PUDDLE OF MUCK
Wes Scantlin has extended melt-down on stage in Pennsylvania
NORTHAMPTON, Pennsylvania — In what appears to be a never-ending series of personal live melt-downs Wes Scantlin did just that again.
Thursday night February 18th the latest for Scantlin took place at “The Gin Mill & Grille” bar in Northampton Pennsylvania.
Puddle of Mudd the band tried to get through their set, but it wasn’t meant to be as Scantlin had what appeared to be continued issues with the sound system and monitors.
According to The Morning Call the singer went on an extended rant for much of the band’s live set.
Below is what TMC reported.
The lead singer of alternative rock band Puddle of Mudd, who has struggled with onstage meltdowns during the band’s current tour, had another one Thursday when the group played at The Gin Mill & Grille in Northampton, berating the venue’s sound man throughout the show before ending it early.
Singer Wes Scantlin’s behavior lately has been suspect: In January, police charged him with breaking into a home he lost to foreclosure and causing $7,000 in damage. Then he stormed out of an Ohio show after a tirade in which he accused an audience member of stealing his house.
YouTube videos (posted below) of The Gin Mill concert show Scantlin waging a verbal war against the sound man through the concert, at one point claiming the onstage monitor went out, and telling the sound man, “You might be a sociopath, man.”
“I’ll call the entire Kansas City mafia on top of your a– right now!” he tells the sound man. Puddle of Mudd is from Kansas City, Mo.
People who were at the show said on social media that the band had left the stage after the first song, but returned after about 15 minutes, and played perhaps three more songs before the final meltdown.
Then, in a two-minute rant captured on another YouTube video (found below), Scantlin says, “We don’t want this show to be about anger, OK? We don’t. This sound man, guy, whoever he is, he does not like Puddle of Mudd very much.”
Then Scantlin ranted on, telling the sound man, “You’re about to waste everybody’s time, mister sound genius of the world.”
Finally, Scantlin says, “this is the last song that we’re gonna play because the sound man hates Puddle of Mudd. He hates us. He has done nothing but bad things through the entire show, and he has ruined everybody’s f—king night. And if you guys want to see who did it, it’s the motherf—ker right there.”
As he repeatedly pointed out the subject of his rant to the crowd, his band kicked in behind him with one of the band’s biggest songs, 2001’s gold No. 1 hit “Blurry.”
But Scantlin barely sang the song, and several times shouted “You suck!” then threw what appeared to be a water bottle.
As he walked off, the crowd threw water and crumpled paper at him. Tickets to the show were $30.
In a statement on its facebook page, The Gin Mill said, “for the record, the sound man last night has 28 years experience. The opening bands sounded great by all accounts. It’s pretty ridiculous to say he purposely tried to sabotage POM because he ‘hates them’ as the singer suggested. Totally bizarre. …
“If any adjustments were needed (as you sometimes see at shows) maybe asking the sound team to make them instead of immediately launching into a stream a crazed accusations and insults might have been a little more productive.”
Gin Mill Manager Warren Hoyenski declined to identify the sound man, but also repeated that he has a lot of experience, and the venue used a top-line sound system.
Hoyenski said the opening acts sounded good, as did Puddle of Mudd when it started, but with Scantlin’s immediate complaints, adjustments were made.
“I just think he was looking for a reason to get off stage,” Hoyenski said.
The venue said on its Facebook page that its “goal is to bring national acts to the Gin Mill at affordable prices in a more personal mid-sized club venue and setting where every guest can get up close to the band.
“Last night … folks definitely got a show. Unfortunately, maybe not totally the one they were expecting. Though those who follow POM know the singer has a long history of on-stage meltdowns.
