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Artist News Gigs & Festivals Live Business
QOTSA protest VIP area and Massive Attack cancel performance at Mad Cool festival
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 16 July 2018
Queens Of The Stone Age interrupted their performance mid-song at the Mad Cool festival in Madrid on Saturday to complain about a VIP area in front of the stage. Frontman Josh Homme refused to continue playing until security allowed normal punters into the fenced off section.
According to NME, after halting the performance in the middle of ‘No One Knows’, Homme told security staff: “You’d better let those people in. I’m not playing until you let them in. You’d better let them in because you work for me tonight”.
Security seemingly relented and let a number of non-VIPs into the VIP zone, although initially not enough for Homme’s liking. “Let them in”, he reportedly said. “Look at my face. Let them in or I will walk down there and let them all in”.
Eventually satisfied that there were now enough Ps in the VIP pen, the band resumed their set, although Homme later addressed security again – seemingly to hit out at perceived heavy-handedness. He said: “Security, go easy on these kids here. I’ll kick all the security out and the whole place will run wild. Be nice or be gone”.
Explaining his initial gripe later, he said: “The reason I told them to let people in there with you guys is I’m getting sick of everyone telling everyone what to do. I’m sick of everyone being offended. We travelled thousands of miles to play your party, to give you a night to remember. And we won’t leave until you’re fucked up, high, dancing, making out with somebody and having the best night of your life. Otherwise, you’re just a bunch of domesticated animals”.
This was not the only mini-controversy at the Mad Cool festival. On Friday night, Massive Attack cancelled their performance at the last minute over sound bleed from another stage. In a now deleted statement, the festival initially said that the band were “claiming that the sound of the stage where Franz Ferdinand were playing at the time would bother them during the performance of their show”.
