If you are not familiar with punk band The Story So Far, they take their name from a not-so-good New Found Glory song and generally play whimsical pop punk, which typically caters to teenage girls.
Now, frontman Parker Cannon is at the center of some controversy when a video surfaced showing Parker literally dropkicking a fan off stage for attempting to take a selfie. Here's the video:
Personally, I feel like the stage is meant for the band and if a fan wants to hop up, they can do one of two things – sing along (if invited) or just stage dive. The idea of hopping on stage, getting your phone out and posturing for a selfie seems very obnoxious to me. BUT, when your band caters to teenage girls, whose entire life is about snapping selfies, and you invite them on stage, a selfie is to be expected. Even more offensive, there is an unspoken rule in concerts that the musicians on stage will not intentionally harm their audience. There is a trust there between the musician and the artist and Cannon broke that trust.
We in the metal world have seen the worst of what happens when somebody is so much as pushed off stage, but what Cannon did was completely reckless, immature and lacked any form of empathy.
Cannon probably felt like such a tough guy, kicking a girl half his age, while literally the least tough music imaginable is playing in the background. Cannon just comes off like a jerk. Even worse, this wasn't the first time he did this. Here is another instance a few years ago:
Basically, the dude is a narcissistic douche. The Toronto venue where the incident happened, Mod Club, clearly agrees with me, as the band is barred from the venue. If the girl did get injured, I can only imagine the barrage of lawsuits that would've followed.
Other bands have began speaking out against these actions including Funeral For A Friend:
"We've been a touring band for a long time and during that time we've had many enthusiastic, friendly people join us on stage to dance, sing, stage dive etc. We've always respected the well being of the people that come to our shows regardless if they pop onto stage and take a selfie or dance with us (yes, we've had it happen on our stages before and we make sure they leave the stage safely as possible).
"Acting like an asshole and kicking someone because they're taking a selfie is not acceptable behaviour (regardless of your personal feelings on the matter) and is a shame on this whole scene. If any band out there actually thinks that this behaviour can be justified in any way then that saddens us beyond belief.
"Set a positive example, not a negative one."
It's just so shitty. Don't be shitty to your fans. They're the ones paying your bills.
