Do you approve with your presence the acts of which Win Butler is accused? With the applause for the music, do you also pat the head of someone who, due to the increasing applause, may have abused his power situation? And don’t you also spit in the faces of alleged victims of loud sexual abuse?
One day before the start of the European tour of Arcade Fire, music site Pitchfork testimonies of four fans who accuse the singer Win Butler of transgressive behavior. One victim spoke of unwanted touch, the others told how he would insist on sexting and sex. Win Butler, along with his wife Régine Chassagne, the faces of Arcade Fire, have admitted extramarital affairs, but denies that there was coercion. Earlier, Win’s brother Will left the group, which underlines the seriousness of the stories according to fans.
In a statement a Pitchfork the Canadian responded to the allegations and hit the mea culpa. “I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused,” he said. The fire camp has been eerily quiet ever since. Only when Leslie Feist decided to retire from tour in her supporting role was a brief response: “We are very sorry to see Leslie coming home, but we fully understand and respect her decision.”
“Being on tour longer with the group would mean my defense or ignorance of the pain caused by Win Butler,” Feist wrote in a Facebook statement. “As I leave it would imply that I am acting like a judge.” There wasn’t much of an ethical dilemma around the Sportpaleis. From “innocent until proven guilty” to self-styled super fans who “weren’t even aware” of the hype: after a poll, the conclusion was that Flemish Arcade Fire fans are holding the church in the middle.
Discussion
“To go or not to go: I had the argument at home with my girlfriend, but as far as I know, stay with the allegations and there is no official complaint,” says Jelle Moës. “If he were suspected, only then would I reconsider my decision.” “We have to admit we didn’t really think about it,” she plays in Wendy’s and Vicky Troch’s group of friends. “Only because today it was widely discussed on Radio 1 did we realize that something was happening, but for us it remains a good group in the first place.”
A handful of fans declined to comment, saying they believe the media is contributing to “misplaced mass hysteria”. Some say they have considered reselling tickets, others are only there because of the bargain prices on Ticketswap. At one point you had to pay 20 euros for a seat in the central square, where tickets originally cost almost 70 euros. For a seat you paid only 15 euros on the resale site instead of the original 50 euros.
“Damn, I paid another 30 euros”, smiles a twenty-year-old who wishes to remain anonymous because distorted by the accusations. “This is the second time I’m going to see Arcade Fire, but the first time it was so good, it finally convinced me to buy a ticket.” Tim Broddin has watched Arcade Fire 15 times and believes everyone should decide for themselves how heavy the charges will be, “although I’m curious if I can get the jerk off and the artist off.”
Dickpic
“Let him who is without sin cast the first stone”, says Sigrid Snijders. “It wasn’t used to go to Guns N ‘Roses, even though the drug was known to be circulating behind the scenes, which I don’t agree with either? My 16 year old daughter is likely to get an unwanted dick photo one day. I don’t approve of it, nor Butler’s behavior, but you eliminate all those who have never made a mistake and there are 1,000 people left on the planet. ”
As long as he stays with the allegations, it’s not fair to punish the whole group, Snijders says. During the show at the Sportpaleis, Win Butler called for applause from the 71 crew members who make this tour possible. This is probably also why Arcade Fire decided after the hustle and bustle not to interrupt the tour, which would have been a huge financial loss for Butler, the musicians and the crew.
“We didn’t hesitate to come, but we wonder if the tension within the group will be felt,” friends Annick and Kathleen said in advance. The answer? No. Win Butler generously spread peace signs around, but did not address the allegations in his binding texts. For two hours, multi-instrumentalist Paul Beaubrun seemed to have the time of her life and someone who goes to work reluctantly doesn’t get mad as Régine Chassagne – she said in a statement to keep up with her husband – during ‘Reflektor’.
For the first time on this tour, Win Butler took the time to crowdsurf, where he had been more attentive in the previous weeks, as can be deduced from previous reviews of this tour. Afterwards, “Wake Up” was cheerfully booed by a Sportpaleis returning home. You have the impression that the storm will pass, even if the aftertaste remains sour.
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