Venues disable comments on Brand New’s comeback tour announcement
On March 31st, American rock band Brand New unveiled their first tour in eight years. However, all of the venues have disabled comments from the public on the tour announcement.
In November 2017, frontman Jesse Lacey was accused of sexual misconduct by a woman who alleged that the singer had “solicited nudes from me starting when I was 15 and he was 24.” A day later, Lacey issued an apology and admitted the allegations were true.
Lacey wrote: “The actions of my past have caused pain and harm to a number of people, and I want to say that I am absolutely sorry. I do not stand in defense of myself nor do I forgive myself. I was selfish, narcissistic, and insensitive in my past, and there are a number of people who have had to shoulder the burden of my failures.”
The Brand New frontman continued: “I apologise for the hurt I have caused, and hope to be able to take the correct actions to earn forgiveness and trust.”
Following Lacey’s statement, Brand New cancelled all future tour dates and embarked on an indefinite hiatus.
In December 2024, they made a surprise appearance at a private function in Nashville before playing three shows for fans in March ahead of announcing a 24-date tour of North America on March 31st.
They will play significantly-sized venues such as Chicago’s Allstate Arena, the UBS Arena in Long Island, the Moody Center in Austin and the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles.
However, upon the announcement of the shows from venues, they chose against allowing comments from the general public in order to avoid a backlash due to the sexual misconduct allegations against Lacey.
Since 2017, Lacey has kept a low profile away from the public eye. He returned to perform a one-off private show in Nashville at the end of 2023 and has since played a concert in Los Angeles to raise money for charity following the wildfires in January, as well as another show in Nashville last month.
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