Tomorrow, May 20th, during President Donald Trump‘s diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia, bro-country superstar Toby Keith will play a free show in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. An outspoken supporter of the embattled POTUS, Keith was one of the (very) few mainstream artists Trump was able to recruit for his inauguration celebration earlier this year.
Toby Keith has built a massively successful country career on songs like “I Love This Bar,” “Whiskey Girl,” “Drunk Americans,” and “Beer For My Horses.” But for this empirically bizarre performance, there will be no bars, whiskey, drunk Americans, or even girls in sight (although there may, in fact, be some horses around somewhere). That’s right: In keeping with the Middle Eastern country’s strict adherence to a conservative interpretation of Islamic law, there will be no women allowed at the performance.
Saudi Arabia adheres to a conservative interpretation of Islamic law: Alcohol is strictly prohibited, unrelated men and women are required to be segregated in public, and women are forbidden from doing a number of things that men can do, including driving a car and, apparently, going to see Toby Keith concerts.
The Associated Press reports that in addition to the concert, Saudi Arabia has arranged for an extensive schedule of events for Trump’s two-day trip. The various public figures involved in the itinerary include Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir (who has previously been indicted as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court), Fox News anchor Bret Baier and, of course, nobody with a vagina.
Of course, the barring of women from the performance is a symptom of the social climate in Saudi Arabia and not necessarily a reflection of Keith’s or Trump’s personal views (though POTUS’s history of sexist behavior is well-documented). That said, just the thought of a sweaty, sober, Trump-ified sausage fest in the sweltering Saudi Arabian heat headlined by Toby Keith makes Fyre Fest seem like Heaven on Earth.
[via NBC]