A heavy metal group known as Lamb of God -- which had been scheduled to open at The Forum for the more well-known group Slipknot on April 9 -- has been banned from the venue.
Apparently the new owners of the Forum, Faithful Central Bible Church, found out that the group used to go by another name: Burn the Priest.
Although it's doubtful the group actually advocated the burning of priests, it was enough for the church to cancel the opening act, the L.A. Times reports:
Marc Little, chief operating officer for the church's business dealings, said that the operation walks a difficult line as a part-time player in the concert business.
"This is a building that is owned by a church, and we are sensitive to our congregation and to our obvious religious beliefs," Little said. "At the same time, we have to balance that with being a business. This is a band that was formerly known as Burn the Priest, so it's a fair assumption that some of the stuff they are singing may be antithetical to our beliefs."
The Forum was once the storied home court of the Los Angeles Lakers and a major hub for rock history, with bookings for Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. After the 1999 opening of the Staples Center downtown, the Forum appeared headed for demolition until Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer, leader of Faithful Central, led his church in a fundraising campaign to buy it.
The Forum has pulled in some major acts in recent years, among them hard rock groups Metallica and Linkin Park, whose music might give a pastor pause. But Lamb of God's former name was apparently too religiously hostile to accept.
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