News: Joyce Manor Altercates with Fans
By: Chris Reinbold, Contributor
California punk band Joyce Manor sparked quite the load of controversy as of last week. Band front man Barry Johnson called out a stage diver that was threatening a handful of people, making the show unsafe. He brought the stage diver up on stage and spoke to him, telling him not to threaten the safety of others at the show. The event could have stopped there.
At a show on September 26, Joyce Manor, again, held up a stage diver, this time the instance being more severe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osp7IuaBx5s). Johnson pulled the stage diver up on stage and publicly shamed him, calling him a “patriotic straight edge piece of shit.” The stage diver took to Twitter to rile up the band and their fans, adding fuel to the fire. On September 27, the band publicly made a statement on their Facebook:
“I wasn't able to watch people being hurt so I asked people not to act in the way that was hurting people. If that means you don't support the band, I respect that. If you don't want to attend the shows, we respect that. If you've bought a ticket to the show and want your money back because you want that to be your experience, we will refund you.
I don't have an issue with anyone's lifestyle. I apologize to losing my cool in Houston. I saw someone whose full intention was to harm people and was upset.
I look forward to playing music in a safe environment for everyone from here on out.”
Follow the story at Property of Zack as the rest unfolds.
