Minneapolis music and comedy venue First Avenue dropped a surprise July 20th Dave Chappelle show announcement on Monday. The show, of course, sold out. Hours before doors, they announced they were cancelling the show due to, as far as we can figure out, the impact of free expression.
How it started:
Just Announced: Dave Chappelle Live at First Avenue on July 20.
Tix go on sale tomorrow morn (Tuesday, July 19) at 10AM → https://t.co/zr9y7iiDEO pic.twitter.com/JQ48hIWT06
— First Avenue (@FirstAvenue) July 18, 2022
How it’s going:
We hear you. Tonight’s show has been cancelled at First Avenue and is moving to the Varsity Theater. See our full statement for more. pic.twitter.com/tkf7rz0cc7
— First Avenue (@FirstAvenue) July 20, 2022
There’s a lot going on in this statement, but the standout line is this: “We believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression, but in honoring that, we had lost sight of the impact this would have.”
We’re struggling to translate this and this is the closest we can get: they believe in diversity and freedom of expression unless it’s Dave Chappelle doing the talking.
You do realize you are doing the opposite of "diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression" right?
— Erica ⬆️ 🤌🏼 (@ZiaErica) July 21, 2022
Nope, pretty sure they don’t.
"We believe in diverse voices" …except the voices we don't agree with. 🤡
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) July 21, 2022
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Funny how that works.
And as far as impact goes, we would think a sold out show would be a strong indicator that a lot of people are very interested in what Chappelle has to say.
Chappelle can hold an open-air show on the banks of Lake Calhoun and he will rake in more money in one day than you will in ten years. But it’s your property, good luck!
— Jay (@OneFineJay) July 21, 2022
No doubt.
As always, the backtracking and apology were not good enough.
Great. Now own up that booking him was a mistake in the first place and shut the show down instead of just moving venues.
— Dee (Tormented Artifacts) 🏳️⚧️ (@T_Artifacts) July 20, 2022
Hey looks like you misspelled "We heard our staff who called out en masse and prevented us from hosting this show at our own venue even though we really wanted to" as "you"
— Twin Cities Encampment Responders (@TCparkresponder) July 20, 2022
Varsity Theater seems pretty happy to be able to add another night of Chappelle revenue to their line-up.
Attention Dave Chappelle Fans! The show scheduled for tonight at First Ave has now been moved to Varsity Theater. Your tickets from First Ave will be honored. Doors open at 8PM and we highly recommend arriving early.
This event will be a phone-free experience. pic.twitter.com/khrphPmqZo
— Varsity Theater (@VarsityTheater) July 20, 2022
Then there’s always this to consider:
Maybe you need a staff that supports free artistic expression and doesn’t want to act as a censor. Because, guess what? The venue moved. The ticket buyers will see Chappelle. That venue will get the money your venue should have gotten. And Chappelle will likely roast you.
— Peter Kohan (@peterkohan) July 21, 2022
Always interesting to see people not realizing they’re going to woke themselves out of a job.
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