Times Square Bomb Threat Doesn’t Upend Overkill’s Killfest Stop

The late Saturday night bomb threat that immobilized much of New York City's Times Square affected the Overkill tour, ironically dubbed Killfest 2010, as well. The tour's final show was at the Nokia Theater, located smack dab in the heart of the always bustling Times Square. But when a crude car bomb of propane, gasoline and fireworks was discovered in a Nissan Pathfinder just off Broadway and 45th, thousands of theatergoers, tourists and concert attendees were evacuated, including metalheads there to get their headbang on and to see Overkill, Vader and Woe of Tyrants. Some fans could not get into the venue; others could not leave. The device did not explode, despite initially detonating. As of Sunday, authorities were still on the hunt for both a suspect and a motive.

During the incident, the region from 43rd to 48th Streets were shut down, as were portions of Sixth and Eighth Avenues. This led to a major problem for Woe of Tyrants guitarist Matt Kincaid, who went out for a slice of New York pizza when the car was discovered. Kincaid was unable to regain entry into the venue and remained stuck outside, unable to reach his bandmates.

In an audio interview, Kincaid voiced his frustration with being stuck outside. "The is first time we've ever played in Times Square, this is the last day of tour," he told a reporter for The New York Times. "I left the Nokia Theater to go get a slice of pizza, turned around and it was all closed down ... they won't let me back on the street where the Nokia Theater is. My phone is dead, the rest of my band is in theater and I can't get a hold of them. I've been stuck out here, I left my wallet in there with my ID."

Overkill and Vader did, however, perform to the fans who were trapped inside the venue and unable to leave.

At a 2 AM Sunday press conference, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that Gotham was "very lucky" and "we avoided what could have been a very deadly event."