A show by The Brian Jonestown Massacre in Melbourne, Australia turned violent on Tuesday after members of the band got into a fight onstage, forcing an abrupt end to the concert. The physical altercation erupted after frontman Anton Newcombe appeared to fire guitarist Ryan Van Kriedt midshow.

During a prolonged period of multiple onstage rants, BJM founder and figurehead Newcombe took a shot at one of his bandmates, saying, “My perception as an autistic child, is that he’s ready to play resentments, not guitars…”

Van Kriedt fired back, “Nobody is you.”

From across the stage, Newcombe commanded, “Cut off this guy’s mic. Put down my guitar. Party’s over, captain. We don’t need you. Go! Put my guitar down on the stage and think about what’s happening.”

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On the other mic, Van Kriedt responded, “You better think about this one, man. Because this is forever!” Ryan ultimately obliged, setting his guitar down and exiting the stage. As he did, he walked over to Newcombe where the two got into a shoving match. Van Kriedt stuck a middle finger in Newcombe’s face, and Anton responded by swinging his guitar at Ryan’s head. After appearing to make contact, Newcombe bolted away before Van Kreidt tackled him to the floor. The two were ultimately pulled apart by security as The Forum lowered a safety curtain. The remainder of the show was canceled, with fans on Reddit saying that the band had played between six and eight songs over the course of nearly two hours—with lengthy pauses and tirades in between.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre has canceled the remainder of its Australian tour, per ABC News, however, the band has made no official public statement regarding the fight. An email sent to ticketholders for the band’s concert planned for tonight, November 22nd, in Victoria stated the show has been canceled “on medical grounds.”

Tonight’s Melbourne show ended in a fist fight ahahaha this fucken band man
byu/OldMateGussy inBJM

 

Onstage meltdowns, midshow terminations, and brawls between bandmates are nothing new for The Brian Jonestown Massacre. The band, which counts Anton as the only permanent member, has a history of erratic behavior at live performances dating back decades. Some of the band’s early gigs that descended into chaos were captured for the 2004 documentary Dig! about BJM and The Dandy Warhols. Recent posts on the band’s subreddit indicate that the contentious live presence has been particularly pervasive this tour, with Newcombe openly criticizing and antagonizing bandmates onstage at numerous stops.