Source: Blabbermouth.net
** UPDATE #2**: FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH drummer Jeremy Spencer has posted the following message on his Facebook page: “We did NOT break up! Things went sideways with technical issues. Ivan got pissed and took it out onstage. It was a bad night, to say the least. He has since apologized. But we are 100% still a band and look forward to seeing you all on tour!”
** UPDATE #1**: FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH singer Ivan Moody has released the following statement regarding the band’s abbreviated performance last night (Friday, May 1) at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee:
“There were a lot of technical problems last night that were seemingly unsolvable. We had to make a decision whether to hit the stage crippled, without being able to hear ourselves; or, delay the start of the show — possibly for hours. We decided to proceed, but not being able to hear if I was in key and just guessing where we were in the song frustrated me to the point that I lost my cool.
“I’m not saying I handled it appropriately. Matter of fact, I’ve never been so embarrassed before.
“I apologize for taking out my anger on stage.
“You guys know me and you know how I pride myself on my live performances. I’d never want this to boil over into something that epically wrong ever again.
“To some of our crew, good luck in your future endeavors. We wish you the best. We also welcome our new monitor engineer Paul Weber.
“To our fans in Memphis — we’ll make it up to you, I promise.
“Houston, we we will see you tonight.
“The rest of the world — yes, we are coming.
“And to the haters… wipe that smirk off your face …We are not going anywhere.”
The original article follows below.
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH cut its performance short last night (Friday, May 1) at theBeale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee, prompting speculation that not all is well between the band’s lead singer and the rest of the group.
Based on fan-filmed video clips which have surfaced this morning and Twitter postings from several fans who attended last night’s concert, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH performed half a dozen songs before the entire band, except vocalist Ivan Moody, walked off stage, leaving the singer seemingly confused and talking to fans in rambling fashion.
One person who witnessed last night’s events, Brian Hatchett, told The New Fury web site: “Ivan held up Jeremy‘s [Spencer, drums] book and asked the fans if they had this FFDPbook. Then, still mic’d seemingly unknowingly, said, That I had nothing to do with,’ directed atJeremy. Jeremy then threw his sticks and walked off stage, and the band shortly followed.Ivan talked for a minute, threw his mic, and marched off. A few minutes later, Ivan came back, rambled and talked to the fans, and attempted to play around on Jeremy‘s drumkit, trying to lead a song rather weakly. Jeremy and the rest of the band came back and played a song while sounding completely out of step with each other, while Ivan stayed really close toJeremy, seeming to talk shit to him. Everyone left again, Ivan threw the mic again. This routine repeated a couple more times until they just ran out of stage time and walked off stage, not to return.”
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory revealed last month that “all the music [was] done” for the band’s next album in a video message he posted on Instagram.Bathory added that Moody was in the studio “recording the remaining vocals” for the CD, which is expected out before the end of the year.
Spencer‘s autobiography, “Death Punch’d: Surviving Five Finger Death Punch’s Metal Mayhem”, came out last September and was described by the publisher as “a wry and rollicking tale of music, addiction and recovery, revealing the path that served as a catalyst to make him the man he is today.”