Tuesday night in Melbourne, Australia, members of the rock group The Brian Jonestown Massacre got into a physical altercation in front of a large crowd. The band decided to postpone the remainder of their Australian tour as a result of this incident.
The band’s 56-year-old frontman, Anton Newcombe, seemed to start the chaos onstage around six songs into the set. Ryan Van Kriedt, the band’s guitarist, was abruptly removed from the stage by Newcombe, who also gave the crew the order to turn off his microphone.
Newcombe is heard saying, “Cut off this guy’s mic, put down my guitar, party’s over, captain,” in a video that a fan posted to social media.
“We really don’t need you,” he declared emphatically, adding that there wouldn’t be any more music until Van Kriedt departed. Proceed. I set my guitar down on the stage and considered the situation.
Turn off the plug.” In response, Van Kriedt said, “Because this is forever,” making sure that Newcombe understood the gravity of his demand and advising him to carefully weigh the implications of his choice.
Ryan Van Kriedt stormed off stage
Van Kriedt became enraged and stormed off stage, expressing his frustration with the disruptive behavior on stage. In an unexpected turn of events, fans saw lead singer Newcombe grab his guitar and swing it in Van Kriedt’s direction, appearing to make contact with his face.
The guitarist responded by chasing Newcombe across the stage and putting him on the ground with a tackle. Security, band members, and crew rushed to break up the fight, during which Van Kriedt put the frontman in a headlock.
Van Kriedt left the stage after they were separated, but Newcombe kept acting irrationally and yelling at everyone nearby.
Anton Newcombe and the attendees clash
As the curtains slowly dropped, announcing the end of the postponed concert, irate fans booed and threw bottles onto the stage, declaring, “Remaining unbeaten, may this country be blessed,” Newcombe said into the microphone.
According to Newcombe’s claims in the Sydney Morning Herald, he told the audience at the start of the show that he had been approached with a knife earlier in the day.
The terrifying ordeal had left him “tired and emotional,” he said, adding, “I expended most of the voice that I wanted to give to you.”
The fans were allegedly told, “Unfortunately, on this day, all I can give you is everything I have.” Fans, though, are presenting an alternative viewpoint.
After the disastrous performance, one attendee told News.com.au that “Anton sang horribly for about 20 minutes and spent most of the two hours yelling at us.”
He used many profanities and called us cancerous reptiles. He claimed we were cancer patients, expressed his distaste for being here, spent the entire evening talking to his band, and frequently expressed gratitude for his presence.”
The Brian Jonestown Massacre has decided to postpone the remainder of their Australian shows due to the unrest that transpired on Tuesday, as the band has stated on their website.
“The Brian Jonestown Massacre regretfully informs ticket holders that the concert scheduled for Thursday, November 23 at the Northcote Theatre has been canceled on medical grounds,” reads the statement on their ticketing page.
Despite not finding widespread success, the indie psychedelic rock group Brian Jonestown Massacre, which was founded in San Francisco in 1990, has amassed a devoted following worldwide.
The band hasn’t commented on Tuesday night’s events in public as of yet.
More about The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Anton Newcombe is the founder and leader of the American musical project and band known as The Brian Jonestown Massacre. In 1990, it was founded in San Francisco.
The band’s turbulent working relationships and Newcombe’s erratic behavior made them the main subject of the 2004 documentary Dig! and garnered media attention.
The group has released 20 albums, 5 compilation albums, 5 live albums, 14 EPs, 22 singles, and 2 albums featuring a variety of artists.
