Fight Breaks Out at House of Blues Hives Show

The Hives, a Swedish rock band, performed at the House of Blues downtown on the evening of Monday, October 8. Toward the end of their raucous set, a fight broke out in front of the pit, and security guards had their hands full.

A witness who said his name was “Steve-o” told me that "the group was battling over a guitar pick” that had been thrown into the audience. But, later, a security guard confided that "two males in the front were grabbing female fans in private areas.” When one of the boyfriends of a victim saw his girlfriend get accosted, he shoved the perpetrator, and a fight broke out.

When the band saw the mayhem, they stopped the music and watched the action unfold. Security guards pushed both fighting parties apart as pit fans scattered. A man in a white T-shirt was escorted away as attendees shouted, "Out!”

According to a security guard, the two male violators ran off. Pelle Almqvist, the lead singer of the Hives, asked the audience, "Does anyone else want to fight?"

Outside, after the show, the ejected man with the white T-shirt turned out to be a victim of the two perpetrators. He had been punched and pushed down while defending his girlfriend. Emergency medical personnel evaluated him for a concussion. Two San Diego police came and talked to him before they left.