American rock band, The Killers, are investigating a sexual misconduct claim against their 2009 touring crew.
The band has said they are taking the claims against the crew’s inappropriate behaviour “extremely seriously”.
Chez Cherrie, sound engineer for The Killers on their 2009 tour, has posted a detailed account of an alleged sexual assault by crew members.
Chez Cherrie, who was a sound engineer on the band’s 2009 tour, detailed the incident in a blog post written in 2015, however, Cherrie indicated on Twitter that the post was not published until 2018.
Previously, the post had not identified the band, but Cherrie recently stated that it was The Killers – although she did not indicate that members of the band were involved in the incident. The victim remains unidentified.
Trigger warning. This is my story. I was a tech for the largest sound company in the world working for one of the biggest bands in the world (still).
I’ve never had any sort of justice. I wonder about her all the time.
Please share my story about my time with THE KILLERS. https://t.co/SlELWD6aje
— Chez Cherrie (@ofcherrie) July 28, 2020
Cherrie recounts the incident in the post, stating it took place the night The Killers played the Rave/Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee. She wrote that, during the show, the front of house engineer said to the crew that there was “a girl set up in Dressing Room A,” and that crew members were able to put their name on a list to be called “when it’s their turn.”
Cherrie continued, that after the show, “Everyone was swapping stories about this woman and their experiences with her. They talked about her intoxication level, yet had no qualms that she was obviously blacked out, or close to it.”
When the crew was getting ready to leave the venue, Cherrie said a security guard had told the front of house engineer, “That girl in Dressing Room A is passed out and naked. Is anyone going to take care of her? Do you have a number of a friend or someone we can call?”. The front of house engineer and other crew members dismissed the questions and allegedly laughed.
The Killers are investigating sexual misconduct claims against 2009 touring crew https://t.co/QYSFa3cAAb #FoxNews
— Emmy (@BeBrave_Now) July 31, 2020
Pitchfork reached out and a statement was provided by representatives for The Killers and the band’s attorneys Reynolds & Associates:
“First and foremost, any allegations of inappropriate behaviour by anyone on The Killers touring team are taken extremely seriously by the band and their management,” the statement described.
“This person’s story is appalling and, while The Killers do not have the same touring crew in 2020 that they had in 2009, they will be conducting a thorough investigation into past and present touring staff. Their legal team will be reaching out to this person for more information and clarity on the alleged incidents as detailed, as well as to the audio vendor who provided crew for the tour. The band are astonished and shocked by these claims. The behaviour attributed to them and their crew is unrecognizable and in direct opposition to the principles with which they run their workplace.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, please reach out for support by contacting the national sexual assault and domestic violence hotline: 1800RESPECT.
