Oliver Anthony—the singer and songwriter of the hit “Rich Men North of Richmond”—apologized to fans for a show being canceled after he was booked to appear in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the end of the month.
This from thegatewaypundit.com.
According to the Knoxville News Sentinel:
Anthony was angry that the venue—the nightclub Cotton Eyed Joe—was charging $99 for tickets, plus another $199 for a meet-and-greet pass.
The singer said in a video posted to Instagram on Monday:
I had to pull off on the side of the road and make this video. My adrenaline’s pumping. I’m p*ssed off right now.
He added:
Don’t buy Cotton Eyed Joe tickets for $99 a piece and sure as hell don’t buy VIP passes for whatever bulls*** price they’re on.
Anthony explained that a friend of his, who is a plumber by trade, has been filling in as a part-time booking agent for the performer.
He said:
He agreed to this show, I guess, without asking what the ticket prices are.
He told his fans:
Don’t pay $100 for a ticket. That’s horses***. If we’ve got to cancel the venue and play somewhere else, we will. I didn’t agree to it, and I don’t want you to pay it.
Anthony further elaborated in a written post on Instagram that he never wants tickets to his shows to cost more than $40, and ideally not more $25.
He promised:
Cotton Eyed Joe has been canceled. I am so sorry about all of this. I will do better next time. We are still learning.
In a Facebook post, Anthony wrote:
I am not pointing fingers at Cotton Eyed Joe, I don’t know where the miscommunication took place. I’m just upset seeing those prices.
He’s looking for another venue in Knoxville where the ticket price will be $25.
Anthony said:
I will work to get your tickets refunded from my own budget if they can’t. This will never happen again. Thanks for your patience. I am still learning how all of this works.
The News Sentinel reported:
Cotton Eyed Joe had written in a Facebook post—which is no longer available—that Anthony had agreed to play a 60-minute set at the Knoxville bar for $120,000.
The post stated:
We set the ticket price to break even.
According to the News Sentinel:
[T]he venue used a no longer available social media post to say it had canceled the show, and the venue borrowed some lyrics from “Rich Men North of Richmond” to inform the public:
It’s a d**n shame what the world’s gotten to for the customers of the World Famous Cotton Joe.
Most times we say a show has been canceled due to circumstances beyond our control … well we are canceling the Oliver Anthony show under our full control.
Rich Men North of Richmond was the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 last month.
Final thought: Humility is a fine quality to witness in a young man. God speed Oliver Anthony.
