Orlando’s SeaWorld continues to lose acts for their ‘Bands, Blues and BBQ’ event with Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride and .38 Special all cancelling their appearances.
A total of eight acts have now cancelled from the event this coming March in reaction to the CNN documentary Blackfish which chronicles the parks ongoing problems with caring for their aquatic residents.
Last week saw Barenaked Ladies, Willie Nelson and Heart pull out and were followed in the last five days by Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride and .38 Special. In most cases, the cancellations have been at the urging of fans via on-line petitions.
Cheap Trick said in a statement “Due to concerns regarding our February 16th appearance at SeaWorld, we have chosen to cancel the performance.”
Most of the artists that followed the initial four also issued statements.
“I’ve decided that given all the issues that have been aired recently, the time isn’t right for me to play Seaworld. I have canceled my scheduled performance at the Bands, Blues & BBQ event in March 2014.” – Martina McBride on Facebook
“Due to concerns regarding our February 16th appearance at SeaWorld, we have chosen to cancel the performance.” – REO Speedwagon
“Due to concerns raised by the CNN documentary ‘Blackfish,’ 38 Special will be canceling its scheduled March 9th concert at Seaworld. We appreciate the outpouring of support and especially apologize to our Orlando fans. We will try and schedule another performance in your area in the near future.” – .38 Special
The last two artists that remain on the SeaWorld schedule are Justin Moore and Scotty McCreery and their names have been removed from the venues site, replaced with the statement that the festival will include “incredible concerts with top artists in classic rock and country music.”
The documentary Blackfish can now be viewed on Netflix.
More at: vintagevinylnews.com
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