Oasis, Pet Shop Boys Reach Agreement with Roskilde
After pulling out of Denmark’s Roskilde Festival following the deaths of nine fans during Pearl Jam’s set on June 30, and then battling with festival organizers over payment, Oasis and the Pet Shop Boys have reached a performance fee agreement with Roskilde festival organizers. As part of the agreement, both bands will donate their payment towards measures to improve safety and international charities.
The two bands had released a statement saying that they cancelled their July 1 performances at the three-day outdoor festival because of security concerns and because “it would be disrespectful [to] those who were killed and their families to perform in front of the site where the deaths occurred.” Festival chief Leif Skov dismissed their statement, saying, “No play, no pay.” Skov told reporters, “There is no reason whatsoever why they shouldn’t appear. It’s the bands and not us who are potentially reckless.” Skov said that the festival would continue with the “deepest respect” for the dead. At the time, head Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant told Britain’s Radio One he felt that Skov’s decision was “unbelievably insensitive.”
Now, according to a statement posted on Oasis’ Web site, www.oasisinet.com, both bands have reached an “amicable agreement” with the festival organizers. According to the post, the fees, after the bands’ expenses are deducted, will be donated to “measures to improve safety at future festivals” and to five international charities: War Child, SOS Children’s Village, Freemuse, the Hunger Site and Human Rights Watch (links to each are provided on the site).
Additionally, Roskilde organizers said in the statement that they “respect the groups’ reasons for not performing after the tragedy and all parties hope that lessons learned from the festival will lead to improved safety for all future audiences throughout the world.”