Arcade Fire is down yet another opener for the North American leg of their tour.
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While alt-rocker Beck gave no reason for his recent bowing out, this is the second opener to drop out of their show just months after Arcade Fire’s frontman Win Butler was accused of sexual misconduct. Leslie Feist, better known as indie pop act Feist, was the first to separate herself from the group.
Scheduled to open for the band’s entire European trek, Feist released the below statement amid the allegations. In it, the artist wrote that “this situation touches each of our lives and speaks to us in a language unique to each of our processing.
“More than anything I wish healing to those involved,” her statement read.
Investigative reports claim Butler’s life offstage has not aligned with who he presents himself as in the public eye. The allegations of sexual misconduct were brought against the frontman by four people who were between the ages of 18 and 23 between 2015 and 2020. Devoted Arcade Fire fans, the women came to feel interactions with Butler were “inappropriate” given the power dynamics, age discrepancy—he would have been between 36 and 39 at the time—and the context in which they occurred.
The frontman denied all allegations but responded to the claims in a statement that was included in the report. “I have never touched a woman against her will, and any implication that I have is simply false,” he wrote. “I vehemently deny any suggestion that I forced myself on a woman or demanded sexual favors. That simply, and unequivocally, never happened.”
“While these relationships were all consensual, I am very sorry to anyone who I have hurt with my behavior,” he continued. “Life is filled with tremendous pain and error, and I never want to be part of causing someone else’s pain.”
Haitian band Boukman Eksperyans will take Beck’s place as the band embarks across North America.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation
