During a recent festival appearance in Warsaw, Poland, Silent Planet vocalist Garrett Russell experienced a bizarre onstage mishap when a drone crashed directly into his head. The incident occurred this past Thursday, June 18, while the metalcore outfit was performing at the Summer Punch festival.
Video footage shared by the singer shows the rogue drone becoming heavily entangled in his hair, forcing him to momentarily wrestle with the device mid-set. On June 19, Garrett Russell took to social media to address the situation, noting the striking irony of the timing.
“took a drone to the dome in Warsaw. was raW
today we are driving through Ukraine en route to Kyiv.
perhaps it’s fitting this happened right after we played ‘Panopticon‘ and yelled a bunch of words about mass surveillance, ai… but sometimes you just break a couple lenses in the panopticon and keep moving. a fistful of hair (and irony) later, i give you this cinematic masterpiece by @dontshootskrlx
my bandmates and crew are the most bada** n talented humans on this planet. it’s a gift to share these moments where we pull each other (literally) thru time
anyways… Ukraine will be free and it’s up to us to cocreate a better future . see you there
my only seraphim”
After finally managing to free the device from his head, the frontman promptly smashed the drone on the stage before tossing the broken pieces out into the festival crowd—with a chunk of his own hair still visibly caught in its propellers.
Following the chaotic Warsaw performance, the politically conscious group immediately headed eastward for a pair of special concerts in Ukraine. The booking makes Silent Planet one of the very few Western musical acts to perform in the country since the ongoing war following the 2022 Russian invasion.
Silent Planet’s Remaining dates for the European tour:
- June 20 – Kyiv, Ukraine – Atlas Club
- June 21 – Lviv, Ukraine – Festrepublic Club
In other Silent Planet news, the band chose to give away their merch for free rather than submit to steep vendor fees during their recent stop in Milan, Italy.
While serving as the opening act for The Plot In You at the Alcatraz venue in Milan on Tuesday night, June 9, Silent Planet decided to push back against the local promoter. Before taking the stage, the band released a statement on social media detailing the severe financial demands placed on them and outlining their planned protest.
“Tonight’s venue in Milan is not allowing us to sell our own merch, and demanding a 25% gross vendor fee (merch rate) and an additional 22% tax. We believe this business model is predatory and cannot afford to lose money on our own merch, especially so far from home. However, I’ve spoken with so many of you outside the venue already, and I know many have traveled far to be here. So we will be throwing out shirts during the set, and will also provide a discount code for those who isn’t to purchase our merch online.”
The group stayed completely true to their word. During the band’s set, frontman Garrett Russell was filmed tossing free t-shirts directly into the audience mid-song, successfully bypassing the venue’s merchandise booth and giving back directly to their fans.
