Veteran death metal band Incantation recently highlighted the struggles with touring in this economy, after issuing a plea for fans to bring them non-perishable food to their merch table amid their ongoing U.S. tour. Per the band’s vocalist/guitarist John McEntee, hospitality from venues on their current tour as direct support to Belphegor hadn’t been adequate enough to sustain them on the road.
In a video shared on his social media this past Tuesday, February 24th, McEntee explained the situation as follows [transcribed by theprp.com]:
“Yeah, I just want to let people know that our hospitality kinda sucks on this tour. I don’t know what the deal is, but we haven’t been getting much from the clubs. I don’t know, to tighten up the belts, or whatever’s going on.
So, this is a little announcement saying that at our merch table, we will be accepting your non-perishable food items so we could stock our bandwagon with some food for us. Yeah, it’s kind of a joke, but it also is really kinda strange that it’s been so tight on this tour, but it is.
So if anybody feels like bringing some food on over, go for it. We’re all about it, because you basically just get a buyout, which is about enough to pay for most of a meal each day. I figured maybe someone out there, I don’t know, might have some badass food that they want to bring to the show. We’re accepting. So thank you very much.
And yeah, hopefully, we see you guys at the show. And yeah, just drop it off for Kyler at our merch table. And yeah, we’ll gladly accept it. We’re also accepting bottled water. And I don’t know, I mean, they probably can’t bring beer into the club or anything. And if you can’t get in the club, I don’t know, just hit us up or something and we’ll pick it up outside.
I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s the way it goes sometimes. It’s all good. This isn’t a slag on any bands or promoters or anybody, but the fact is, it’s like we’re not getting shit. So, why the hell not ask people who might have a little more to hook us up? Because we are on a shoestring budget on this tour, so fuck it.
Well, thank you guys and see you soon. Take care. Bye bye.”
Thankfully for the band, the situation didn’t persist long after that video went up as a day later on February 25th, McEntee posted another video update, in which he stated that, “our stuff was sorted out with the hospitality, all miscommunication and other BS.” McEntee went on to thank the band’s management, booking agent, the show promoters and more for helping out with the issue.
In turn, the group decided to turn their fan’s efforts into a food drive in each remaining city of that tour. Speaking in an interview with Decibel, McEntee spoke of how the negative situation morphed from somewhat dire into a charitable campaign:
“As a musician, I have had times when things have been tight, including the last few years, so I know how difficult it is to sometimes choose between medical bills and paying for food or housing. I understand this is the life I chose and, in fact, I’m proud of it.
The are others less fortunate who don’t even have the chance to afford food or shelter. So, I decided to have a food drive at the remaining shows on this tour and donate to the local food banks in the venues’ communities.’
He continued:
“I know times are rough, and if you can’t bring anything, I totally understand. But if you can give, let’s do our part to help out our local communities. We need local people in the cities where we are playing to provide us with contacts for local food banks, or even better, people willing to help us drop off the collected food after the show.”
“I know what it’s like, and I don’t want anybody on the face of the Earth to go through this. We have had so many people reach out with help after I made my last post about our hospitality issues, and all of us in the band appreciate all the kind gestures. The more I thought about it, the more I realized there are people in much more dire situations. We will get through our own stuff, but we need to help others. We need to give back. If you are local to these cities and can help us transport the donations, please reach out!”
With Belphegor & Narcotic Wasteland:
02/28 Haltom City, TX – Haltom Theater
03/01 Houston, TX – Scout Bar
03/02 San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
03/05 Mesa, AZ – The Rosetta Room
03/06 San Diego, CA – Brick by Brick
03/07 San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge
03/08 Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
03/09 Los Angeles, CA – 1720
03/10 Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory
