More Than 100 LAMB OF GOD Fans Turn Out For 'Free Randy Blythe' Vigil

July 8, 2012

According to Richmond Times-Dispatch , more than 100 LAMB OF GOD fans gathered on Brown's Island in Richmond, Virginia earlier today (Sunday, July 8) in support of the band's jailed singer Randy Blythe, who is being held on manslaughter charges in the Czech Republic.

"This really brings it home," said LAMB OF GOD guitar player Willie Adler, who made an appearance at the event. "It's nice to see all different walks of life here. It's not just long-haired metal fans."

Adler said the band wasn't ready to publicly discuss anything just yet but that its day would come soon.

"We're not quite sure what's happening now, so we don't want to do anything to jeopardize it," he said. "But we hope to know something, maybe in a week."

Adler's father-in-law, Harry Hopkins, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the entire band was met at the Prague airport by armed forces on June 27 and was taken into custody. After some discussion, U.S. embassy personnel were able to get four of them free. They were told to leave the country immediately.

"They're very upset about that," Hopkins said. "They would've wanted to stay with him."

The vigil organizer Tommy Streat, a friend of Blythe, told WWBT, the NBC-affiliated television station for Richmond, Virginia, "I know in my heart of hearts that Randy should not be in jail and the way he helps other people beyond the means most would go. I think it's ridiculous that he's in jail and I think we need to get him back on this ground in Richmond. And until he's here, we're gonna be his voice. We're gonna talk. We're gonna get loud. . . Randy's voice has been lost and we're getting it back. If it was Justin Bieber, everybody would be talking about it."

Check out photos of today's "Free Randy Blythe Vigil" at this location.

LAMB OF GOD set up a fund to help pay Blythe's legal expenses. A statement on the band's Facebook page reads, in part, "As many of you know, Randy is being held in Czech jail for a crime we believe he did not commit. We are still learning about the legal system there and the situation is fluid. We have retained local legal counsel, have support from the U.S. embassy and we are flying over additional lawyers to try and assure that Randy has the best representation possible. As many of you have pointed out, the simple fact is that the legal fees are adding up very quickly."

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