According to billboard.com, Beck is no longer opening for Arcade Fire’s upcoming North American tour. The Haitian band Boukman Eksperyans will take Beck’s place instead. Beck did not give a reason for his departure, however, it comes only months after sexual misconduct allegations were made against Arcade Fire’s frontman Win Butler. The allegations against him were first published on August 27th in a Pitchfork story. The story detailed the accounts of four individuals who claimed that they had inappropriate sexual interactions with Butler, one even stating that the singer had assaulted them. Butler has denied that any of the alleged incidents were nonconsensual. The story also used a statement from Butler where he said that relationships he has had outside of his marriage to Arcade Fire bandmate Régine Chassagne have all been consensual, and his wife was aware of all of them.
Butler’s statement read, “Our marriage has, in the past, been more unconventional than some, I have connected with people in person, at shows, and through social media, and I have shared messages of which I am not proud. Most importantly, every single one of these interactions has been mutual and always between consenting adults. It is deeply revisionist, and frankly just wrong, for anyone to suggest otherwise. I have never touched a woman against her will, and any implication that I have is simply false, I vehemently deny any suggestion that I forced myself on a woman or demanded sexual favors. That simply, and unequivocally, never happened.”
He added that, “While these relationships were all consensual, I am very sorry to anyone who I have hurt with my behavior, Life is filled with tremendous pain and error, and I never want to be part of causing someone else’s pain.”
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