On Monday, Jeff Tweedy assaulted an intoxicated fan who jumped onstage during Wilcos performance at Springfield, Missouris Shrine Mosque. After a few days of digital backlash, the group has responded to the incident via its webpage:
_At the end of the main set, a woman sneaked up a back stairway and entered from a side stage door. Shortly thereafter she ran onto the stage and sat on the piano bench next to keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen while the band played ‘Poor Places’. She was heavily intoxicated and was removed from the stage by several members of the band’s crew. _
As that situation was getting dealt with, another arose. During the first encore a young man jumped onto the stage and did the requisite salute to his pals. While we certainly do not encourage that kind of behavior, we were prepared to let it go, as he was, it seemed, heading back into the crowd. Just when it appeared he was walking off the stage he turned around and moved towards Tweedy from behind. Jeff did not see him approaching, but felt the guys hands on his head. To this, Jeff reacted. As Jeff put it… ‘I really regret what happened last night. I wish it had gone another way… and i suspect had i felt safer on that stage, had security been doing a better job all night long, well things would have gone differently. He approached me from behind… and I reacted in defense to get him away. I didn’t know what his intentions were… and I had to get him off of me. I’m sad that it happened at all.’
_From there the show continued normally. Nobody got hurt, a few people got scared, but it went on. The band played their entire set list (okay, they dropped a song… but that happens all the time) finished up their two encores and got on the bus and headed for W. Virginia. Suffice to say… a good time was had by most. _