Sir Bob Geldof caused outrage after he launched into an expletive laden tirade at what was meant to be a family-friendly gig on Thursday (21 July). The 64-year-old, who was performing with his band The Boomtown Rats at the two-day Brentwood Festival in Essex, was booed after he accused revellers of wearing Primark.
Hundreds of people walked out as the Band Aid founder began shouting and swearing, after he criticised the concert-goers and dubbed the family event boring and tame.
We dont do Abba. We dont do Robbie f****** Williams. Brentwood, we are the Boomtown Rats, he shouted. We are mega. And you are Brentwood. How do we know that you are Brentwood and we are mega? Because I am wearing a f*** off pretend snakeskin suit and [they] are wearing f*** off cowboy shirts even though they live in London.
Referring to one member of his band, he said: This [guy] who youll remember as a slim handsome young lad is wearing a f*** off purple suit with an elasticated waistband so that when he gets even f****** fatter you wont notice.
Sir Bob, who was wearing a £350 imitation snakeskin suit, accused the fans of not dressing for a music festival, suggesting they were wearing clothes from Primark.
On the other hand Brentwood, you are wearing wall to wall f*****g Primark, he railed. This is a rock and roll festival. When you come to a rock and roll festival you dress for a rock and roll festival. You can never be too careful.
When the crowd erupted into boos he responded with disbelief. What are you booing for? Were in f****** Brexit land here guys. Yeah, were Irish, were still in Europe. Its just as well we wrote that song because this year is about Theresa May. Shes gonna do you in. Theres always someone looking at you Brentwood.
He attempted to justify his foul language saying: I realise this is a family weekend but I have to inform parents that most of your children know the words Im using.
Appalled fans described the music star as arrogant, rude and horrible. One festival-goer who witnessed the rant, told the Mail Online: We were just thinking we probably wouldnt bother staying to hear I Dont Like Mondays as it didnt look like it would be worth the wait when Bob launched into an extraordinary, expletive-laden rant.
As he launched into another dreadful song, we, along with hoards of others, headed for the exit and I found myself in a queue to leave in the middle of the headline set.
Other outraged fans quickly took to Twitter to express their dismay at the outburst which was caught on video and shared by The Essex Chroncile. Disappointing behaviour Sir Bob! said an unhappy fan.
Bob Geldof swearing and going mental at Brentwood festival was so inappropriate *telling the crowd off for wearing Primark*, said another.
Horrendous individual, who loves the sound of his own voice. He hasnt made a decent track in decades, a fan tweeted.
Festival co-ordinator Laurie Edmonds apologised for the language, but appeared to defend the singers behaviour explaining that it was part of the act.
Theyre a punk band. You expect them to be a bit controversial and he got a reaction from the crowd, she said. People know he speaks his mind. Thats just what they do but they were a fantastic punk band and we thought it would go down well with our crowds.
We know hes a bit of a lightning rod and people will have strong reactions to him. We were disappointed that there was so much swearing. We want this to be a family event and it would have been nice if it was toned down.
Some people who felt it was offensive made the decision to leave. Were truly sorry if people were offended. It wasnt our intention in booking them. We have had a couple of complaints but weve equally had people saying they were one of the best sets all weekend. There were still several thousands of people who stayed to the very end and were asking for encores.
In contrast, other acts such as Tony Hadley, Soul II Soul and Level 42 who also performed at the festival, were well-received by fans
