Win Butler performs with Arcade Fire at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Nov. 19, 2022. Roman Gokhman/STAFF.

SAN FRANCISCO — Indie rockers Arcade Fire brought their tour in support of new album WE to Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Saturday for the first night of a two-show stand, even as frontman Win Butler continues to be followed by allegations of sexual misconduct by four people.

Tickets for both shows sold out prior to Pitchfork publishing a report in September with interviews with the four people; three of them identifying as female and one as gender-fluid. Tickets for the tour have been flooding resale markets, sometimes for less than $10.

The allegations against Butler span from unwanted sexual contact and pursuit of relationships with fans more than a decade his junior, even after they turned him down, to sexual assault. Butler at first did not respond to the allegations and later denied them, saying that the relationships were consensual and approved by his wife—bandmate Régine Chassagne—who was aware of them. Chassagne issued a statement defending and supporting Butler, who also said he’s had struggles with depression and alcohol. No criminal charges have been filed and none of the victims has so far pursued a court case.

Arcade Fire did not address the allegations at Saturday’s show, which was well-attended by fans, many of whom danced and sang along with the band. This publication made the editorial decision not to review the concert and pull attention from the more significant issues. But we did speak with numerous fans outside and inside Bill Graham Civic, some of whom had not heard of the allegations, were not able to resell their tickets, or were torn between their love for the band and the serious nature of the allegations.

“It was a difficult decision. Arcade Fire happens to be my favorite band,” Reno resident and longtime fan Melissa Williams said. “I follow them all over the world. But as a feminist…”

Williams said she has tried to stay aware of developments about the accusations, including the fact that the two biggest openers on this tour—Feist in Europe and Beck in the U.S.—both pulled out.

“So that does speak a lot of volume,” Williams said. ” I wanted to come down and see how I felt being here, and then make my decision from there—if I still felt [love for the band] or if my own feelings and the current movement of these types of allegations were too much. It sucks all around. It’s not good, period.”

Beck was replaced by Haitian septet Boukman Eksperyans, which performed admirably well.

San Francisco residents Danielle and Jonathan, who did not say their last names, said they did not learn about the allegations against Win Butler until earlier in the day. They said that they tried to sell some extra tickets but were unsuccessful.

“We love their music. We’re waiting to see what happens,” Jonathan said. “It’s never a good thing. The allegations are serious. But from what we looked up, it still seems the [allegations] are pending and there’s a lot going on. But it’s a bad thing when artists get involved in that.”

“It’s very sad,” Danielle added.

While Williams drove in from Reno for the show, Greg Bickel drove six hours from Humboldt County with his girlfriend, who he said was a diehard fan of the band.

“We purchased the tickets well before the allegations came out, and it didn’t change our perspective; absolutely not,” he said, adding it was his first time seeing Arcade Fire. He said his girlfriend filled him in on the allegations, but their plans did not change.

“We want to have a good time and enjoy some music,” he said.

Several attendees, meanwhile, said that they have separated the allegations against Butler from Arcade Fire’s music, which is relatable to so many because it aims to seek connections and bring people together.

“I listen to the music, not the personal stories of what’s going on with the band,” Jynessa Mendoza said.

There was nothing about the concert itself that would have raised any eyebrows. Butler was charismatic, as was Chassagne. The band played solidly. The room was slow to fill at first, but by the time Arcade Fire took the stage, the main floor was mostly filled, and only pockets of empty seats remained in upper sections.

The crowd cheered when the band walked onto the stage and as Butler raised his arm to welcome fans. During opener “Age of Anxiety I,” Butler hopped off the stage and went wandering through fans, giving high-fives. He repeated this during “Afterlife,” and he made his way to a B-stage at the end of the floor, taking photos with people, dancing with them and holding hands. People cheered every time he spoke and sang along to songs like “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” and “Rebellion (Lies).”

Butler didn’t address the crowd often, but said that $1 from the sale of each ticket will go toward disaster relief in Haiti. He also praised San Francisco, even though “some rich tech” people “have messed it up lately.”

Follow editor Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter.