The fallout from the now-viral “banana man” incident at an End It show continues, with the fan at the center of the controversy recently sharing his side of the story during an appearance on the Beardo & Weirdo podcast.
The incident took place during End It’s set in Toronto, Ontario, when frontman Akil Godsey singled out a concertgoer wearing a banana costume and offered the band’s setlist to anyone who managed to tear it apart. Members of the crowd quickly responded, ripping pieces of the costume from the fan and tossing them around the venue.
The fan, identified only as Scott from Toronto, appeared on the podcast hosted by Five Finger Death Punch bassist Chris Kael and comedian Craig Gass, where he explained that he had attended the show primarily to see headliners Terror and had no reason to expect the attention he received.
When asked if he anticipated becoming a target that night, Scott said:
“There was no pretext to it that I understood. I also didn’t do hours of research on this band before arriving to the show, cause like you said, I was there for the headliner.”
Gass then asked if he was aware of End It having a reputation for targeting audience members. Scott replied:
“From what I understand, there’s been other incidents of banana hatred from them.”
According to Scott, his banana costume wasn’t intended as a reference to the band and was simply part of a long-running tradition of attending concerts dressed as the fruit.
Recalling the moment Godsey called him out from the stage, Scott said:
“I think you can see my happiness as he calls me and I reach for a handshake and he goes, ‘No, no, no. You don’t get rewarded.’ I was gonna say, ‘Hey, Scott, welcome to Toronto,’ but that took a turn pretty quickly.”
While Scott said he avoided any serious injuries during the incident, Kael made it clear that he strongly disagreed with how the situation unfolded.
Referencing End It’s onstage political remarks that followed the callout, Kael questioned what he viewed as a contradiction between the band’s messaging and its treatment of a paying fan.
“Like the positive vibes that a hardcore show is supposed to be, getting the community together, and just having a good time. And it upset me so much. Especially after they get off there talking about the free Palestine thing, where [they were against] violence against Palestine, and then inciting violence on a fan who paid money to come to the show. That is insane to me.”
Kael went on to say that despite hardcore’s reputation for physicality, he had never witnessed a band encourage that type of behavior toward a specific audience member.
“And they turn it on your own people in the crowd. And I mean hardcore is known for like crowd killing. I love all that stuff. You know the hardcore dancing. It is kind of a violent thing, but to have… We’re all looking out for each other. That’s the vibe of a hardcore show.”
“I mean, I’ve been growing up in hardcore in Lexington, Cincinnati, Vegas. I love the vibe. Knocked Loose is one of my favorite bands. And I go to these hardcore shows all the time. I have never seen anything like that.”
“I’ve seen fights in the crowd, sure, but nothing ever incited by the band. And that’s just, I mean you’re fighting against so much stuff from crowd safety in the first damn place.”
Later in the discussion, Kael expressed disbelief that a fan wearing a banana costume became the focus of such hostility.
“We are all family. Whether it’s a metal show, whether it’s a hardcore show, people like him, he’s paid you money to come out and see the show. Have some respect and and love for your fans coming out that are doing that, you know?”
“I mean, everybody’s working hard, going through life. You come to those shows as an as an escape from all that other stuff, man. And then to have to deal with that, oh, it lit me up so bad.”
Scott also claimed that no one from End It approached him after the set to apologize or offer merchandise following the incident. Asked if he had a message for the band, he responded:
“Just practice your stage show before you deliver it.”
Kael ultimately invited Scott to attend an upcoming Five Finger Death Punch show in Toronto, encouraging him to wear the banana costume again if he chooses. He also pledged to make sure the fan receives merchandise and a more positive concert experience.
Explaining why he wanted to discuss the incident publicly, Kael concluded:
“I love hardcore music, I love metal. I love the community and to see something like that happen to someone in our community, I was outraged.”
“So, I wanted to make sure we got a chance to get on here and talk to you about your experience and turn it around for you and get you out there to celebrate in Toronto with us.”
As of this writing, End It have not publicly addressed the controversy. The band’s Facebook page has since disappeared, and they were absent from a recently scheduled opening slot on a tour featuring Hatebreed and Life Of Agony.
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The hardcore community is not the same as the 5FDP community 😅
Derek Jones I’ve been to a 5FDP show, I’ve been to Lorna, I’ve been to Ozzy, I’ve seen the banana there. The banana is all of us
Dalton Davis the banana man is everywhere. That is true.
But the hardcore community and the 5FDP communities are vastly different.
Derek Jones 5 finger fruit punch fans have special lunch boxes and helmets and restraining orders lol
Flint Eastwood oh you’re so edgy you really told them.
The banana suit at a show saying “Look at me! I wore a banana suit to a metal show” (the absolute ONLY reason he wears the fucking banana suit). Not really my community.