RÜFÜS DU SOL Condemn Assault At LA Show: 'Completely Unacceptable'

RÜFÜS DU SOL have responded to video footage of an assault that took place at their recent sold-out show in California, labelling the horrifying incident as “completely unacceptable.”

The incident in question took place at their sold-out Rose Bowl show in Pasadena, California on Saturday, August 16th. Confronting video footage of the attack was shared by Instagram account The Festive Owl, and was accompanied by a description of the assault by the victim, who identified herself as Shelby Elston.

“We were at the concert to see our favorite artist, but the night turned traumatic,” explained Elston. “When we first got to our seats, a drink was accidentally spilled, lightly splashing the man in front of us. We apologized immediately, but he yelled that it was intentional and ran off, leaving his companion behind. We apologized to her and thought it was over.

“About 30 minutes later, he returned, screamed us, and threatened violence. I tried to calm the situation and apologized again — and the next thing I remember, I woke up in the medical tent an hour later and missed the entire show.

“This man PUNCHED ME IN THE FACE, knocking me out and causing significant bleeding, while he continued attacking our group,” Elston added. “Another friend tried to protect us, but the attacker fled into the crowd and hasn’t been found. A police report was filed.”

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A post shared by The Festive Owl | Official 🦉 (@festiveowl)

In the wake of the attack, RÜFÜS DU SOL took to social media to share their own response to the incident, and condemning such violence in any forum.

“Delivering moments for our fans to gather and celebrate safely is what we live for,” the group began. “We have been heart broken to hear of the act of violence that took place during the opening act on Saturday.

“This type of behavior is completely unacceptable anywhere and the fact that this happened at one of our shows was devastating to learn about.

“Local law enforcement are actively investigating the situation,” they added. “Anyone with information to assist the investigation should please contact Pasadena Police Department.”

While no update has been given in regard to any arrests being made or potential legal action against the alleged attacker, The Festive Owl shared a brief update to note that Elston’s information has been passed onto RÜFÜS DU SOL, who will hopefully be in contact soon.

US news outlets have also focused on the band’s show, however, much of their coverage has been in regard to the alleged safety concerns faced by the crowd at the sold-show in the 89,000-capacity venue.

“It was honestly out of control,” one concertgoer told NBC4 News. “It was a circus. It was not safe, and I’m very angry.”