After the success of its March showing, the Hits & Pits Festival kicked off its ‘2.0’ edition last Friday, it’s second national showing of punk pop bands for the year, bringing out international acts Boysetsfire, Bad Astronaut, No Fun At All, and headliners Black Flag (that’s Gregg Ginn’s version of the band), and more.
But one act of the Hits & Pits 2.0 lineup, pop punks The Ataris, were forced to cancel their festival appearance owing to their frontman’s sever fear of flying meaning he never made the trip to the country.
Ataris singer/guitarist Kris Roe had already pulled the plug on the band’s original trek to Perth for Hits & Pits 2.0 earlier in the year, and now a statement on the band’s official Facebook – issued on the second date of the tour – confirmed that the band had pulled the plug on the remainder of the festival.
The statement, written by The Ataris’ booking agent Tom Chichila, begins: “Point blank. The Ataris will not be performing on any dates of the Hits & Pits Festival 2.0 in Australia.”
“I realize the rumors will start to swirl so here are the simple facts. Fact #1. It’s very known amongst Ataris fans that Kristopher Roe of The Ataris has an extreme fear of flying.” Organisers had taken measures to ensure the band could travel the country without the aid of flying, driving old-school style, but Chichila reveals that it was getting Down Under in the first place that was the issue.
“On Sunday night, Roe’s original flight out of LAX had engine failure and needed to return to LAX- everyone was safe,” adding that: “Kristopher did not get on another plane to Australia.” Recalling the situation in which Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker famously pulled out of Soundwave 2013 due to his flying phobia.
“For those that don’t know, when touring Australia you fly show to show,” continues the statement. “Hits & Pits had arranged a way where Kris and the guys could travel show to show w/o getting on planes. Just unfortunately, now it’s not happening. I realize fans are gonna be upset… but we’re not taking this lightly. Lets all get home — we’ll have our conversations– and then we’ll figure out the best way to move forward.”
The Ataris booker emphasises that the cancellation had nothing to do with the efforts of Hits & Pits organisers, who had done all they could to ensure the tour could continue.
“Rumors are gonna fly [but] I wanted to be 100% clear, this has nothing to do with The Hits & Pits Festival… or their staff,” writes Chichila. “In fact, I’m shocked at how calm [promoter] Ben Neilson has been in trying to help us resolve this situation and also in regards to keeping the other three guys comfortable out there.”
The three remaining members of The Ataris were still in Australia without their frontman “and we’re working to get them home,” adds the booker.
By way of compensation, an additional Facebook post revealed that the three pop punk members held a “surprise last minute karaoke set” at Brisbane venue The Crowbar, in Fortitude Valley, telling their fans to “come sing your lungs out and wear your party shoes.”
Back in July, when Kristopher Roe first cancelled the Perth leg of the Hits & Pits tour, he revealed that it was an in-flight incident he endured the last time he was Down Under that had grounded the band’s tour plans.
“A few years back, while on one of my acoustic tours in Australia, one of the planes I was on was struck by lightning upon takeoff during a monsoon,” he recalls.
“We got caught in a huge microburst of air and the plane came very close to crashing. It even made the news in your country. Luckily everyone lived through the incident but since that point we do our best to fly as little as possible.
“There is nothing I love more than experiencing each place like a local, backpacking around on trains, buses,” wrote Roe at the time of the plan to drive from city to city. “I have always dreamed of driving across the outback. Taking photography along the way. Well, this time around that will finally get to happen. Everyone has been very accommodating!”
The Hits & Pits 2.0 Festival appearance would have marked the Ataris’ first shows in Australia with new drummer Erik Perkins, who replaced Rob Felicetti after a very public spat last October in which frontman Kris Roe flipped out at the drummer onstage at a gig in New Jersey, bemoaning “there’s a certain amount of fucking shit I can take.”
Hits & Pits 2.0 Festival Dates & Tickets
with Black Flag, Boysetsfire, Bad Astronaut, The Ataris, Snuff, No Fun At All, Good For You, Jughead’s Revenge, and Off With Their Heads
Friday 22nd November – Palace Theatre, Melbourne (18+)
20-30 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC | Doors open 5pm
Saturday 23rd November – The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide (18+)
59 Port Road, Hindmarsh SA | Doors open 5pm
Sunday 24th November – Capitol & Amplifier, Perth (18+)
393 Murray St, Perth WA | Doors open TBC [Pending Approval]
For more info visit Hits & Pits on Facebook
