70000 Tons of Metal - The World's Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise

"some music was meant to stay underground..."

Column

Tales From The Pit: Guitarist for Starring Janet Leigh Tells About Getting a Finger in His Eye Socket

posted Jun 16, 2009 at 5:50 PM by returntheknife.  (22 Comments)

We've been talking to bands to get their best pit stories. This week's is from Matthew Zadkovich, guitarist for Starring Janet Leigh:

"I was in Toronto at the Reverb for a show with the Cancer Bats (Blackmarket/Distort) and The End (Relapse). It was in the middle of The End's set and I hadn't been in a pit for a while after some older injuries nearly ruined one of my hands (not too good for a guitarist), but they're a great band and adrenaline was pumping so I figured what the hell, time to bring the mosh! I was a couple people from the front in the crammed pit and one guy up front jumped up on stage to stage dive. 'Right on,' I thought. The dude jumped right at me and instead of going on his back went face first with his fingers pointed out. All of a sudden I couldn't see and my head was spinning. I stumbled out of the pit now realizing that this guy's finger had gone about an inch into my eye socket. I found my way to the bathroom to see blood coming out of my eye socket, and I could only see out of my other eye. Nothing like seeing blood pouring out of your eye socket to make for a memorable pit injury. Amazingly my eye was ok after a few days, but that's one for the ages: middle finger one inch in my eye socket. Yikes haha!"

Next week we're going to hear from Billy Price of Unholy, who tells about playing a show for a live boxing match.

What's Next?

22 Comments on "Tales From The Pit: Losing an Eye in the Pit"

deathbringer's avatar

Founder, owner & programmer

1. deathbringer writes:

Ouch. I had my brother stick a finger in my eye in the pit in a Type-O pit back in the day. Took my contact right out and I was seeing half blurry for the rest of the show. Doesn't quite compare to this story though.

# Jun 16, 2009 @ 8:04 PM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
Kalis_wrath's avatar

Supporter

2. Kalis_wrath writes:

Meh... Who needs two eye's anyway? *LOL*

# Jun 16, 2009 @ 8:08 PM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
Jenny's avatar

Member

3. Jenny writes:

I can't stand anything close to my eyes. At a gig someone placed their hand on the side of my head and I felt one of their fingers almost go in my eye; it was weird. My brother once saw a guy stick his thumb into the eye of another guy. I must say that I'm glad I've never seen that.

# Jun 16, 2009 @ 8:14 PM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
Anonymous Reader

4. That one guy writes:

Holy sh**! Just reading that made my eyes hurt.

# Jun 16, 2009 @ 11:34 PM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
Anonymous Reader

5. that one guy two writes:

damn straight brother, that story made my balls go up one inch!!

# Jun 17, 2009 @ 12:12 AM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
Anonymous Reader

6. That one guy writes:

Imposter!!!!!

# Jun 17, 2009 @ 1:03 AM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
Nikkay's avatar

Member

7. Nikkay writes:

I might start wearing eye protection in pits now!
A finger in the eye, thats sick!

# Jun 17, 2009 @ 2:07 AM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
M703's avatar

Member

8. M703 writes:

That's nasty stuff. One thing that never stops to amaze me how much abuse we can eventually take. You'd think a finger into an eye would blind it no questions asked.
A friend of mine had a half an inch metal bit "melt" into the surface of his eyeball a few years ago while using a metal cutter (so who didnt wear glasses then?). They just took it out in ER and his vision in that eye returned to normal in matter of a month or something

# Jun 17, 2009 @ 6:09 AM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
Diamond Oz's avatar

Senior News Correspondent

9. Diamond Oz writes:

Slick Rick has done ok with one eye so maybe this guy should wear an eyepatch in future?

Now playing: Run DMC - Raising Hell

# Jun 17, 2009 @ 7:42 AM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
bbristowe's avatar

Member

10. bbristowe writes:

Did that make anyone else's eyes hurt?

# Jun 24, 2009 @ 12:09 AM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
Terminator's avatar

Reviewer

11. Terminator writes:

I lost a pair of bifocals in a Meshuggah pit, but that's as close as I've come to this story thankfully. I'm like Jenny, I can't stand anything near my eyes. I can't even use contacts and trying to put in eye drops for me is like trench warfare, lol.

# Jun 24, 2009 @ 12:17 AM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
metalheaddrummer101's avatar

Member

12. metalheaddrummer101 writes:

eye....pain...ow...
yeah, I'm with Terminator and Jenny...don't want ANYTHING near my eyes
NP-Meshuggah-New Millenium Cyanide Christ....one of the most redicuous song names ever

# Jun 24, 2009 @ 12:32 AM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
Blindgreed1's avatar

Member

13. Blindgreed1 writes:

Pantera, Cowboys From Hell tour. I was in the pit getting thrashed to hell by this HUGE American Indian guy. All of us were taking a pretty good beating from this hulk, when (after picking my a$$ up off the ground AGAIN) I see the guy doubled over. He finally stands up after a few minutes and his eyeball was dangling off his cheek. I took my shirt off and wrapped up his eyeball and led him out of the pit to the nearest cop who took him to the first aid station. I never found out what happened to the guy to knock his eyeball out, but I did see him at a Slayer concert a couple of years later and he was tearing up the pit again. It just goes to show ya: It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye, and then comes back to dominate the pit another day.

# Jun 29, 2009 @ 11:10 AM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
Fuck_A_Name's avatar

14. Fuck_A_Name writes:

It's sh** like this that makes people say metalheads are f***in crazy. And we are.

During Ozzfest, I think like during Lamb of god or something, right in the middle of a circle pit, some dude grabbed me from behind and German Suplexed the sh** out of me. Dazed, I'm crawling on my back, trying to figure out what the f*** happened, and I just look up and some bald dude with a giant beard points at me with the angriest face ever and yells(louder than the band mind you, I could hear every word) "I'm gonna get you you piece of sh**, I swear to f***ing god, I'm gonna kill you!"

Needless to say, I got THE FVCK outta there. lol

I dont know what happened with that guy, but at the same concert, they didnt let anybody leave for like twenty minutes because someone had gotten stabbed and died.

So yeah, we've got a couple kuckoo's in our midst lol

Now Playing: Periphery- The Walk

# Jun 29, 2009 @ 12:16 PM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
cyanotic's avatar

Member

15. cyanotic writes:

sh** man! thats intense! i dont have any pit stores except that i got a bruise so deep that i had to go in for it and the doctors thought it might turn into a clot or something, and go to my heart and kill me. (this was no surprise seeing that i am anemic)

but what else do you expect goin into a pit?

# Jun 29, 2009 @ 2:41 PM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
Blindgreed1's avatar

Member

16. Blindgreed1 writes:

cyanotic: You probably know the huge American Indian guy i'm talking about. He's in every metal pit up there. Lol.

# Jun 29, 2009 @ 3:30 PM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
DeathInEye's avatar

Member

17. DeathInEye writes:

Damn, intense stories. Only thing I got is I almost had a crowd surfer fall on my head in a LoG pit. Not serious for most, but considering I'm a brittle cripple, he probably would've snapped my neck. Freaked me out a bit.

# Jun 29, 2009 @ 5:08 PM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
cyanotic's avatar

Member

18. cyanotic writes:

BG: i do! i actually have a friend who got obliterated by him at a static x show!... he must be loaded to be able to go to all those shows!

# Jun 29, 2009 @ 11:52 PM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
Red's avatar

Member

19. Red writes:

You'll see what will happen, they will put a law out that will require people to wear protective gogles at metal concerts...I see that in the futur.

# Jun 30, 2009 @ 7:36 AM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
GORECUNT's avatar

Member

20. GORECUNT writes:

Why would anyone stage dive on their stomachs? That's asking for all kinds of internal trouble if something goes wrong.

# Jul 3, 2009 @ 9:42 AM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
BodomBeach's avatar

Member

21. BodomBeach writes:

The worst mosh injury I've got (haha it was only at a local gig a couple of weekends ago) is a massive bruise covering my right knee and two big grazes....it was sh!tty music and a sh!tty mosh but you know...and I also got crushed under about 10 people...squished my face in...

Although my eyes are now itchy from that story...:S

# Jul 3, 2009 @ 10:09 AM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
That_One_Guy's avatar

Member

22. That_One_Guy writes:

I got trampled at a Fear Factory / Chimaira show about 5 years ago and broke 2 ribs and 8 toes.

# Jul 3, 2009 @ 1:19 PM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address

To minimize comment spam/abuse, you cannot post comments on articles over a month old.