointed at him and screamed at him saying “This is the second time you’ve hit me! What the f*** are you doing?”.

I then noticed security starting to climb over the rail and approach us. They told me and the other guy that we both had to leave the venue, that we were being ejected. I tried to explain that this guy had twice kicked me in the back of my head. My wife was pleading with a security guard, who she told me later was an American band security member, that I wasn’t the problem, that it was the crowd surfers creating the problems. He wouldn’t listen to her and he led off the crowd surfer while a Hyde Park security guy led me through the crowd. Once away from the crowd, these Hard Park security at least allowed me to stop and plead my case, but they told me that it was band security that ordered me kicked out. I asked them what I did wrong and they couldn’t answer. They told me they were only following what they were told. My wife had ran over to try to help explain but to no avail. Then I was led out the same gate that I walked into 7 hours earlier.

Within minutes of sitting down outside the whole back of my brain started feeling cloudy and my head and neck hurt when I touched them. Fortunately the cloudiness was gone by the morning.

In the course of around 7-8 minutes, I went from having the singer of the band recognizing and pointing and smiling at me to having him presumably watching me being escorted out. Me and my wife’s friend, and possibly others were victims of violence, yet I was apparently considered a perpetrator, as the Hyde Park security guy told me that the band security guy had been eyeing me.

I may be a tall person, but I’m one of the most passive fans you are going to see under normal circumstances near the front of a Pearl Jam show. This is a band that rightfully shows concern for the welfare of it’s fans at concerts. Yet for me being struck twice by the same person, no concern was shown by band security towards me for my injury. No one explained why I was removed other than there had been an altercation.

A decision was made about me without even considering taking me aside to sort out any problems. Was my pushing away both crowd surfers or yelling in the face of the guy who smacked me considered too aggressive? Hyde Park security told me I should have left it to them. Well, they had their chance to remove the guy who struck me before he did it the second time.

As a concert goer, what is the protocol in these situations? I’m sorry but I wasn’t going to allow a large man hovering over my wife and friends to potentially fall on them. As far as me, being very tall is a disadvantage when crowd surfing happens and have had previous injuries from it including cracked ribs.

I’m not some young guy trying to create problems. I’m the same age as Eddie Vedder. I didn’t fly halfway around the world to see a favorite band of mine, get kicked in the head and thrown out halfway through the show.

KV4053 · July 2022

This is a horrible story and I'm sorry for what you have gone through. There's no simple answer unfortunately. Security has limited information and has to make a decision based on that limited information.

KL159781 · July 2022

Thank you for your response. I agree that there is no simple answer. That’s why I would have perfectly understood if I was taken aside out of the pit to be talked to, so my side of the story could have been known. I did not put up a fight with Hyde Park security and respect that they at least allowed me to express my frustration in that moment, even though it wasn’t their call.

JBC7913 · July 2022

I see it differently. You are in a section where there is the possibility this could happen. I may be wrong, but understanding your being recognized by the band, I am going to assume, you have enjoyed the band up close many times.

I’ll be honest, your story reads exaggerated. Meaning some of your story seems to be looking for sympathy or to allow for you to sound as the victim.

My suggestion, If you’re no longer able to accept that being that close to the rail or where crowd serving is likely to happen, maybe, its time for a seated approach.

Hope you feel better.

lastexitlondon · July 2022

Crowd surfing at pj is pathetic the crowd is in their 40s mainly. Im with the o.p when you are with a group and esspecaily of loved ones. These tools that keep acting like its 1991. Its 2022 . Pandemic . All we want to do is feel this beautiful music with our loved ones. Not get in physical activity with morons.

release00 · July 2022

What a bummer. Sorry man. Feeling for you.

Zod · July 2022

lastexitlondon said:

Crowd surfing at pj is pathetic the crowd is in their 40s mainly. Im with the o.p when you are with a group and esspecaily of loved ones. These tools that keep acting like its 1991. Its 2022 . Pandemic . All we want to do is feel this beautiful music with our loved ones. Not get in physical activity with morons.

I guess, but sometimes they'res going to be younger or crazy people in the crowd. Even though I'm older it always occurs to me someone might crowd surf in a pit. I've been nearly decapitated 100's of times in my concert going life (allthough much less in the last 12 years).

I dunno.. It's been a few years since I was in the same scenario, but usually people who loathe crowd surfers just refused to hold up the crowd surfer, and they immediately fall to the floor.

On the flip side it totally sucks to get kicked out of your favourite bands show. I can see whey they wouldn't review the decision. Everyone who gets kicked out probably tries to plead their innocence.. that's a tough one.

That would suck so much though to travel that far and get the boot

jimjam1982 · July 2022

Kind of weird to get removed. In the past for other shows usually security just pulls you over the rail and sends you to the back of GA. This sounds like a band security thing for sure. Unless it is an incredibly serious altercation removal seems excessive.

bootlegger10 · July 2022

It sucks for sure. May have been a good thing you left that section at least and sat down with the pain you were having.

the band won’t care. They would rather err on the side of caution I would imagine.

PJammer4life · July 2022

As someone who felt his fair share of Doc Martens to the head from crowd surfers in the 90s I feel for you. Sucks you traveled so far as well…

Spiritual_Chaos · July 2022

lastexitlondon said:

Crowd surfing at pj is pathetic the crowd is in their 40s mainly. Im with the o.p when you are with a group and esspecaily of loved ones. These tools that keep acting like its 1991. Its 2022 . Pandemic . All we want to do is feel this beautiful music with our loved ones. Not get in physical activity with morons.

(crowd surfing is always pathetic)

Purple Fairy Tree · July 2022

On the Friday, we saw 7 security guards removing someone from the crowd, I'm not sure if this was you. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. We had no idea what happened and just moved out of the way. I hope you're recovering and enjoy the rest of your holiday, despite this. Xxx

lastexitlondon · July 2022

Spiritual_Chaos said:

lastexitlondon said:

Crowd surfing at pj is pathetic the crowd is in their 40s mainly. Im with the o.p when you are with a group and esspecaily of loved ones. These tools that keep acting like its 1991. Its 2022 . Pandemic . All we want to do is feel this beautiful music with our loved ones. Not get in physical activity with morons.

(crowd surfing is always pathetic)

I do agree

on2legs · July 2022

KL159781 said:

With him on the ground I leaned down, pointed at him and screamed at him saying “This is the second time you’ve hit me! What the f*** are you doing?”

Was my pushing away both crowd surfers or yelling in the face of the guy who smacked me considered too aggressive? Hyde Park security told me I should have left it to them. Well, they had their chance to remove the guy who struck me before he did it the second time.

I think you answered your own question here. There may have been a good reason for you to react the way you did, but I’m guessing security just saw two people having an aggressive confrontation and decided to remove them.

RatherStarved · July 2022

I wonder if you can at least dispute the charges for the tickets through your credit card as at least arguably you were deprived of the benefit of the benefit of the thing you bought. Obviously it’s a drop in the bucket compared to travel expenses and you can’t put a price on the missed experience. But at least maybe it’s something?

Were you able to attend Night 2?

ConorKavanagh · July 2022

Sorry to hear that this happened to you. I had an altercation with someone close to the front, in front of Eddie's part of the stage. Security weren't really up to the task over the 2 days I feel. Shows were great though. Just wish this cut on my nose would heal now.

Did you make it last night?

KL159781 · July 2022

on2legs said:

KL159781 said:

With him on the ground I leaned down, pointed at him and screamed at him saying “This is the second time you’ve hit me! What the f*** are you doing?”

Was my pushing away both crowd surfers or yelling in the face of the guy who smacked me considered too aggressive? Hyde Park security told me I should have left it to them. Well, they had their chance to remove the guy who struck me before he did it the second time.

I think you answered your own question here. There may have been a good reason for you to react the way you did, but I’m guessing security just saw two people having an aggressive confrontation and decided to remove them.

Thanks for your comments. You may be correct about that or it could have been the culmination of me being seen being involved in 3 incidents in 5 minutes. As I stated before, I would have had no problem being taken out of the crowd and been questioned versus an automatic expulsion. I see there being a grey area on a subject like this, which is why I wanted to start this discussion. I don’t believe I should have been ejected from the venue and am not sure if even the crowd surfer should have been. I know he wasn’t intentionally trying to injure me or anyone else. My point is that Pearl Jam security could and should have handled this differently. My wife told me that the first crowd surfer was not ejected and came right back up to the front in search of his cell phone.

thanks everyone for your replies, pro or con.

Spiritual_Chaos · July 2022

Hopefully he never found his cellphone.

FR181798 · July 2022

KL159781 said:

With him on the ground I leaned down, pointed at him and screamed at him saying “This is the second time you’ve hit me! What the f*** are you doing?

A decision was made about me without even considering taking me aside to sort out any problems. Was my pushing away both crowd surfers or yelling in the face of the guy who smacked me considered too aggressive? Hyde Park security told me I should have left it to them. Well, they had their chance to remove the guy who struck me before he did it the second time.

Agree with a previous poster that you've answered your own question. Regardless of the provocation and you being concerned for your wife/friends, at that moment they've obviously deemed you too aggressive in how you responded.

Might not be fair but I accepted a long time ago that there will always be idiots at concerts with no consideration for others.

Loujoe · July 2022

I was at a pj show in 2010 and stopped from tossing balloons around.
Present day we've seen shows turn into riots, so maybe the strict security is to keep that from escalating.

Sorry you got thrown out. I'd be pretty upset and a good heads-up others.

Tell Big Pete if someone is acting a fool.

F Me In The Brain · July 2022

Flashbacks to the 90s and having to endure these fucking idiots / always watching out for a boot, elbow, or even ass to your head from a crowd surfer. When it was the same person over and over I would pull them down. Fuck them. No different from the person holding a sign or someone else up the whole show. Your own "good time" doesn't get to ruin everyone else's experience.

Sorry this happened - sounds like they were removing any issues and you got caught up in it.

I Was Ejected by PJ Security from Hyde Park 1 After Being Kicked in the Head Twice by a Crowd Surfer

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