After Gym Class Heroes lead singer Travis McCoy was arrested Tuesday in St. Louis on a charge of third-degree assault, it's not known if the band will have trouble entering Canada to perform July 19 at Arrow Hall in Mississauga as part of the Vans Warped Tour. Fans have their fingers crossed there won't be any problems at the border for the boys from Geneva, New York.
According to reports, McCoy struck a fan with a microphone after being called a racial slur by a member of the audience. The singer immediately apologized to the crowd and said it wasn’t representative of him as a person.
The band's manager issued a statement that read, in part, "somebody in the crowd was taunting Travis with racial slurs. Travis invited him on stage with the intent of calling him out in front of the crowd with absolutely no intention of a physical altercation. When he tried to help him on stage, the guy hit Travis in the knee area (which has been in a brace because of a recent sprain), forcing Travis to defend himself. At this point, a scuffle broke out. This whole incident is unfortunate. Travis McCoy and Gym Class Heroes are anything but violent...Travis is deeply upset that this happened and has expressed his apologies to the band's fans that were at the show, Kevin Lyman and the Vans Warped Tour. GCH is putting this behind them and looks forward to seeing everyone on the rest of the tour."
McCoy was released shortly after his arrest.
The band also includes guitarist Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo, bassist Eric Roberts and drummer Matt McGinley. Gym Class Heroes has released several albums, including For The Kids, The Papercut Chronicles and As Cruel as School Children, and plans to release The Quilt later this year.
To hear the music, visit www.myspace.com/gymclassheroes.
The tour also features bands such as Angels & Airwaves, Against Me! and The Academy Is.
Tickets cost $41.75 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
Doors open at 11 a.m. The music starts at noon for the all-ages concert.
For more information, visit www.warpedtour.com.
cclay@mississauga.net
