After Screeching Weasel's recent SXSW gig was marred by an altercation between Ben Weasel and a female fan who hit Weasel in the eye with an ice cube, it seems the number of bands dropping out of the three-day Weasel Fest is growing by the hour.
The first to drop out were the Soviettes, with Teenage Bottlerocket and Chinese Telephones following suit. It has led many to speculate that the entire festival may be scrapped. An insider at Reggie's, the venue scheduled to hold the event, goes even further, opining that the venue may, in fact, pull out of the event.
Guess Ben Weasel's heartfelt apology has fallen on deaf ears.
We at The Shit were bummed to see Ben lose his cool at the show, but, from all reports, the guy seemed to be under the mistaken assumption that he was SXSW's keynote speaker, delivering one long-winded diatribe after another. When the band did finally break into song, it came as quite a welcome relief from the verbal tongue-lashing. Sort of a musical version of "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out."
That is, until the fight broke out.
Ben was 100% in the wrong, as was the female fan who chucked the ice cube. She, of course, felt immediate repercussions as a result of her thoughtless actions and might refrain from doing something like this ever again. Ben, on the other hand, was whisked out of the venue before authorities arrived, but he too is feeling the repercussions of his actions, canceling the next night's show for obvious reasons (not wanting to be arrested) and beating a hasty exit out of the great state of Texas.
While it remains to be seen if charges will be filed, further repercussions of Weasel's actions continue to arrive in the form of one band after another dropping out of Weasel Fest.
While we at The Shit do not find this the least bit surprising, we do question the motivation behind each band dropping out. Are they doing so in protest of Weasel's actions - if so, none have yet to say so publicly, beyond cancelling "for obvious reasons" - or are they too scared to play the fest, fearing further violence?
In the case of Chinese Telephones, their cancellation means that younger Chicago fans won't be able to see the band, as Weasel Fest is an all-ages gig. The band's 21-and-over Chicago show the next night will take place as planned.
Whatever repercussions Ben Weasel may be feeling as a result of a momentary lapse of reason, it always seems the fans ultimately pay the price as well.