Fred Durst has struck out at Big Day Out organisers during a Limp Bizkit show in Australia. Photo / Supplied
Fred Durst has struck out at Big Day Out organisers during a Limp Bizkit show in Australia. Photo / Supplied
Limp Bizkit front man Fred Durst has struck out against Big Day Out organisers over the death of a fan in 2001.
Sydney teenager Jessica Michalik died of asphyxiation after a crowd crush as Limp Bizkit played the headlining slot at the Sydney leg of the 2001 Big Day Out.
Limp Bizkit left the Big Day Out tour early amidst a storm of controversy, and the coroner investigating Michalik's death criticised "alarming and inflammatory" comments made by Durst during the rescue effort.
Big Day Out promoters have said the band would never play as part of their festival again, and were forced to instal moshpit 'D-barricades' at future events.
But at this week's Soundwave festival in Brisbane, Durst said Big Day Out organisers forced them to play by sending police into their dressing room.
"That son of a bitch promoter from Big Day Out, that f**king asshole threatened us and forced us to go on stage because he said there would be a riot if we didn't," he said as Limp Bizkit performed under a banner that said 'Jessica'.
"So with police in our dressing room, f**king assholes with their hands on us pushing us on to the stage. We came out, we played some s**t, and we lost a human being named Jessica."
After playing the song My Way, Durst paid tribute to Michalik.
"So as much as we are here to be with you tonight, this is is a tribute, a tribute to Jessica.
"Everything we do right here in Australia is for you baby. Let's hear it for Jess. Her spirit is here today."
Big Day Out promoter Ken West has so far not commented on Durst's accusations, but he recently spoke about the installation of the D-barricades following her death.
"It's a shame I can't just go, 'It's Neil Young here, what do [we] need a D-barrier for?' But then for Metallica, of course we need a D-barrier," West told TheVine.com.au.
"How it gets run changes. But we've been so much under the gun, even now, we've just dropped it in Adelaide, and George Michalik - Jess Michalik's father - has been going, 'Oh her death mean's nothing now, they've dropped the D-barrier'."
Fasterlouder.com reported Michalik's school friend Gabby Dever would duet with Durst during the band's show in Sydney.
Watch Durst's tribute below (explicit language warning):
