Live Nation has canceled the concerts of a controversial reggae artist who was scheduled to perform at the House of Blues.
Buju Banton, known for singing violent anti-gay lyrics, was booked to perform at the House of Blues in Chicago Oct. 1. Live Nation announced late Thursday that all scheduled concerts by Banton have been canceled, including in Chicago, Las Vegas, Dallas and Houston.
Live Nation did not state a reason for the cancellation. Anyone who bought tickets can get refunds.
Gay rights groups had been pressuring Live Nation to cancel Banton's concerts, calling his music "murder music." In Chicago, the Gay Liberation Network had scheduled its 11th annual Matthew Shepherd Walk for LGBT Freedom to take place downtown Oct. 1, ending at the House of Blues for a protest. The Matthew Shepherd Walk, which drew about 400 people last year, has always taken place in Boystown.
Now that the show has been canceled, the march will likely move back to Boystown, said Andy Thayer, co-founder of the Gay Liberation Network.
"This is probably an unprecedented victory in the fight against murder music," Thayer said Friday. "I don't think we've ever had an entire cancellation."
Concert promoter AEG Live/Goldenvoice, which had Banton concerts scheduled in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia, also pulled the plug on his tour.
5 Comments
Bill said:
Slippery slope, they better cancel every artist with violent lyrics, if they are going to cancel Buju to appease homosexual groups.
fw henson said:
Sorry to destroy your quick label/stereotype of gay people,Bill.ButI'm not a homosexual group.I'm just a guy,like you.You show me one person whose been on the receiving end of gay bashing of any sort, agreeing with your free speech argument,and I would be very surprised.
I've got an idea:put "Bill's Mom" in place of faggots in the lyrics to the song.Since that would be a relevant reference for you, I wonder where you would stand on the "Free Speech" issue then???
LLOYD said:
LiveNation has the right to refuse its corporate services to ANYONE who they wish not to work with.
There is no free-speech issue here. Banton is free to say whatever the hell he want. But LiveNation has the RIGHT to refuse their services to shun Banton if they want to.
Banton can take his concerts somewhere else because LiveNation will not tolerate free speech that advocates public violence against groups of people. They can be sued for liability if a crime occurs.
CHICAGO, DALLAS, LAS VEGAS and HOUSTON tour events are CANCELLED.
As of TODAY, Banton's LOS ANGELES, PHILADELPHIA, and SAN FRANCISCO tour events are also cancelled with full complete ticket refunds/exchange from LiveNation.
Bill said:
Its a shame artists dont get heard due to fear from special interest groups. If there is no free-speech issue, why not let him appear? Just a guy excercising his free speech. Anyone can be sued for anything Lloyd, but they are not liable for any crimes that may or may not occur. Weak.
LLOYD said:
It's a shame that people have to listen to his violent lyrics advocating for Gay & Lesbian people to be thrown acid and skinned alive and murdered by an Uzi gunshot to the head. If I said the same thing about niggers or jews, I doubt I'll get more than just protests and cancelled tickets.
There NO ISSUE of free speech here. Banton can say whatever he wants and no one is stopping him from running his mouth. But people AND companies have a right to terminate their provided services to people who risk them a liable lawsuit in case a gay crime occurs-----YES, they can be liable---and LiveNation does not want to be tainted with homophobic artists like Banton who calls for PUBLIC violence aggression against Gay people. If you want Banton, you hold a platform concert for him on your own funds. LiveNation has spoken for themselves.
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