Green Day singer: Sagging pants cost me my plane seat

Billie Joe Armstrong tweets that Southwest kicked him off of a flight 

Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong says
he got booted from a flight over his saggy pants.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong says his sagging pants cost him a seat on a Southwest Airlines flight.

The singer-guitarist for the San Francisco Bay area band sent a message to his Twitter followers on Thursday expressing his indignation at being tossed from an Oakland-to-Burbank flight for wearing his trousers too low. 

"Just got kicked off a southwest flight because my pants sagged too low! What the f---? No joke!" he tweeted.

An ABC7 news producer who was on the same flight told the station that a flight attendant approached Armstrong as the plane was getting ready to take off and asked him to hike his pants higher.

The producer, Cindy Qiu, says Armstrong initially responded by asking the attendant if there weren't "better things to do than worry about that?" 

But the attendant persisted and told Armstrong he could be ejected for his refusal to comply. When Armstrong insisted he was just trying to get to his seat, he and a traveling companion were taken off the plane. 

Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins released a statement saying Armstrong was allowed onto the next flight to Burbank and had told a customer relations agent who contacted him he had no further complaints. 

"As soon as we became aware of what had happened, we reached out to apologize for this Customer's experience," the statement read. "He elected to take the next flight. We followed up with this Customer and involved Employees to get more details and, in our latest conversations, understand from the Customer the situation was resolved to his satisfaction." 

A University of New Mexico football player was arrested at San Francisco International Airport in June when he allegedly refused a U.S. Airways attendant request for him to pull up his low-riding pants and, later, the captain's order to leave the plane. 

The player, Deshon Marman, was held on suspicion of trespassing, battery of a police officer and obstruction of a police investigation when he allegedly resisted the officer who escorted him from the plane. But the San Mateo County district attorney refused to bring charges. 

The incident sparked allegations of racial profiling after a photo surfaced of a man who flew aboard a US Airways flight wearing skimpy women's panties and mid-thigh stockings days before Marman's arrest. That man was white. Marman is African-American.

 

Amy Winehouse tributes

Anthony Ian G. Etcobanez

Tributes to the late singer Amy Winehouse have been pouring in from her friends and family around the world.

The Back To Black star was found dead at her north London home on Saturday.

A post mortem is expected to be carried out next week, to determine the cause of death.

The Brit and Grammy award winner had struggled with drink and drug addiction in recent years and had latterly spent time in rehab.

Her family have said the singer has left a "gaping hole" in their lives.

Mark Ronson

She was my musical soulmate and like a sister to me. This is one of the saddest days of my life.

Russell Brand

I've known Amy Winehouse for years. When I first met her around Camden she was just some twit in a pink satin jacket shuffling round bars with mutual friends, most of whom were in cool Indie bands or peripheral Camden figures Withnail-ing their way through life on impotent charisma.
I chatted to her anyway though, she was after all, a girl, and she was sweet and peculiar but most of all vulnerable.

I was myself at that time barely out of rehab and was thirstily seeking less complicated women so I barely reflected on the now glaringly obvious fact that Winehouse and I shared an affliction, the disease of addiction.

Kelly Osbourne

I cant even breath right now I'm crying so hard. I just lost one of my best friends. I love you forever Amy & will never forget the real you.

Piers Morgan

Such desperately sad news regarding Amy Winehouse. Supreme talent, terrible self-destructive addictive personality.

Lily Allen

Its just beyond sad, there's nothing else to say. She was such a lost soul, may she rest in peace.

Dita Von Teese

Devastated. I spent extraordinary times with Amy. She sang for me once for hours, it was the most beautiful and touching thing. A huge loss.

Ronnie Wood

It's a very sad loss of a very good friend I spent many great times with. We feel privileged to have known her and we will sorely miss her.

Tony Bennett

Amy Winehouse was an artist of immense proportions and I am deeply saddened to learn of her tragic passing. She was an extraordinary musician with a rare intuition as a vocalist and I am truly devastated that her exceptional talent has come to such an early end.

She was a lovely and intelligent person and when we recorded together she gave a soulful and extraordinary performance. I was honoured to have the opportunity to sing with her.

It had been my sincere hope that she would be able to overcome the issues she was battling and I send my deepest sympathy to her father Mitchell, her entire family and all of those who loved her.

Hawley Arms pub in Camden

We are shocked and deeply saddened by the news of Amy's death. Apart from her extraordinary musical talent, she was a special person with a good soul and this should not have happened. We feel privileged to have known her and we will sorely miss her.

The Recording Academy

Five-time Grammy winner Amy Winehouse was a dynamic performer and musician who seamlessly blended rock, jazz, pop, and soul and created a sound all her own.

Her rich, soulful and unique voice reflected her honest songwriting and earned her a devoted fan following, critical acclaim, and the genuine respect and admiration of her musical peers.

She will forever be remembered for her immense talent, and her music will live on for generations to come. Our deepest sympathies go out to her family, friends, and fans during this difficult time.

US record label Universal Music

We are deeply saddened at the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, artist, performer and friend. Our prayers go out to Amy's family, friends and fans at this difficult time

Cheap Trick escape as Ottawa rock stage collapses

Veteran U.S. band Cheap Trick escaped unharmed when a storm blew down much of the stage they were performing on at a major rock concert in the Canadian capital Ottawa late on Sunday.

Veteran U.S. band Cheap Trick escaped unharmed when a

storm hits Ottawa.

The band were about 20 minutes into their set at the Ottawa Bluesfest when the storm suddenly swept over the area. The band left the stage seconds before a particularly strong gust destroyed most of the structure, pushing it back onto an adjacent road and away from the thousands of spectators.

Three people were injured, including the band's bus driver. Police are investigating the incident, which happened on the event's last night.

"Fortunately the band and crew are all lucky to be alive and we'll see you down the road," lead vocalist Robin Zander said on the band's website.

Ottawa mayor Jim Watson, who was present at the event, said he did not feel organizers could have prepared for the strength of the storm.

"It's Mother Nature, really, and there are certain things you just can't plan for ... we're very fortunate there was no one killed," he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. on Monday.

Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Jerry Norton
Edited by Anthony Ian G. Etcobanez