🎶 2022-08-31 15:47:00 – Paris/France.
Rón Maguire was near the front of the queue for the Arcade Fire gig in Dublin on Tuesday night, the start of the band's European tour, and stuck somewhere between agony and ecstasy.
"I've listened to them all my life," said the 20-year-old student, who wore a homemade Arcade Fire t-shirt. “But this news, my God Louise, I was in ribbons. There are a lot of musicians doing horrible things, but Win?
Earlier this week singer Win Butler was accused of sexual misconduct by four people. He has denied the allegations, but it has left some fans with tickets to the first night of their European tour – and their first show since the allegations emerged on Saturday – with a dilemma: to go or not to go?
Radio stations in Canada and the United States began to pull the band's songs from playlists. Social media commentators have urged fans to boycott upcoming gigs in Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and elsewhere. Some Dublin fans said on Twitter that they had decided not to attend.
Many were surprised that the tour went ahead. Asked for comment, an Arcade Fire publicist said only that the band would continue their tour, which promotes their new album, We.
JD Carey, left, and Rón Maguire queue for the Arcade Fire concert at Dublin's 3Arena. Photograph: Rory Carroll/The Guardian
In the 3Arena, the show's opening act, Canadian singer Feist, made no mention of the allegations during her performance. She displayed a poster at her merchandise stand pledging to donate proceeds from her sales to Women's Aid, an Irish charity that helps victims of domestic abuse. His publicist did not return a request for comment.
Maguire's solution to the dilemma was to defer learning the details of the allegations against Butler until after the show. “I would much rather not know now. I think once in, I'll be in the zone. I'll read it when I get home. I will be upset.
Maguire's companion, JD Carey, 18, came in solidarity with her friend but felt uncomfortable. “It's horrible for the victims to see fans continue to support the group. »
Inside the arena, 19-year-old Shan Conley echoed that sentiment. “I wouldn't have bought the ticket if the news had come out before. I wouldn't want to contribute to his income if he had done something like that.
Her companion, Steve Dowling, 20, had no doubts about her presence. “Until he is found guilty, these are only allegations. »
An investigation by US music publication Pitchfork found that four people, aged between 18 and 23 at the time, allege Butler behaved inappropriately. The three women and a gender-fluid person accuse the singer of exploiting his fame and fandom, including sending unwanted sexual messages, in incidents that took place between 2015 and 2020, when Butler was between 34 and 39 years old. .
Win Butler performing in Dublin. Photography: Debbie Hickey/Getty Images
Butler said the relationships were consensual: "It is profoundly revisionist, and frankly, simply wrong, for anyone to suggest otherwise. »
The controversy shocked many because Arcade Fire became the aristocracy of indie music — they played Barack Obama's inauguration — on the back of anthemic songs and a sound, politically progressive image. Butler's longtime partner Régine Chassagne plays with the band and defended him to Pitchfork, saying she was "certain" he had never touched a woman without her consent.
Butler caused a thrill just before the Dublin show when he walked through the arena and greeted surprised and delighted fans. A woman, who minutes earlier had learned of the allegations via Twitter, posed with the Grammy winner for selfies, beaming. She would read the allegations after the show, she said.
Asked by the Guardian if he would address the controversy from the stage, Butler stopped, shrugged, offered a handshake and walked away.
Taking the stage to deafening cheers from a near-full arena, Butler thanked the audience “from the bottom of my heart” for being there. That's the closest he came to alluding to the allegations.
Minimizing the jokes, he launches into the band's classic hit, Wake Up, and delivers an energetic set with Chassagne and the rest of the band, mixing old hits and new songs.
The group leaves the stage on an excerpt from Stand By Me by Ben E King, another possible allusion to the situation.
The crowd's ecstatic response — and the absence of any obvious heckling — suggested those fans, at least, were keeping the faith.
"He's a rock star, it comes with the territory, it's the lifestyle," said Dessie Hamill, 60, who had left his home in Northern Ireland that morning to land a spot on the front of the stage. “Women chase him every day of the week. It's one of the biggest bands in the world. »
Others were unaware of the allegations and, when told, ignored them. “No offense to the male species, but a man is a man,” said a woman in her thirties. “I'm just here for the music. »
Others conceded their unease but said they separated the art from the artist. "I don't justify anything, but different artists have had questionable behavior in the past and you still listen to the music," said Silvia D'Angelo, 31, from Italy.
Another fan, 29, echoed the sentiment. “People still listen to Michael Jackson. She declined to give her name, citing the reaction of "woke" younger colleagues.
Pat O'Leary, 50, said the allegations surprised him. “Arcade Fire would have some cachet for trying to do the right thing. He had bought a T-shirt, the proceeds of which went to Haiti. Sexual misconduct allegations have tainted other creative figures such as Woody Allen and Roman Polanski, O'Leary said. "Would that stop me from watching Chinatown?" No. »
SOURCE: Reviews News
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