Blue October was forced to play a stripped-down acoustic concert on Friday (April 21) night at KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, UK, after the band, consisting of lead singer Justin Furstenfeld, drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld, multi-instrumentalist Ryan Delahoussaye, and bassist Matt Noveskey, were involved in a “serious bus crash,” according to their UK publicist.
According to rocknloadmag.com, the accident happened shortly after the band’s concert in Cardiff (the capital and biggest city of Wales) on Thursday, (April 20) evening. The wreck took place while the group was heading to their next tour stop in Wolverhampton.
Band Issued A Statement, No Injuries Reported
At this point, the details of the crash are unclear. But luckily, everyone involved in the accident is safe, and no one was seriously injured. The incident did, however, push the band to change up a few things in their set list. Regardless of the hiccup, the show still went on.
“It was a shock, but nobody was hurt,” Blue October’s frontman Justin Furstenfeld shared in a statement about the horrific accident. “And it was really a minor setback for the love of music the band played on.”
The Show Must Go On
As previously shared, Blue October still continued forward, playing their full concert in Wolverhampton, but slightly revamped and without some of its band members. Delahoussaye and Justin played the show as an acoustic duo. A full band was not possible as the rest of the group’s gear could not be transported to the venue in time for the show.
A video shared on YouTube shows the two group members in high spirits as they treat a full-capacity, standing-room crowd to their 2006 Top 10 hit “Hate Me.” Throughout the rare, low-key and unplanned performance, Justin throws his entire heart and soul into the lyrics as the audience sings along with every word.
“Hate me today / Hate me tomorrow / Hate me for all the things I didn’t do for you / Hate me in ways / Yeah, ways hard to swallow / Hate me so you can finally see what’s good for you,” Justin belts out the sing-along chorus while strumming lightly on his acoustic guitar alongside bandmate Delahoussaye, who was on piano and violin.
Blue October Performed The Show Acoustic
According to a review post on maximumvolumemusic.com, instead of performing with their bandmates, Jeremy and Noveskey headed to Liverpool to retrieve new instruments for the rest of the tour. And the band has since returned to playing full electric shows at full strength.
The outlet also states that Justin and Delahoussaye kept the crowd engaged in the intimate setting at KK’s Steel Mill with songs like “Come In Closer,” “Ugly Side,” “Oh My My,” “Into The Ocean,” “18th Floor Balcony,” “Bleed Out,” “Fear,” and more. At times the duo showed their wit, cracking jokes and interacting with their fans, making the concert a true once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Blue October’s eight-date run across the UK and Eire kicked off on April 20 in Cardiff, coinciding with the release of Part 1 of the band’s upcoming double album, Spinning the Truth Around.
Additionally, Blue October frontman Justin Furstenfeld recently made his feature film debut as a villain in the action movie, Section 8, alongside Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Dermont Mulroney and Ryan Kwaten. The film was directed by Christian Sesma with an original screenplay by Chad Law (The Hit List, Black Water), Section 8 is the story of a former soldier who, after avenging the murder of his family, is sprung from prison and recruited by a shadowy government agency.
Furstenfeld also wrapped filming of the movie, Lights Out, co-starring Frank Grillo, Mekhi Phifer, Scott Adkins and Dermot Mulroney.
Remaining Blue October Overseas Tour Dates
April
25 – Chalk, BRIGHTON
26 – Stylus, LEEDS
28 – O2 Forum, LONDON
29 – O2 Ritz, MANCHESTER
