On Saturday August 25th, DOOM fans gathered for Livin’ DOOM, a party hosted by British DJ collective, Livin’ Proof. Fans were excited to hear a DJ set by DOOM himself, but are claiming after the fact that on stage was merely an impostor. Read on for more details.
This is apparently not the first time that DOOM has encountered this issue, according to Pitchfork. The crew released a statement explaining other complications that happened prior to the gig:
“To everyone who came down to our Livin’ DOOM event on Saturday and are questioning whether that was the real DOOM – we are in the same position as you. We had a legitimate contracted gig from his official booking agent and were in contact throughout the booking process with his US management, and label. We were even talking and working with the promoters of DOOM’s forthcoming London live shows in October and November.
As far as we were concerned, the real DOOM was going to appear… we received news from DOOM’s management on the morning of the gig that DOOM wanted more money or he would not show up. This show was done and intended as a very special and intimate show which was not about making money but putting on an incredible party in a very small capacity venue. As we wanted the show to go ahead and was left to ransom to this extortionate request, we agreed this even though this was a breach of our agreed contract. In hindsight, we should have cancelled the show then and there…
At 9.30pm after we had open the doors, we were told by management that he would appear but would not DJ and was just going to sign autographs. We said this was unacceptable as we had agreed and paid for a DJ set… 10 minutes later we received a call saying that he would DJ… Or that’s what we were led to believe.
As many of the people in the venue noticed, there is a very strong possibility the person that was finally sent down was not DOOM himself.
Doing this show has taught us a lot about how some artists operate and how they feel they can treat others and, most importantly, their fans. As fans of DOOM ourselves, this has left a very sour taste in our mouth.
Anyone who has been to Livin’ Proof parties always know that we do our utmost to provide the best quality show and we are so sorry for anyone who came down and were disappointed by the DJ set from the artist supposedly meant to be DOOM.
We will do our utmost to make this up to anyone who purchased a ticket for this event. We paid the fee upfront to Daniel Dumile’s bank account and have the receipts to prove this. We will be seeking legal advice and are doing our best to get his show fee refunded from DOOM and his management and will then take suitable steps after this action.
All the best,
Livin’ Proof Crew.”
While some fans remain angry that it was not the real DOOM, others can take this statement and continue on. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2009, DOOM stated, “When you come to a DOOM show, come expecting to hear music, don’t come expecting to see.”