If you are unfamiliar with the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Tex., it is one of the largest of its kind. This year’s event, which wrapped on Sunday, featured nearly 2,000 bands from across the world performing on the festival’s 80 stages spread throughout downtown Austin. I have never been, but I have interviewed bands who performed there and understand that it can be a bit chaotic for the performers. The bands are reportedly hurried on and off the stage and don’t get much time to set up or tune their instruments.
Such was the experience for Swedish pop band, Peter Bjorn and John. According to the Associated Press, the already delayed set was plagued with equipment problems that only prolonged and ruined the band’s performance. It resulted in heckles and boos, which the band laughed off only further fueling the audience’s aggrevation. According to MTV News, audience members shouted insults such as “Play like you f—— care” at the band. It is quite an unfortunate situation for a band that was considered to be a highly anticipated act since the trio due was due to play music off its upcoming album, Living Thing.
PB&J acknowledged its disastrous performance, but somehow saw the silver lining. “It was an awful show,” says lead singer Peter Moren. “But it’s also good that stuff like that happens occasionally. Otherwise you become bigheaded.”