Warped Tour is underway, once again sending a tornado of pop-punk, bad hair dye and Vans whirling across America all summer — but the event took a nasty turn in Denver earlier this week.
Long-running California punk outfit the Dickies engaged in a verbal altercation with a crowd member during their set on Sunday (June 25), using a string of colourful obscenities to berate a woman in the audience.
Frontman Leonard Grave Phillips let loose a barrage of derogatory language aimed at the woman, calling her a "cunt" and encouraging an audience chant of "Blow me! Blow me! Blow me!"
The full NSFW diatribe was captured on film by another attendee, and many have since publicly condemned the band on social media.
Warped Tour producer Kevin Lyman has confirmed that the Dickies are no longer participating in the tour, though they were never scheduled to appear after June 25 anyways.
Phillips, meanwhile, has issued his own response to the backlash. In a Facebook post, he explains that a group of protestors were standing to the side of the stage holding signs that read "Our teenage girls don't need to be subjected to derogatory jokes by a disgusting old man" and "Punk isn't predatory," and he claims that a woman from that group threw one of the signs at him.
He admits that he "finally let my anger get the better of me," and then issues the world's worst apology, stating: "I understand the word 'cunt' is inflammatory and that many women have been abused by this word. I should have called her an 'asshole.'"
Read Phillips' full message below.
Long-running California punk outfit the Dickies engaged in a verbal altercation with a crowd member during their set on Sunday (June 25), using a string of colourful obscenities to berate a woman in the audience.
Frontman Leonard Grave Phillips let loose a barrage of derogatory language aimed at the woman, calling her a "cunt" and encouraging an audience chant of "Blow me! Blow me! Blow me!"
The full NSFW diatribe was captured on film by another attendee, and many have since publicly condemned the band on social media.
I didn't think this was still allowed at @VansWarpedTour pic.twitter.com/VcVsZl93aH
— Netflix Origanal (@thechubbywubby) June 26, 2017
If you have the privilege of being on a stage NEVER use that to make someone feel unsafe. That's a disgusting and pathetic move for cowards.
— Garrett Russell (@SilentGarrett) June 26, 2017
Nah, the dickies can get fucked https://t.co/oW9CtdrcwL
— webbæ (@chrismilkteeth) June 28, 2017
Warped Tour producer Kevin Lyman has confirmed that the Dickies are no longer participating in the tour, though they were never scheduled to appear after June 25 anyways.
It was a very unfortunate incident and the tour does not condone this at all, they will no longer be on the tour.
— KevinLyman (@KevinLyman) June 26, 2017
Phillips, meanwhile, has issued his own response to the backlash. In a Facebook post, he explains that a group of protestors were standing to the side of the stage holding signs that read "Our teenage girls don't need to be subjected to derogatory jokes by a disgusting old man" and "Punk isn't predatory," and he claims that a woman from that group threw one of the signs at him.
He admits that he "finally let my anger get the better of me," and then issues the world's worst apology, stating: "I understand the word 'cunt' is inflammatory and that many women have been abused by this word. I should have called her an 'asshole.'"
Read Phillips' full message below.
