Rón Maguire was stranded between anguish and excitement at the front of the line for Arcade Fire’s concert in Dublin on Tuesday night, the commencement of the band’s European tour. Here you will read about how Win Butler’s charges were addressed at an arcade fire concert?
The 20-year-old student, sporting a homemade Arcade Fire T-shirt, proudly declared, “I’ve been listening to them my whole life.” But this revelation has left me in shreds. Many musicians are guilty of terrible acts, but Win?
This week, four people accused musician Win Butler of s*xual misconduct. Though he has rejected the allegations, several fans were left wondering whether or not to attend the band’s first European tour gig since the allegations surfaced on Saturday night.
The band’s tracks have been removed from rotation at some Canadian and American radio stations. On social media, many people have voiced their support for a fan boycott of an upcoming concert that will take place in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, or any of several other countries. Some Dublin supporters announced on Twitter that they would not be there.
There was a lot of scepticism about the trip even happening. When asked for comment, an Arcade Fire representative simply indicated the band would keep touring in support of its latest album, We.
The show’s opening act, Canadian musician Feist, did not refer to the allegations onstage at the 3Arena. She put up a sign at her wares table promising to give all of the money she made to Women’s Aid, an Irish organisation that provides services to victims of domestic violence. A call to her publicist went unanswered.
Maguire got out of the jam by waiting until after the concert to find out what precisely the allegations were against Butler. I’d prefer not to find out right now. Once I get into it, I’ll surely be in the zone. When I go home, I’ll go look it up. I’m going to have a bad mood.
JD Carey, 18, came to support Maguire and avoid making her feel sick. According to one victim’s family member, “it’s difficult for the victims to watch fans continue supporting the band.”
Seventeen-year-old Shan Conley, who was also in the arena, expressed this sentiment. I would never have purchased a ticket if such information had been public beforehand. If he did something dishonest to get money, I wouldn’t want to help him.
Her 20-year-old travel partner, Steve Dowling, was determined to be there. The accusations against him are just that until he is found guilty.
Between 2015 and 2020, when Butler was between the ages of 34 and 39, the three women and one transgender person accused the singer of taking advantage of his popularity and their adoration by sending them unwelcome s*xual messages.
According to Butler, “it is deeply revisionist, and frankly plain wrong” to say that the relationships weren’t mutually consenting.
Many people were taken aback by the controversy because Arcade Fire rose to the top of the indie music world on the strength of their rousing tunes and a virtuous, politically progressive image (they even performed at Barack Obama’s inauguration), making them seem like the epitome of a prestigious band. Longtime companion and band member Régine Chassagne defended Butler, stating she was “confident” he had never touched a woman without her consent.
Butler strolled around the arena just before the Dublin event and greeted shocked, happy fans, causing a buzz. A woman who had only found out about the claims minutes before on Twitter smiled broadly as she posed for photographs with the Grammy winner. After the show, she claimed, she would do some research on the charges.
To roars of approval from the nearly sold-out crowd, Butler took the stage and expressed gratitude “from the bottom of my heart” for being there. That was his most indirect reference to the accusations.
Keeping his introductions to a minimum, he dove right into the band’s signature hit Wake Up and performed an upbeat set with Chassagne and the rest of the band, alternating between their most well-known songs and some of their more recent material.
Another apparent reference was made after the band departed the stage to a clip of Ben E. King’s Stand By Me.
The enthusiastic response from the audience and the lack of overt heckling indicated that at least some of the attendees were true believers.
Dessie Hamill, 60, who had travelled from Northern Ireland to get front row seats, explained, “He’s a rock star; it comes with the territory; it’s the lifestyle.” Every day of the week, women are after him. They are a central international act.
Still, others just laughed them off when informed of the claims. One lady in her thirties said, “No offence to the male species, but a man’s a man.” “I’m only listening to the tunes,” I said.
A few others admitted feeling uneasy but claimed they could “detach” themselves from the artist’s work. “I’m not rationalising anything, but different singers have had problematic behaviour in the past, and you still listen to the music,” said Silvia D’Angelo, 31, from Italy.
A second young female supporter, age 29, agreed. True or false: “Michael Jackson is still popular.” She stated that the reaction of her more youthful, more “awake” coworkers was why she did not want to reveal her identity.
Pat O’Leary, 50, was taken aback by the charges. “Arcade Fire would have a certain cachet about trying to do the right thing.” He had bought a T-shirt whose proceeds went to Haiti. S*xual misconduct allegations tainted other creative figures such as Woody Allen and Roman Polanski, said O’Leary. “Would it stop me watching Chinatown? No.”
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