Fan dressed as furry gets punched at metal show, launched crowdfunder to cover medical costs

19 October, 2023

Crowd Surfer At Concert Venue - stock photo

A fan who rocked up to a metal show dressed up as a furry has launched a crowdfunding campaign after being punched in the moshpit.

The moment took place at The Ballroom at Spider House in Austin, Texas over the weekend, when a concertgoer dressed as a furry was punched in the head after going into the moshpit.

The set was being played by Houston metalcore band Fromjoy, who were playing at the venue as part of the Heavy Hitters IV music festival on Saturday (October 14).

In a clip of the moment shared online, the metal fan, Chris (who goes by the name “Latte” on social media) is seen being hit in the face by another person in the audience.

When it first emerged online, many seemed to make light of the incident, including the band themselves, who re-posted the video with the caption “Fromjoy is for the furries”.

However, following the incident, Latte has come forward to share the full extent of their injury – launching a GoFundMe page and detailing that the event has impacted their eyesight and general livelihood. The band have since removed their post.

“On Saturday, I was assaulted at a concert in Austin,” Latte wrote in a message on the page, which was started on Tuesday (October 17). “I was punched from behind in the head while watching the show. The person who hit me fractured the lower part of my orbital socket, concussed me and has jeopardized my job and vision.”

“I spent the first three days vomiting and sleeping for an hour at a time from the pain in my face. My face hurts all the time. … So far between clinic visits, a CT scan, and a consultation with a neural eye surgeon, I’ve spent just over $900,” the post continued.

“The neural surgeon wants to wait 1 week to allow my swelling to go down and see if steroids will help my eye start to recover on its own so we can avoid surgery. The estimated cost of the eye surgery is $2200 and risks permanent alterations to my vision.”

At time of writing the GoFundMe campaign has surpassed its $6000 (£4,938) goal, and Latte added: “The person who hit me hasn’t been identified, and after looking into the legal actions/repercussions, the chances of him owning up to his actions are slim. We are still trying to find him.”

A subsequent interaction between Latte and the band also came to light (via Loudwire), in which Latte told the band: “I don’t inherently blame y’all for what happened, I chose to suit [up] at it.”

They also told their followers that the band were unaware of his injuries when they made light of the footage, adding: “It doesn’t make the jokes OK, but once they found out they’ve done everything they can to help.”

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