Vancouver rock star’s concert comments claiming people were being shot by 14-year-olds sparked controversy

At a concert at the Port Theater in Nanaimo, British Columbia on Saturday night (October 15), Vancouver musician Matthew Good, lead singer and songwriter for the Matthew Good Band, launched into a rant that doesn’t take well to the internet.

Good performed a solo set and reportedly suggested between songs that people taking part in “freedom” protests, like those in Canada outside of hospitals, should be put on planes to Congo. In a video shared on social media, he can be heard saying, “Then they can get out and fire AK-47s at them like 14-year-olds.”

The video is almost a minute long and it seems he has started complaining about the protesters. His comments were initially met with acclaim, although some members of the crowd expressed shock when he got to the end of his thought. When he stops speaking, the crowd cheers.

Since the video was posted, online reactions and interpretations of Good’s words have ranged from disappointment to anger. Some people take his comments seriously and call Good a fascist, while others claim it was a tacky joke. A widespread report categorized the group Good was referring to as “unvaccinated.”

Matthew Good responds with an explanation of comments

Good has since spoken to iHeart Radio and claims the video took what he said out of context. He denies ever talking about vaccines and says he’s referring to the tyranny in Canada.

A rep for Good issued the following statement from the musician regarding the comments, video and social media reaction late Wednesday night:

First, and let me rightly be clear, my recent comments on stage have been on the subject of tyranny and at no point have I mentioned unvaccinated people or vaccines. I don’t even know where that came from and I would never argue that a person doesn’t have the right to rule their own body.

I’ve talked about people who believe they live in tyranny in Canada and yes I said I’d like to put these people on planes to Congo and when they get off 14 year olds with AK-47s could shoot them so they know what it’s like to live in real tyranny. I was referring to child soldiers because the reality is that their mere existence demonstrates an absolutely reprehensible state of violence that no one in this country has to contend with. In the context of tyranny, we do not live in a nation where armed men and boys as young as 9 turn up in villages and towns and commit gross acts of violence. We just don’t face that reality. My reference to this was to point out that those who believe this nation is tyrannical are ignorant of its modern truth, and so I have used an extreme example to demonstrate this.

Do I really think someone should be shot? Of course not, that’s ridiculous. The whole thing is ridiculous.

The video posted online just cuts off as I start to talk about how our freedoms are the most important thing we have in Canada and I believe that with all my heart and it was my freedom to say what I said. You can hear the audience cheering, except for the one who booed, which suggests to me that the people who believe we live in tyranny are still a very small fringe. If anything, this should be a cautionary tale about how easily things can be taken out of context and that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet.

Good was also in trouble last year and was dropped from his label over abuse allegations made against him by former girlfriend, model and music producer Hayley Mather. Well denied the allegations.

This latest incident has prompted some people to call for the cancellation of his upcoming shows in Canadian cities like Banff. Here are more reactions online to Good’s comments heard in the video clip: