"Hundreds" of phones stolen at Slipknot's Sheffield FlyDSA Arena show

“Hundreds” of phones are estimated to have been stolen at Slipknot’s FlyDSA Arena gig in Sheffield on Monday night.
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The American heavy metal band brought their raucous live show to the city earlier this week as part of their nationwide tour, which has been dogged by thefts at numerous dates.

Gig-goers from Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester and Sheffield have all fallen victim to pickpocketing during the band’s sets, which see thousands of people create giant mosh pits where many fans are swept-up with the crowd.

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Carl Jennings, 52, was among those whose phone was stolen in Sheffield. A veteran of “thousands” of gigs, the former roadie was at the show to see Polish support band BEHEMOTH, who he watched from the barriers before moving back to avoid Slipknot’s ‘2000-strong mosh pit’.

It wasn’t until he moved further forward towards the end of the show that he noticed his £400 Huawei phone was missing.

Carl, from Doncaster, said: “I thought I would go and get some photos but when I put my hand in my pocket my phone wasn’t there.

“At the end of the show I went back down the front to look for it and as I was looking down there were dozens of empty phone cases on the floor.”

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Carl says online estimates place the amount of phones stolen at the Sheffield show alone in the hundreds.

FlyDSA Arena FlyDSA Arena
FlyDSA Arena

“I was fuming – raging. The staff were awful, they were just saying ‘Don’t care’,” he added.

“The theory is that a gang is following the tour around and capitalising on the size of the pits. The pits get really big, it’s just carnage.”

Carl’s phone has been switched off since Monday, but he said others have told him GPS has located their phones in London, and even a self-storage unit in Birmingham.

“This is a professional deal,” he said.

Slipknot's UK tour has been dogged by thefts at numerous dates.Slipknot's UK tour has been dogged by thefts at numerous dates.
Slipknot's UK tour has been dogged by thefts at numerous dates.
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“It was really surprising for me but since I’ve looked into it seems to be happening more and more with phones getting smaller and lighter.”

Luckily, Carl’s phone is insured and his photos are backed up, with the exception of those he took on Monday evening.

The Star has contacted FlyDSA Arena for comment.