Ivan Moody, the frontman for the heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch, apologized Saturday for cutting a set short at the DCU Center in Worcester the day before, at which time he claimed his mother was dying, an assertion which was later contradicted in several heavy metal specialty websites.

It’s true. I just melted down.

“I was asked not to say anything about my past,” said Moody, on stage Saturday at the Prudential Center in New Jersey, “I’ve never done what anyone told me to. So last night I had a mental moment. It had nothing to do with alcohol, drugs or anything. It’s true. I just melted down. The last thing I want to do is embarrass my band, or my family, or any of you.”

At the DCU Center Friday, Five Finger Death Punch ended its set after just eight songs, at which point an emotional Moody left the stage. Bassist Chris Kael returned to the stage shortly thereafter, to explain the band was ending its set.

“This is difficult for me,” said Kael, “difficult for all of us in Five Finger Death Punch. As you can see, tonight is a very emotional night . We came out here, we tried to put on a show for you guys – and sometimes just things are heavier than even we can imagine … So on behalf of Five Finger Death Punch — all of us, we appreciate you guys coming out. We need to get back there and be with our frontman — got to get back there with our brother.”

Misty McGee of Gardner, who was in attendance, says that "it was obvious from the second he stepped out on stage that something was really wrong. First I thought he was having equipment issues, but it became apparent that he was extremely intoxicated within the first minute.



"The rest of the performance on his end was pretty catastrophic. I will say, that his band is amazing and they really remain professional and put on a show for the fans as best they could without his help. You could tell they were extremely frustrated by what was happening and it seemed as though they've been there before with him, so they just kept on playing and they sounded amazing."



Moody had told the audience his mother was dying earlier in the night, saying, “I won’t lie to you guys. I’m going to be completely honest with you. And I will replace every single ticket in this house. But if I have to fly out, “thank you.”



Amy Peterson, the DCU Center’s Director of Marketing, says that no refunds have been made available at this time. According to Peterson, there were about 8,000 people in attendance.

Moreover, the specialist websites Metal Injection, Loudwire and Rockfeed reported that Moody’s sister had contradicted his statement, and that their mother was not ailing, further angering and confusing some fans.

In his Saturday appearance, Moody likened his situation to that of another musician who’s suffered from alleged mental health issues recently: Rapper Kanye West.

“I always make fun of Kanye West,” said Moody, who silenced audience members who jeered the hip-hop star. “I found out today he’s still in a (expletive) mental institution … I never got it before, I’m starting to get it now. If it wasn’t for you (expletives), I don’t think I’d be on this stage. So let’s just wash it all away.”



Email Victor D. Infante at Victor.Infante@Telegram.com and follow him on Twitter @ocvictor.