Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
The then-costumed concertgoer in question has recently given an interview about his experiences at the hardcore band End It‘s performance in Toronto, Ontario, as the aftermath from the banana man event continues to echo, as per theprp. End It removed the concertgoer wearing the banana costume from the stage, and frontman Akil Godsey offered the band’s set list to the person who tore apart the costume. End It was the opening act that evening. In a recent conversation on the “Beardo & Weirdo” show, which was hosted by comedian Craig Gass and bassist Chris Kael of Five Finger Death Punch, Banana Man disclosed that he was really there to watch Terror, the main act.
There was no pretext to it that I understood. I also didn’t do hours of research on this band before arriving to the show, cause like you said, I was there for the headliner.
When co-host Gass questioned Banana Man about whether End It was renowned for “harassing people in the crowd,” he replied that he had since heard of more incidents.
From what I understand, there’s been other incidents of banana hatred from them.
Banana Man had been going to performances in different banana costumes for a while, as seen by his social media posts, and End It had nothing to do with his choice to do so that evening. Banana Man continued by saying this about what was going through his mind when Godsey called him out.
I think you can see my happiness as he calls me and I reach for a handshake and he goes, ‘No, no, no. You don’t get rewarded.’ I was gonna say, ‘Hey, Scott, welcome to Toronto,’ but that took a turn pretty quickly.
Chris Kael, bassist and vocalist for Five Finger Death Punch, continued by expressing his anger at the incident and criticising the band for what he saw as hypocrisy in Godsey’s statement, “F*ck the IDF, free Palestine, f*ck Israel & f*ck the police,” which was made right after the bounty on banana man was issued.
Like the positive vibes that a hardcore show is supposed to be, getting the community together, and just having a good time. And it upset me so much. Especially after they get off there talking about the free Palestine thing, where [they were against] violence against Palestine, and then inciting violence on a fan who paid money to come to the show. That is insane to me.
Gass continued:
F the police and then followed by attack this guy… Like F like any kind of law and order, you know, and then attack…
And Kael stated:
And they turn it on your own people in the crowd. And I mean hardcore is known for like crowd killing. I love all that stuff. You know the hardcore dancing. It is kind of a violent thing, but to have… We’re all looking out for each other. That’s the vibe of a hardcore show. I mean, I’ve been growing up in hardcore in Lexington, Cincinnati, Vegas. I love the vibe. Knocked Loose is one of my favorite bands. And I go to these hardcore shows all the time. I have never seen anything like that. I’ve seen fights in the crowd, sure, but nothing ever incited by the band. And that’s just, I mean you’re you’re fighting against so much stuff from crowd safety in the first damn place.
Kael said this later while discussing the reaction to the now-famous banana guy event on the internet.
I mean, hardcore is known be tough, and to get upset over a banana costume? We are all family. Whether it’s a metal show, whether it’s a hardcore show, people like him, he’s paid you money to come out and see the show. Have some respect and and love for your fans coming out that are doing that, you know? I mean, everybody’s working hard, going through life. You come to those shows as an as an escape from all that other stuff, man. And then to have to deal with that, oh, it lit me up so bad.
After that, Kael personally invited Banana Man to an upcoming Five Finger Death Punch performance and urged him to wear the banana outfit if he so desired. Additionally, Banana Man reported that End It did not offer merchandise or an apology for their actions in an attempt to defuse the tension following their show. Banana Man said, “Just practise your stage show before you deliver it,” when asked if he had a message for the band right now. Kael continued by saying that he will make sure Banana Man was treated properly at a forthcoming Toronto Five Finger Death Punch event, giving him free merchandise and other things.
I love hardcore music, I love metal. I love the community and to see something like that happen to someone in our community, I was outraged. So, I wanted to make sure we got a chance to get on here and talk to you about your experience and turn it around for you and get you out there to celebrate in Toronto with us.
Although the group’s Facebook profile vanished this week, End It has not yet publicly addressed the banana guy event. Additionally, the band failed to show up for their scheduled opening role on a tour with Hatebreed and Life of Agony.
