If there's one thing you should know not to do, it's put a chokehold on somebody — unless you're, say, in the UFC ring, but especially not at a Cult show. As the band's frontman, Ian Astbury, said after jumping off stage and into a Washington, D.C. crowd last night, July 19th: "That's what the pig does!"
In a video posted to the Creative Underground YouTube channel, Astbury stops short while performing "The Rain" to intervene when a tall man near the front row apparently has his elbow around the neck of another member of the crowd. While the microphone is too far away to pick up the confrontation, the singer looks to be screaming, "Shut up, I don't care! It's a fucking rock show!" at the aggressor while hugging the person assaulted.
After checking to make sure the person is OK, Astbury climbs back on stage to finish the track and launches into a short speech: "Brother, never ever put a chokehold on somebody. It's not fucking cool. That's what the fucking pig does! Stop crying. It's a fucking rock show. You don't like it? Go stand at the back. You're tall. You're bigger than everybody." The man seemingly attempts to respond while Astbury continues, "You're standing at the front of a rock show. What do you think?"
The band resumes playing shortly thereafter, launching into one of their biggest hits, "She Sells Sanctuary." The Cult are currently on tour in the United States with tonight's stop happening in NYC, and their next album, Under The Midnight Sun, is set to hit shelves on October 7th.
