NO EMPTY SEATS FOR HEDLEY
Fans undeterred by allegations
Accusations of sexual impropriety that have dogged Hedley across the country on the pop-rockers’ latest tour did not dissuade the band’s fans from showing up in force on Tuesday evening.
While TD Place Arena, where the B.C.-based band’s Cageless Tour made a stop, offered refunds to those who no longer wanted to attend — a rare move for a concert that has not been cancelled — the venue also sold a number of tickets after the allegations surfaced.
There wasn’t an empty seat to be found inside the arena, and the band carried on with business as usual, with a steady stream of hits from their multi-platinum career, opening with Better Days, Crazy for You, Heaven in Our Headlights and Hello, with fans hanging on frontman Jacob Hoggard’s every word.
He did not directly address the controversy swirling around the band during Tuesday’s concert.
Christine Lauzon-Foley was among those who demanded, and was granted a refund for a ticket for her 15-year-old daughter, calling it “a very difficult decision” to boycott the concert.
“She’s very politically- and socially-minded, she’s wise beyond her years, and we’ve been having these types of conversations since the presidential election last year in the U.S.,” she said. “We’re really focusing on the fact that you can’t automatically assume someone is guilty, but in cases like these where there are sexual allegations, they take a lot of courage for (victims) to come forward, and it’s important to take them seriously.”
Lauzon-Foley said she applauded those in the music industry for appearing to take the allegations against Hedley seriously — the band was recently dumped by its management agency, dropped from many commercial radio stations and dropped from the upcoming Juno Awards, where Hedley themselves withdrew from contention for three major awards.
“I have a 15-year-old and a 12-year-old daughter, and I also have a 28-year-old son, and I’ve instilled in all of them that you treat everybody with respect,” said Lauzon-Foley. “And also that you shouldn’t think it’s normal to live in a world that allows these things to happen.”
But the fans who packed the arena for Tuesday’s concert — including many young male and female fans, some with their parents in tow — expressed doubt over the allegations, which first surfaced on social media.
“You’re behind your computer, no one knows who you are, and people sometimes say false statements,” said fan Loni Pisani, who said she was concerned over the anonymous nature of the accusations.
“It’s hard to know who the people are behind their keyboard, and people sometimes don’t realize the impact of social media and how far their words go, and they can’t take it back once it’s online.”
The music magazine Exclaim! also reported last week an alleged police investigation involving an underage concertgoer who was found drugged outside a Hedley concert in London, Ont., in 2005.
“There’s no doubt in my mind it’s not true,” said longtime fan Ashley Tyne, who saw her first Hedley show at a cramped Ottawa nightclub on one of the band’s early tours. Tyne said she “lucked out” Tuesday in the rush to sell off Hedley tickets, and scored seats at a steep discount from a friend who was selling her tickets in protest.
“I’ve hung out with them and they’re really laid-back, really great guys,” said Tyne, saying she’s “never” sensed anything untoward from the members.
“I’ve gone out to bars with them, I’ve drank with them, they’re really nice guys, so for anybody to say this — when I first heard about (the allegations) I literally laughed.”
In response to the accusations of sexual misconduct with underage fans, which the band called “unsubstantiated” and “unsupported” in a statement, Hedley also acknowledged “… there was a time, in the past, when we engaged in a lifestyle that incorporated certain rock and roll clichés. However, there was always a line that we would never cross.”