were two mates around me so they gave me a bit of room

[Vladv1]

"It was the first time I’d seen the band play since I’d left them. And here’s the intro, then Brian singing, it was just bizarre! But really poignant, seeing them without Bon. I was in the VIP area and there were two mates around me so they gave me a bit of room. But I was really unsettled by it a couple of times. But if it was difficult for me, those guys lived through it, playing those songs every night, and living through that. What they did and the way they dealt with that transition, man, I’ve got nothing but the utmost respect for those guys. It was so f*****g gutsy."

Mick Wall, "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be".

Could you please explain the bolded in other words? To me the sentences seems out of place. Thanks a lot.

 

[Tarheel]

"It was the first time I’d seen the band play since I’d left them. And here’s the intro, then Brian singing, it was just bizarre! But really poignant, seeing them without Bon. I was in the VIP area and there were two mates around me so they gave me a bit of room. But I was really unsettled by it a couple of times. But if it was difficult for me, those guys lived through it, playing those songs every night, and living through that. What they did and the way they dealt with that transition, man, I’ve got nothing but the utmost respect for those guys. It was so f*****g gutsy."
Mick Wall, "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be".
Could you please explain the bolded in other words? To me the sentences SEEM out of place. [............]

It probably has something to do with the situation. Had something happened to Bon?

 

[Vladv1]

It probably has something to do with the situation. Had something happened to Bon?

Bon had died earlier. But what does it have to do with "there were two mates around me so they gave me a bit of room"

 

[Tarheel]

His friend had recently died.

Gee, I'm not sure what else to say.

 

[Vladv1]

His friend had recently died.

Gee, I'm not sure what else to say.

What does "there were two mates around me so they gave me a bit of room" mean in the context? I see no logic in having two mates near you and being given a bit of room.

 

[emsr2d2]

I expect that in the VIP area, friends would normally be dancing and singing together in quite close proximity. In the situation described, his friends appear to be aware of the fact that he's finding the experience a little odd so they are giving him some space to deal with it in his own way.

 

[Tarheel]

He might be grieving over his lost friend.

It's not about logic. It's about feelings.