Some artists who recently canceled shows at the Kennedy Center in protest of the board voting to change the name to the “Trump-Kennedy Center” had low ticket sales prior to their cancelation.
While artists who canceled shows at the Kennedy Center earlier this following the Trump takeover (actress Issa Rae, Hamilton creators) had sold out shows well-ahead of their scheduled performances, others who recently canceled their shows had less-than-stellar ticket sales.
“The Cookers, Kristy Lee and Chuck Redd have all canceled their shows,” noted the Daily Mail. “Combined, the performers have just over 15,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Meanwhile, Miranda Lambert, who just performed at the Kennedy Center Honors this month, boasts 5.5 million monthly listeners.”
“Doug Varone and Dancers, a niche dance troupe, has also canceled its concert,” it continued.
Doug Varone and Dancers said that they canceled the show specifically because of the name change, which may or may not require Congressional approval to be made official.
“Yes, we did cancel because of the name change,” Varone told the Daily Mail.
The Cookers’ saxophone player Billy Harper said in a recent Facebook rant that he “would never even consider performing in a venue bearing a name (and being controlled by the kind of board) that represents overt racism and deliberate destruction of African American music and culture.”
Richard Grenell, president of the center, told the Daily Mail that the artists canceling their shows previously scheduled by the Biden administration.
“The artists who are now canceling shows were booked by the previous far left leadership where ideology was prioritized over talent and finances,” Grenell said. “Their last-minute cancellations prove that they were always unwilling to perform for everyone – even those they disagree with politically. They only want to perform for people who believe like them.”
The artists who also recently canceled were also not booked in the main theaters.
“The Cookers were set to play in the Terrace Theater, which holds 500 people. But they had only sold 60 tickets, the insider revealed,” noted the Mail. “Chuck Redd, who was set to play on the Millennium Stage, which seats around 200 people and is free of charge, only had 63 people register for his show.”
As Breitbart News reported, Grenell recently announced that the center would be filing a lawsuit against Chuck Redd for canceling the show abruptly.
“Your dismal ticket sales and lack of donor support, combined with your last-minute cancellation has cost us considerably,” Grenell wrote Friday in a letter to Redd obtained by Breitbart News. “This is your official notice that we will seek $1 million in damages from you for this political stunt.”
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