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The New Pornographers member and her band reportedly walked off the stage after just three or four songs of the performance supporting new album Neon Grey Midnight Green after Case told the audience that she had been “raped at gunpoint.” One fan described an “older white ‘armed civilian’ with jeans and a cowboy hat and a huge customized pistol on his hip” posted up at the side of the stage.
“Guys, there are men on every side of this room with a gun and I am not comfortable playing this show, I’m sorry,” Case apparently said, as per another fan’s alleged recording transcription. “It’s not okay. I can’t have men with guns watching me right now. I don’t know if you’ve ever been raped at gunpoint, but you don’t want people hanging around with guns, you just don’t fuckin’ [unintelligible]… so, I am very sorry about this, but they’re not leaving so I guess we are, thank you.”
Another person who claims to have been in the front row said they saw the singer-songwriter with their band in the wings before taking the stage, and “it was clear that seeing the open carry armed security guard surprised/upset her — she was backing up, shaking her head ‘no,’ and there was a flurry of venue folk talking around her.”
They added that, after people started clapping, they “got the impression that she tried to rally and go on once she’d been spotted/recognized. But it was clearly too triggering to her.”
As per attendees on Reddit — and the venue’s replies to comments on a Facebook post about the show — ticket refunds are being processed. Many attendees across various comments sections seem rightfully upset about the situation, although far too many seem to be misdirecting their anger at Case for needing “special treatment.” I can think of very few situations where an armed security guard — open-carrying, no less! — would be necessary to have anywhere near the stage at a show like this (the Caverns is also quite literally a cave).
