Renowned venue Irving Plaza was the site of an unfortunate tragedy last week, as one fan at a T.I. concert was killed after a shooting inside the venue. Owned and operated by Live Nation, the corporate ticket promoter has cancelled a number of shows at both Irving and their Gramercy Theatre in response to the shooting.
Irving Plaza was scheduled to host Joey Bada$$ tonight, but that show has been cancelled. Additional performances at Irving, including Mac Miller on Friday and Vince Staples on Saturday, were also cancelled. Furthermore, Live Nation cancelled Appetite for Destruction’s Friday night show, Black Pistol Fire’s Saturday night show, and YG’s Monday night show at Gramercy Theatre.
While safety at concerts is of course an important concern, it’s just as troubling to think that one incident could set off a chain reaction that thwarts live music in New York City. Hopefully these measures are temporary while new security checkpoints are implemented, but it’s interesting to look at the shows that were cancelled. Four of them, Joey Bada$$, Mac Miller, Vince Staples, and YG, are hip hop artists, and the other two, Appetite for Destruction and Black Pistol Fire, have band names that are directly linked to guns (Appetite is a Guns N’ Roses cover band). Does this mean that the perceived threat of violence has outweighed the right for live music?
It’s an interesting debate, certainly, but for now, these shows will not be happening.
[H/T The Gothamist]