Sound Engineer for The Killers Claims Sexual Abuse on Tour

Rock band The Killers are investigating the claims of a former sound engineer that witnessed members of the crew take turns sexually abusing an intoxicated woman while on tour.

Twitter user, Chez Cherrie, posted a link to a 2018 blog written by an anonymous female crew member about the witnessing sexual exploitation and the misogynistic work environment she faced as the only woman working on an unnamed band’s major tour in 2009.  

In the tweet, she claimed the post as her own and named the band as The Killers.  

https://twitter.com/ofcherrie/status/1285804385654599680

The narrative detailed the daily sexism she faced on her first year of touring, which crept in slowly with “a crude joke, an inappropriate comment,” and morphed into daily reprimands and verbal abuse by her superiors.   

Then she learned about the “specials.” The band paid the crew to scout women who were willing to carryout sex acts in order to hang out with the musicians. Crew members were rewarded $50 for each woman who performed oral sex. One band member would pay an extra $50 if they coerced the woman to agree to shower naked.  

On one occasion, a backline tech was corralling two extremely drunk women to a tour bus. Cherrie overheard him tell the pair they would only be allowed onto the bus if they each gave one of the band members a blow job. When one of the women declined, he said she would be allowed in if she removed her top and observed her friend performing fellatio.  

The most disturbing event she witnessed on the Day & Age tour happened at The Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee. During the show she heard an engineer call over the radio, “There is a girl set up in Dressing Room A. Put your name on the list outside the door.” Her coworkers laughed and asked to be added. The guy on the radio continued, “We’ll call you when it’s your turn.”

At the time, Cherrie believed the encounters to be consensual, but later learned the woman was blacked out. A security guard stopped the bus as it was leaving the arena and asked if anyone was going to take care of the girl passed out in a dressing room. Cherrie was horrified that the crew refused to help the woman and laughed as they drove away.  

The members of the band were not accused of participating in the assault.  

They released a statement in response to Cherrie’s account: “First and foremost, any allegations of inappropriate behavior by anyone on The Killers touring team are taken extremely seriously by the band and their management. This person’s story is appalling and, while The Killers do not have the same touring crew in 2020 that they had earlier in their career, they will be conducting a thorough investigation into past and present tour staff. Their legal team will be reaching out to this person for more information and clarity on the alleged incidents as detailed, as well as to the audio vendor who provided crew for the tour.”

Marie Finn