One of Detroit’s fastest-rising bands has canceled its current tour after its now ex-keyboard player was arrested on child pornography charges.
The remaining members of Mac Saturn announced Monday that due to the scandal, they have decided to cancel the rest of their 35-date trek.
“In our darkest hour, we remain dedicated to creating music and spaces for people to celebrate life as safely and respectfully as possible,” Mac Saturn said in a statement. “In light of this, we have made the difficult decision to end our tour effective immediately,” adding that they planned to donate money to the Joyful Heart Foundation, a charity for survivors of sexual assault.
The band’s full statement follows this article.
Mac Saturn kicked off its tour on Friday with a record release show for its latest album, Hard to Sell, at the Fillmore. However, hours before the show, The Detroit News reported that the band’s keyboardist Evan Mercer was arrested by the FBI on child pornography charges. The charges stem from a September incident in which Mercer’s ex-girlfriend reported him to authorities after finding photos of him on her computer. After executing a search warrant, FBI agents said they found approximately 15 images of child sexual abuse material on Mercer’s phone.
Later that evening, the band said that Mercer was no longer in the group.
Also on Friday, tour opener The Thing With Feathers, a Nashville indie rock band, announced it dropped out of the tour due to the news.
“It is with incredibly heavy hearts that we have decided to withdraw from Mac Saturn’s Hard to Sell Tour,” The Thing With Feathers said in a statement. “While we were hoping to see our dearest friends and fans across North America over the coming months, we simply cannot continue in light of the recent revelations.”
Michigan folk act Christian Ohly was recruited in the 11th hour to open the Fillmore show. But in a statement posted to his Instagram story, which only lasts for 24 hours, Ohly said he was unaware of the allegations and would not have agreed to play the show if he knew about them:
On Friday night around 6:30pm I received a call asking if I would be the opening act at The Fillmore Detroit, a venue so many of my biggest musical inspirations have performed at.
Unfortunately, I had no knowledge of the issues the headlining band was facing until after my set, when I began to get a few texts from concerned friends, asking why I agreed to play the show. Had I known the situation beforehand, I would not have accepted the gig.
It’s still challenging to process such a strange, polarizing night. I do not condone the folks who chose to hide and brush off such a horrible and severe case.
Playing at The Fillmore was a surreal experience. Thank you.
— Christian
Mac Saturn’s full statement is below:
To fans, friends, and partners of Mac Saturn:
Friday was a paralyzing day and something that none of us could have ever prepared ourselves for. We have taken a few days to process and come to you with this message from our hearts.
First and most importantly, we want to extend our deepest and most profound sympathies, not only to the victims of the shocking and appalling behavior that our former band member Evan Mercer has been accused of but to anyone who has ever been a victim of such heinous and inexcusable crimes. We stand with all those who have been affected and are steadfast in our belief that anyone who has committed such atrocities should be held accountable to the absolute fullest extent of the law.
We also apologize for the hurt and confusion this has caused all of you over the last several days. We are beyond embarrassed that we put trust in someone who could do this.
In our darkest hour, we remain dedicated to creating music and spaces for people to celebrate life as safely and respectfully as possible. In light of this, we have made the difficult decision to end our tour effective immediately and will be making a donation to the Joyful Heart Foundation to help ensure victims and survivors have access to resources and treatment in the future.
Carson Macc, Mike Moody, Angelo Coppola, and Nick Barone
On Monday, The Detroit News reported that a federal magistrate judge refused to release Mercer on bond.
Mercer faces up to 30 years in prison.
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