Morgan Wallen Duffs It Once Again
You can’t blame artists for cancelling shows if it’s a serious situation. People before music. You also can’t blame an artist for not wanting to put on a subpar show if their voice is gone, or they’ve got the green apple splatters, or whatever the situation happens to be. Then the backlash can be even greater than what happens if you cancel, because at least people get a refund as opposed to a bad show.
But it’s also not unreasonable to expect artists to give concertgoers fair warning about a cancellation unless it’s circumstances completely beyond their control, perhaps especially in country music when folks travel from rural areas to see their favorite artists, sometimes spending money on travel, hotels, and even airfare.
You can’t let fans load into the venue, get a beer in their hand, and then last minute, pull the plug. It’s not cool. And this is what Morgan Wallen did in Oxford, Mississippi on Sunday night, April 23rd at the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, even waiting until after openers Hardy and Ernest had performed to flash a message up on the big video screens saying,
“Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately Morgan has lost his voice and is unable to perform tonight – therefore tonight’s show has been cancelled. Please make your way safely to the stadium exits. Refunds for tonight’s even will be available at point of purchase.”
Wallen later said on social media, “After last night’s show I started losing my voice so I spent the day resting up, talking to my doctor and working through my vocal exercises trying to get better. I really thought I’d be able to take the stage and it kills me to deliver this so close to showtime, but my voice is shot and I am unable to sing … I am so sorry, I promise you guys I tried everything I could.”
Morgan Wallen fans can and should forgive the cancellation. But they’re fair to to be pissed about the last-minute circumstances. Lots of fans took to social media to grouse about the situation, including some enumerating all the expenses they incurred to make it to the show, resulting it one viral post from a woman blaming Wallen for a tab of nearly $4,000.
Oh but it gets even worse. One concertgoer named Brandi Burcham filed a federal lawsuit on Monday (4-24) against Morgan Wallen, accusing him of breach of contract and negligence, citing that at the time of the lawsuit, the University of Mississippi had yet to refund tickets, and even if/when they did, it would not cover out-of-pocket expenses. The plaintiff has made the lawsuit a class action, meaning other Morgan Wallen fans can join it.
There were even some claiming that Morgan Wallen’s excuse of losing his voice was cover for something else. A security guard working the event claimed on social media that Wallen was too drunk to take the stage, and had been taken away in an ambulance. This rumor was later debunked.
BEST Crowd Management released a statement saying, “A hired employee of BEST Crowd Management made false claims as it related to last night’s Morgan Wallen concert and we do not stand behind the detail in his statement. Please refer to Morgan’s social media pages for details.”
A lot of Morgan Wallen detractors (and there are a lot of them) who were first jumping on Morgan Wallen for the cancellation are now jumping on his fans for being crybabies. But this is far from an isolated incident, or compartmentalized to mainstream country stars.
It seems like post-Covid, we live it the era of cancellations. This discussion came up when Eric Church cancelled his arena show in San Antonio to attend a college basketball game. Yes, he ended up playing some makeup shows, but that’s beside the point. It used to be that performers would make showtime at any cost. And maybe that was a more unhealthy era in entertainment. But the era we’re in now is one where you almost expect the rug to be pulled out from under you for a concert, and you feel grateful when it isn’t.
And yes, it does make a difference that it was Morgan Wallen in this instance since he has a pattern of doing stupid stuff. The jackals on Twitter and in the media are just waiting for Morgan Wallen to slip up, and are going to be less forgiving and understanding when he does. He’s burned through his good will, which means he has to be even better and smarter than his peers.
But let’s also not act like this is some massive strike against Morgan Wallen’s character that your favorite country artist would never get caught doing. The situation brings to mind a couple of the cancellations by the Turnpike Troubadours during their troubles in 2018-2019 before their hiatus. Most of the time they cancelled before load in. But a couple of times they didn’t. Granted, the band now seems to be on the right track, and even when they recently cancelled their upcoming Washington D.C. show, they did it many days in advance.
Willie Nelson also had a situation in 2018 where he delayed coming out on stage, then finally came out, only to whip his hat out into the crowd, turn right back around, and ultimately, cancel well after the show should have started. The green apple splatters were rumored to be to blame for that instance. And of course with his advanced age and the way Willie has spent nearly a century touring his ass off, he’s earned a level of latitude from his fans and the public that Morgan Wallen hasn’t.
In both the Willie Nelson situation and the numerous Turnpike Troubadours instances, fans took to social media to complain, including some enumerating their personal expenses just like Morgan Wallen fans are doing now.
Look, it sucks. You’re all hyped up to see your favorite artist, and then it doesn’t happen, with the only consolation prize being a refund you often have to fight with a ticketing company for. And these instances are happening more and more now that it’s more socially acceptable to cancel after Covid-19, including shows where it just is financially difficult to pull it off, or an artist just doesn’t want to play, as opposed to fulfilling the obligations they originally committed to.
But for all the Morgan Wallen fans who complain each time award shows come around that he’s not picked for Entertainer of the Year despite clearly superior sales and streaming numbers, stuff like this last minute cancellation in Oxford is the reason. Morgan Wallen may be the leader on the charts, but he still fails to show the leadership on the stage that country music and the country industry wants to showcase.
This is why artists like Luke Combs tend to be more favored by awards shows and the rest of the industry. Nobody’s perfect. But you feel an artist like Luke Combs will always put his fans first, and have the forethought where even if there was a reason he may have to cancel a show, he’ll give his fans as much future notice as possible.
Morgan Wallen’s handlers and doctor are to blame here too, and should be held to account. But ultimately, the buck stops with Morgan. He’s the one whose name is on the ticket. And fair or not, he’s the one taking the blame. Again.
Morgan Wallen has since been officially placed on vocal rest, and postponed shows in Michigan on April 27, Illinois on April 28, and in Nebraska on April 29th.
– – – – – –
This story was updated with details of the security guard claims of Morgan Wallen being too drunk to perform.
April 25, 2023 @ 11:22 am
“Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately Morgan has the diarrhea and is unable to perform tonight – therefore tonight’s show has been cancelled. Please make your way safely to the stadium exits. Refunds for tonight’s even will be available at point of purchase.”
April 25, 2023 @ 1:56 pm
Something tells me if Morgan had diarrhea, there wouldn’t be enough left of him to put in a cigar box.
April 25, 2023 @ 11:28 am
“Why don’t you leave them boys alone, and let ’em sing their songs…”
April 25, 2023 @ 11:32 am
But Hoss, they aint showing up to sing ’em songs.
April 25, 2023 @ 11:31 am
From the headline: “Morgan Wallen Duffs it Again”
Homer Simpson has entered the chat
April 25, 2023 @ 11:35 am
It sucks. It’s frustrating. The drs should have urged him to cancel sooner. ***These whiny kids would have never made it through Jones, Haggard, Hank Sr., etc.
April 25, 2023 @ 4:37 pm
To be fair, there are plenty of stories about fans being pissed when some of the classic country pioneers acted like asses. There just wasn’t a nationwide social media that amplified all that.
April 25, 2023 @ 6:45 pm
Merle did not have a history of cancelling shows.
April 25, 2023 @ 11:47 am
Where’s the fed jur on a breach of contract and negligence lawsuit? Does Ms. Burcham reside in another state?
And why are both tort and contract counts being plead together in one lawsuit? And a ticket is a revocable license, anyway.
Aren’t there any local Mississippi attorneys available to advise Ms. Burcham, and to file this litigation, which is not going anywhere in the long run, in state court in whatever county Oxford is located?
April 26, 2023 @ 9:41 am
TMZ now says she has withdrawn the lawsuit, and it may be that your question about federal subject matter jurisdiction is the reason. She may end up refiling in state court (or there may be a different reason altogether that she dismissed the suit).
As to the other issue you raise, however, unless I’m missing the point of your question, there’s no reason breach of contract and negligence claims wouldn’t be filed in the same lawsuit. It’s common and totally appropriate. A typical example might be a homeowner who sues a contractor for allegedly causing damage to the home the contractor was supposed to be working on. They have a contract that was allegedly breached by the lousy work that caused damage, and the lousy work also may have been below the standard of a reasonable contractor–i.e., negligent. As in that situation, the woman here would be required to file both claims, since they arise from the same incident, or she’d lose the ability to file whichever one she omitted.
April 26, 2023 @ 5:34 pm
in my state, which is hosting more than 1 Morgan Wallen show this year, some of the local judges don’t like it when you combine tort and contract counts in the same complaint.
April 26, 2023 @ 6:27 pm
I’ve never heard of such a thing. Unless there’s something missing from what you’re saying, those judges have absolutely no idea what they’re doing.
April 25, 2023 @ 11:49 am
Where’s Dr. Nick when you need him?
April 25, 2023 @ 11:50 am
the rumor is Morgan had to leave in an ambulance for alcohol poisoning.
April 25, 2023 @ 12:15 pm
What kind of poison was in that drink, if it’s now destroyed his voice for a week or more?
May 1, 2023 @ 10:35 am
He may have been drinking Jack Daniels – a well known poison.
“Jack Daniels – Use It To Clean Up After A Meth Cook, But Please Don’t Drink It!”
Also, one solution to being pissed off if/when Morgan Wallen cancels a show – don’t go see this no talent ass hat. Sit in your truck and listen to static on the radio. It’s better than Mogan Wallen.
April 25, 2023 @ 12:17 pm
I have seen this rumor and I guess you never know. But even with the non-disclosures these big acts make all of their backstage personnel fill out, this would be a VERY hard ruse to pull off. If he left in an ambulance, he could have blamed food poisoning or some other medical emergency, and that arguably would have been a BETTER excuse than saying he lost his voice, and it wouldn’t have to involve a massive coverup. I’m not sure there’s any fire to this smoke.
April 25, 2023 @ 1:00 pm
I once saw Brooks and Dunn try a performance they should have canceled. Ronnie’s voice was shot. He was quite hoarse, so much they tuned down to try and help him. He apologized to the audience and soldiered through it. My Maria was a disaster, he couldn’t hit those high notes at all. So yeah this is a real thing that happens to performers.
Another show comes to mind, Merle Haggard. He couldn’t come to terms with a promoter on that doomed Ink and Iron fest in Nashville, and ended up canceling from the tour bus with the audience waiting. Then there was a Mavericks show i had tickets to, and rain flooded the field out, where it was to take place. ( a fairgrounds) The promotor canceled that one and Mavericks didnt refund the money, and no make up show. My wife got our money back through the credit card route via our bank.
Then there’s the Jones phenomenon…wouldn’t shock me if ol Morgan ended up on the same path, white lines off a bathroom vanity, whiskey chaser or so and you end up canceling shows, quacking like a duck and arguing with yourself, shacked up in a Motel 6…
April 25, 2023 @ 12:31 pm
BEST Crowd Management just made a statement stemming from one of their employees starting the rumor:
““A hired employee of BEST Crowd Management made false claims as it related to last night’s Morgan Wallen concert and we do not stand behind the detail in his statement. Please refer to Morgan’s social media pages for details.”
April 26, 2023 @ 9:45 am
I don’t mean to go too deep in the weeds on this, but I wonder whether it’s meaningful that the statement merely distances the management company from “the detail” of the employee’s statement, rather than disavowing it more fully and vigorously.
April 25, 2023 @ 12:05 pm
The Eric Church comparison is really unfair.
April 25, 2023 @ 12:19 pm
For the record, I wasn’t comparing the Eric Church situation to this Morgan Wallen situation. I would agree that is unfair. I brought up Eric CHurch in the context of how post-Covid, we are seeing a dramatic increase in cancellations, including ones that appear to be elective. Morgan Wallen’s arguably wasn’t. But unlike Eric Chuch, his fans could have been alerted much earlier.
April 25, 2023 @ 10:44 pm
The Eric Church situation was just stupid, “Fuck you, fans! I’m going to watch basketball instead!”
April 26, 2023 @ 5:27 am
Tell me you’ve never met anyone from North Carolina without saying it, haha.
April 27, 2023 @ 5:47 am
Lol truth.
April 26, 2023 @ 6:46 am
“For the record, I wasn’t comparing the Eric Church situation to this Morgan Wallen situation. I would agree that is unfair.”
That is correct. The Eric Church to Wallen comparison is amusingly unfair.
What Church did was much more egregious.
The Turnpike Troubadours have the dubious distinction of canceling show after show after show, because their grandma’s best friend’s cousin’s cat died, or members of the band are tending to their own affairs.
“But for all the Morgan Wallen fans who complain each time award shows come around that he’s not picked for Entertainer of the Year despite clearly superior sales and streaming numbers, stuff like this last minute cancellation in Oxford is the reason.”
More to the point “stuff like” toxic virtue signaling is the reason.
Couldn’t name one song of Wallen’s.
But this, lock & load journalistic style of “reporting”, is very Don Lemon-ish.
April 25, 2023 @ 12:12 pm
At least they got to see Hardy and Ernest. Could they have just played longer?
April 25, 2023 @ 1:10 pm
Maybe if he hadn’t chosen to cancel after they had already finished. Which is what makes the last-minute cancellation so strange to me, it seems like he would have wanted to do it early enough that the openers could expand their sets and give the crowd a little bit more of their money’s worth rather than hold off and hope that his voice would miraculously get better in another hour. So, yeah, I’m skeptical of the whole idea of his voice being the problem. Not that I really think he got so drunk that he had to be hauled off in an ambulance, but I feel like it might have been an issue where a little more time might have made a difference but was maybe a little more embarrassing to fess up to like maybe the squirts.
April 25, 2023 @ 12:39 pm
That class action suit, I hope, is doomed. Making either the artist or the venue responsible for expenses incurred by fans getting to a show that ends up canceled would have a chilling effect on the concert business.
April 25, 2023 @ 12:43 pm
I would rather an artist cancel at the last minute, than an artist go on, and lip sync through a performance. How many singers have done this? I did not pay my hard earned money to hear a recording, if an artist is sick or have an emergency, I would be disappointed if they canceled, but I would completely understand, but there are singers, who lip sync, they say to give the audience their money’s worth, but for me, no, if I want to listen to a recording, I’d play my cd player, I would have felt more cheated, that I wasted my money, at least with canceled performances , you hopefully will get a refund, with a lip sync performance, you’ve wasted your money, no refund whatsoever. So yeah , it is disappointing when a singer cancels but would you want to hear Willie Nelson, or Dolly Parton sing with a sore throat? Not me, if I am going to spend 100 dollars or more to see a singer, then they better be a 100 percent. So I would be disappointed, but I would rather they cancel, and get a refund.
April 25, 2023 @ 12:50 pm
Yes, one ironic byproduct of this is it corroborates that Morgan Wallen sings live. Some stadium acts may not lip sync the entire time, but may have songs or parts of songs where they do. If you’re Morgan Wallen, you could use vocal backing tracks to shield a weak voice. Clearly he didn’t have them.
April 25, 2023 @ 1:57 pm
I also wonder if singers who do perfances like the Super bowl , I know alot of singers lip sync, but if a person is contracted to perform and they are sick, that evening, can they refuse? Or do they have to do it, by their own voice or do they have to lip sync. Personally, I don’t think they should have to sing, maybe have a marching band or other act replace them. Just wondering.
April 25, 2023 @ 1:57 pm
I meant performances.
April 25, 2023 @ 2:15 pm
A lot of artists record vocal tracks, especially for things like the National Anthem, just in case if they can’t go, they can lip sync. Garth Brooks has admitted to this. It’s a lot more common in pop music than country. When pop stars are doing so much choreography on stage, there’s just not time or breath to sing. But even huge pop country stars like Luke Bryan I believe still sing live. Lip syncing is generally frowned up in country still, thank God.
April 25, 2023 @ 12:52 pm
I rarely go to hard ticket shows but why not let the openers play extended sets?
I know expenses add up. Tickets, travel, hotel, meals, merch… but some of the totals I’ve seen on Twitter are crazy.
April 25, 2023 @ 12:59 pm
The cancellation is not the issue here. It’s how it was handled.
If folks have already been let into the venue, and you know the headliner is not going to be able to perform, let folks know first that the headliner won’t be taking the stage, that they will be refunded, and THEN let the openers take the stage for extended sets. If they had done this, the sentiment from fans would have been entirely different. After all, Ernest and Hardy write many of Morgan Wallen’s songs. They could have played sets of Morgan’s music. It still would have been a let down, but I think folks would have been way more understanding.
If you get creative, sometimes you can turn it into a memorable moment, like when Eric Church took the stage one time with an acoustic guitar because the rest of his band was sick.
April 25, 2023 @ 1:15 pm
People are so stupid!!! You can’t help if your voice goes away!!! If he had went out & tried to sing they would be bitching about that!!! Morgan you can’t please everyone so take care of yourself & get better ❤️❤️ somebody that spent 4000 for a concert can’t have much sense anyway!!! Give it a rest people!!!l
April 26, 2023 @ 6:01 pm
I wonder if he is singing in his “normal voice” or if he is straining a degree to get that grit. If he has to force his voice to sound like that his singing career will be shorter.
April 30, 2023 @ 3:41 pm
I bet if you strained to shit all that bullshit wouldn’t have been typed on this page.
This.goes.for.all.the.bitchers.
#godforbidifjesuswasupthere
#nobodywouldbitch
#hesafuckingperson
April 25, 2023 @ 1:21 pm
I’ve never heard a Wallen song and sort of wear that as a badge of honor. However, I do have friends that like his music. From what I understand, he puts off a sort of outlaw image. I’m an Ole Miss alum, so I’ve heard the rumors about him being out all night on Saturday partying and being at our baseball game on Sunday having some drinks. If you’re gonna do outlaw, you gotta do it right. At the very least make an attempt. Come out on stage, slur your words, fall off a stool, kick out the footlights, etc. Give the people a show, it’s what they paid for. I can relate, I had many wild nights during my days in Oxford.
Also being an alum, I can relate to the fans who sat in the stadium for hours only to leave disappointed.
April 26, 2023 @ 1:09 pm
To me, those rumors are just too ridiculous to believe, simply because if he were out and about there would be so much photo and video evidence like there was at Tuscaloosa that time (and his popularity has doubled or tripled since then) so there would be numerous tik toks, Instagram and Snapchat videos and pics of it. There’s no way a high profile figure goes out partying in public in 2023 without being photographed or videoed and it going viral .
April 25, 2023 @ 1:41 pm
The only time I had an artist change around after I was there was Lorrie Morgan. She was the headliner and they announced that she had to open the show so she could get going back to Nashville to see a doctor the next day. The opener was a young newcomer named Garth Brooks who had one album out. He put on a fabulous show and signed autographs after he was done. First rate artist!!!
April 25, 2023 @ 1:42 pm
I have very mixed opinions on this
On the one hand, I get it. The old days of Music were not exactly healthy for artists to make a lot of shows spread out over a lot of distance, fast and furious style.
On the other hand, I have done shows fighting through a cough, a sore throat, or the sniffles
I won’t say where, but there is a video on YouTube somewhere of me doing everything that glitters, and I was fighting a scratchy throat. And I sing that song in F. Which is a higher key in my range (D is my usual low end singing range key)
And it’s flawed, it was shaky, it was certainly not my best performance of that song. But I did it.
Because I didn’t want to spend the last couple hours before the show practicing up new material that I thought I could do that wasn’t on the set list
So I have mixed opinions on this. But the one thing I do feel strongly about, is that this illustrates why people shouldn’t be allowed to be top-tier stars if they cannot play an instrument.
If I lose my voice, I can go out there and do fiddle or Banjo instrumentals, if Sonny James lost his voice, he was a great guitarist and fiddler. If Buck Owens lost his voice, he was a really good guitarist.
If Porter Wagoner lost his voice, he had a band of some of the top players in their field, who could do a whole show of their own material. The Wagonmasters were all great singers songwriters and musicians.
I certainly think that any top-tier act, shouldn’t just be one guy who holds the whole thing together with whatever studio musicians could be hired at the going rate. I think the top tier acts like this should be buoyed up by top tier musicians Who can be a safety net. Assuming the star of themselves isn’t able to do anything else to entertain an audience if they lose their voice.
Anything, juggling, yo-yo tricks, anything I can just be a singer, who can’t play an instrument who has to pull the plug when they lose their voice, because the band can’t do anything on their own
I don’t just say the golden age of country music was better because I’m a grumpy old man. I say it because it was true. If Buck Owens lost his voice, Don Rich was right there who could probably put on a great show. And buck do all the guitar playing he needed
If Willie Nelson lost his voice, Especially during his golden years. He had that whole band refined, they could put on a great show, and he was a great guitar player who can keep up.
Roy Acuff could do the yo-yo tricks, the acrobatics, and he had brother Oswald, who can lead a show if Roy lost his voice
Porter Wagoner head, but Trent on staff for years. If Porter Wagoner lost his voice, but Trent could step up and carry the show and Porter Wagoner could be right there, himself, a pretty accomplished guitarist.
April 25, 2023 @ 2:53 pm
Yeah, like the time Bad Blake was playing the bowling alley and he had to go outside and puke, but luckily Ryan Bingham was in his band and was able to step in and finish the set on vocals.
April 25, 2023 @ 6:06 pm
I get the reference!
April 25, 2023 @ 6:00 pm
Had Buck trent* stupid voice to text
April 25, 2023 @ 1:44 pm
Didn’t Robert Earl Keen walk off the stage mid-set because he was being a crybaby about something at KOKEFEST outside of Austin last summer?
Not that it mattered much to me, I was there for Turnpike and they sent it.
April 25, 2023 @ 2:12 pm
My understanding is REK actually played until the end of his set time at KOKEFest, but I believe he started late, which shortened his set. That was a really weird time though. His bus had caught on fire recently, and he was suffering from Bell’s Palsy. He was miserable. It was like night and day seeing him there and at Born & Raised Fest, and then seeing him at his final show at Floore’s Country Store. There’s a reason he retired from the road. He was done.
April 25, 2023 @ 1:48 pm
They’re finding a replacement Morgan Wallen before retiring this model. But seriously, it’s hard not to clown on the people who spent thousands of dollars around seeing this guy. Even without the assorted scandals, his music simply isn’t good most of the time. $1300 for tickets? You can see 8 real shows and reasonably splurge on dinner and drinks.
April 25, 2023 @ 2:15 pm
I was thinking while reading this – live music differs from the live sports in that that aren’t backups. If Patrick Mahomes is hurt, that’s a bummer, but fans still see the Chiefs play and someone else steps in.
But then I saw another comment – Earnest and Hardy wrote a large share of Morgan’s music. They quite literally were the backups. An added 60-minute set of the 2 of them playing Morgan’s catalogue would’ve eased things over tremendously.
The stuff I saw on online was that stuff went down the night before. It’s not worth reporting on since they are just Twitter rumors. But on the other hand, Morgan’s put himself in this situation with his past behavior and this odd cancellation.
April 25, 2023 @ 2:15 pm
For comparison Luke Combs had similar situation where his voice was strained, played the show, then gave people refunds as well.
Also if you’re wasting 4k to see Morgan Wallen you already have issues in life that a lawsuit can’t solve. These people would be pissed off if they ever had to go to a George Jones show, not that they know who that was.
April 25, 2023 @ 2:19 pm
Yes I had forgotten about that, but in September of 2022, Luke Combs suffered through the show, and then offered everyone a refund. And things like that are the reasons he’s the Entertainer of the Year. Again, it’s not the cancellation. It’s how Morgan Wallen handled it. I bet all the folks at that Luke Combs show remember it fondly, just because he was a stand up guy for them.
April 25, 2023 @ 2:23 pm
Agreed on that the handling on this was shit to be polite
April 25, 2023 @ 2:38 pm
I wondered if this incident would make it on SCM website.
April 25, 2023 @ 2:40 pm
I saw Ryan Bingham do exactly that about 2014ish. Playing Stubbs at SXSW. Tickets werent cheap. Came out- played one song then said, Im sorry but Im too hungover and left. We didnt get a refund. Unforgivable.
April 25, 2023 @ 6:51 pm
That’s when you play your best sets!
April 25, 2023 @ 3:12 pm
I’m going to pass right on by the fact that I’ve only heard two or three Morgan Wallen songs that I like…and I’m being generous here. Most of his stuff is just irritating. The idea that he would wait until soooo long into the show only to cancel is just incredible to me.
For contrast, I saw Vince Gill in the early 90’s (I was 15) and he was the reigning entertainer of the year. He came out and the minute he open his mouth we knew something was wrong. He talked into the mic…croaked was more like it. He said his voice was gone so there would be no singing. He offered to do a bunch of instrumental stuff, bluegrass and pop instrumentals with his band. He even did a couple of audience singalongs to his songs. He played for about an hour, and then left the stage. He offered refunds to everyone, but he still gave us the best of what he had to give that night. Still one of my fondest memories of a true professional.
April 25, 2023 @ 8:05 pm
The only time I caught Vince with the Time Jumpers he was obviously sick. And he sang in a lower register and still sounded really good.
Also all Morgan had to do was say he tested positive for Covid. That argument would hold water with all the covidians.
BRING BACK LIKES ON COMMENTS!
April 25, 2023 @ 8:23 pm
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April 26, 2023 @ 6:35 am
I vote for doing away with the likes. Let people leave comments because they want to contribute to the conversation. Plus it’s a little off putting how many likes some of the more insane posts on this website gets.
April 26, 2023 @ 7:18 am
There was a concern that some folks had figured out how to spam the likes, and that’s why we sometimes saw ridiculous “like” totals on certain comments. This is one of the reasons that feature is being revamped/updated.
April 26, 2023 @ 9:00 am
Quit being a beta, Travis, and accept challenging viewpoints.
April 26, 2023 @ 11:18 am
I didn’t say shut down the comments. Although if Trig did, I wouldn’t miss your retarded ‘challenging viewpoints’.
April 26, 2023 @ 3:15 pm
Retarded is considered a banned word by your kind. Submit yourself for education, comrade.
It is OK. You feel inferior to my superior intellect.
April 26, 2023 @ 3:33 pm
Nobody’s here for y’alls back and forths. Let’s move on.
April 26, 2023 @ 5:55 pm
@Travis. It’s a bit ridiculous to expect people to engage in conversation on a comment section and to not have it occasionally drift to ancillary topics.
Expecting this in real life makes one come off as ‘on the spectrum.’
April 25, 2023 @ 3:55 pm
I was at that Willie Outlaw Fest show in Charlotte 2018. Yeah it sucked and I couldn’t make it to the rescheduled show but I’m a big enough Willie fan that I didn’t sulk.
Had tix for George Jones 4 hours away…he played possum. Had tix for Merle and Paycheck, drove 2 hours and was met at the gate…cancelled.
Had tix for Waylon around the same time and Sammy Kershaw became the last minute replacement. Now I was really upset about that one.
It happens, that’s life. But I’m probably not going to fly or plan a vacation around a show.
April 25, 2023 @ 4:09 pm
“One show? Those are rookie numbers in this racket.”
-George Jones
April 25, 2023 @ 4:14 pm
Luke Combs and Hunter Hayes rented a van and drove 10 hours plus overnight to play a 1200 person capacity venue on Long Island when storms cancelled their flights. this is in 2019 – Luke could have easily bailed and didn’t. Both were phenomenal.
April 25, 2023 @ 4:34 pm
How many weeks does this album sit at #1?
I knew Metallica had a chance… but wow.
April 25, 2023 @ 4:37 pm
The most overrated, curated, pr/label creation. However he was at a baseball game Friday night and took a photo with a fan there. He told her he hoped his voice would hold out. He was having problems then. And yes she posted the pic and this statement on her ig. So who the hell knows.
April 25, 2023 @ 6:25 pm
Green Apple Splatters is a great (and disgusting) band name. And if they ever cancel a show…well we know why.
April 26, 2023 @ 5:57 am
There was a grunge era Seattle band that was pretty big locally called “Green Apple Quick Step”!
April 25, 2023 @ 6:37 pm
Whether it’s learning someone who spent $4,000 on a concert lost their money, or seeing a pathetic, sheep-filled nation try to come to grips with the new world it ushered into existence by voluntarily locking itself down for 3 years for no reason, I absolutely LOVE seeing people sleep in the bed they made. It gives me so much joy.
April 25, 2023 @ 7:07 pm
^
April 25, 2023 @ 6:57 pm
LOL A class action lawsuit… that escalated quickly.
April 25, 2023 @ 7:01 pm
I saw Mike and the Moonpies in Fort Pierce, the first night after they left Mile 0 Fest in Key West. Mike barely had a voice, admitted it, and kept going…all through wind and rain. They still created a great experience, and I doubt many left disappointed. Maybe that’s comparing apples to oranges though.
April 26, 2023 @ 2:53 am
living in Italy i have to take a plane to Germany (if i’m lucky) each time i want to see a show.
Did it last week to see Mike and the boys in a small club in Krefeld, they blew the rooftop!
tix were 25€.
April 26, 2023 @ 10:37 am
Had this same experience at a different show when Mike was having major vocal issues. He came out and acknowledged it right away, said they’d play some songs he was sure everyone would know the words to sing for him, the guitar player sang a song or two, covers if I remember right. The set list was cut short and the band promised they’d come back soon – which they did. Granted tickets were like 20 bucks, and no one likely flew in from out of state for the show. But handling the situation with grace and consideration ensured not a single person felt taken after the show.
April 25, 2023 @ 7:33 pm
I can’t believe some people are remotely for one hot second even thinking about believing he actually had vocal issues. Soooo ridiculous. He’s a boozer and has more fame than maturity. Of course all the big heads involved will cover it up he’s making everyone a ton of money. SMH.
April 25, 2023 @ 7:47 pm
If Morgan Wallen leaves that stadium in an ambulance, the reception for this cancellation and the story afterwards is dramatically different. A majority of Morgan’s own fans were angry of how the cancellation was handled. If he goes out on a stretcher, the sentiment is completely different. Even if they wanted to lie and say he had food poisoning, a gall bladder problem, an appendicitis, whatever, there would have been sympathy. Saying your voice went out, but not telling anyone until it was time for you to take the stage? This is a TERRIBLE cover story, and the reception Morgan Wallen received proved this. People would be MORE understanding if they said he got shitty drunk, and was unable to perform.
April 26, 2023 @ 1:40 pm
Ffs. The guy explained that he tried his best to make it work, right up until the last minute. Clearly he thought he would be able to pull it off, but couldn’t. I can’t name one song from this record label creation, but your hard-on and hate for him is pathological. Performers are human.
And anyone who would spend thousands of dollars to see an artist has rocks in their head.
April 26, 2023 @ 8:26 pm
Just look up the soundboard recordings of the shows where Hank JR was absolutely shitfaced and made an embarrassment of himself. He had to make up those shows.
I bet if MW tried to perform and his vocals were shot he’d be criticized even more for that.
Thousands for tickets is crazy. I have never spent over $150 for tickets despite wanting to see the Eagles and Elton John.
April 25, 2023 @ 10:52 pm
George Strait had to cancel a performance in Jacksonville years ago. They announced he wouldn’t be able to perform at the beginning of the concert and offered a refund. In the interim, everyone was allowed to stay fir the openers, which I believe were Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town. So, after staying for their performances, you had the option of a refund or you could hang on to the tickets and come back for a do-over show months later with George and…was it Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town again? I can’t remember. It was George though. That’s all that mattered. I’ve seen him 6 times in 4 different cities.
April 26, 2023 @ 1:10 am
…let’s look at the bright side, those morgan wallen fans there in oxford, mississippi had their very own real life “last night” moment the day after.
April 26, 2023 @ 6:04 am
This happened to me several years ago at a Ozzy concert. The opening act (don’t remember who it was) played their show, then someone came on stage and said Ozzy had become sick and wouldn’t be performing. They said keep your tickets and the show would be rescheduled. It was a little scary as the crowd didn’t take it too well and started yelling and throwing things. Several fights broke out.
Fortunately, Ozzy did reschedule only a few months later, and the show was great. But still, someone could have gotten seriously hurt by the crowds reaction to a last second cancelling. Crowd safety is something that needs to be considered when musicians are feeling sick prior to the show as Wallen apparently was. If they are not sure, it’s best to just cancel early.
April 26, 2023 @ 9:58 am
42 years ago, I was a kid with a ticket to see The Clash at Bond’s International Casino in NYC. The show was a Saturday matinee, the fourth in a lengthy series of shows the Clash had sold out at the venue. The venue (or whomever) had sold 4500 tix for every show–for a 1500-person venue. The first three nights had been packed and crazy. The fire marshal canceled the show while we were all in line waiting to get in. Mounted police were ready and warded off a potential riot by herding us around. The show was rescheduled for a week later and remains the greatest musical experience of my life.
April 26, 2023 @ 7:21 am
Not sure if it is worse or better…but George Strait had to cancel 3 songs in a few years ago. Came back really quickly and made the show up. People were still super pissed.
April 26, 2023 @ 8:20 am
The guy has a drinking problem. His songs only talk about that. No one holds him accountable for anything because he’s a cash cow for his label and family. His team is on major damage control now. They never should have canceled so late into the show. Still no video apology from MW. I just don’t get his popularity because he’s a mediocre at best cm singer. Hopefully he gets help and realizes what he has. He’s been lucky but luck runs out…
April 26, 2023 @ 8:26 am
If you were to see him perform and he has lost his voice, not much point in him going on, is there? A big disappointment but what else could he do? He is human. He is not the first and will not be the last. I recall watching Conway Twitty many years ago try to perform having all but lost his voice. I would rather have had my money back!
April 26, 2023 @ 8:46 am
Somewhere George “No Show” Jones is smiling.
April 26, 2023 @ 9:26 am
$4,000 to see Morgan Wallen?!!!
April 26, 2023 @ 10:35 am
She’s tallying everything it took to get there – flights, hotel, time off work, etc.
April 26, 2023 @ 10:47 am
Yes, I assumed it was for more than just the tickets. I guess it’s all in what you value, but $4,000 total sunk into a Morgan Wallen concert seems crazy to me.
April 26, 2023 @ 11:45 am
Haha very fair!
April 30, 2023 @ 3:43 pm
I’d give up my left vagina lip.
April 26, 2023 @ 10:37 am
Not to mention in regard to Entertainer of the Year, dude is so often super flat or sharp on stage. Perhaps those are drinking nights. But as I say that, I guess Aldean has won it, and that is not a great show to see.
April 26, 2023 @ 11:09 am
Isn’t the first, won’t be the last. But of course because it’s Morgan it’s ‘a story’. People get sick, it’s unfortunate but it’s life. Should it have been called earlier? Maybe, probably, but if you think you’re starting to feel better and may be able to make it of course you want to try and perform.
April 26, 2023 @ 3:16 pm
I guess I just don’t give a Damm either way.
April 26, 2023 @ 4:46 pm
I once attended a Willie Nelson show where Jason Isbell and Allison Krauss/Union Station opened the show. The latter two were great. Allison Krauss was the standout of the show. Then Willie came out. Holy shit. They sounded worse than a high school garage band banging on garbage cans and cheap guitars. It was HORRIBLE and Willie was the reason. He had extreme difficulty keeping up with the band and even singing at all. He mumble talked through the set, which I left early and went to an Irish bar nearby. The $5 cover Irish band was far better than Willie that night. He was 81 at the time. I would have pay to go see him again. I would have been disappointed if he came out before and said he was sick, but I wouldn’t be as pissed as I was listening to him just take my money that night.
April 26, 2023 @ 5:41 pm
Scanned quickly through the comments but I didn’t see anyone point out the obvious. Which is that Morgan Wallen cancelling actually saved all these folks from having to suffer through a Morgan Wallen Concert. I’d be scared of that mangey opossum flying off his head and landing on me. Not to mention being shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of Morgan Wallen fans. Eww. Probably smells like a mix of bathroom perfume, fermented Copenhagen spit and never washed wifebeater tank tops at such an event. Folks should count their blessings! Hell I’d probably pay $50 to not have to go to one of those things.
April 26, 2023 @ 5:58 pm
I tend to take people at their word until proven different so I give him a break here. Sure it would have been better if he had cancelled earlier and let the other guys do an extended set though maybe they didn’t want to do that. I kind of laugh at some of the people bringing up other people soldiering on through. Two things. First if he had done that, it’s possible he could have done some damage and many more shows would have had to have been cancelled. Secondly this was a big stadium he was at. Comparing him to a guy doing it in a small club is a little silly. In a small club, you can kind of ease into and take it easy and people will still hear, not so in a big stadium.
April 28, 2023 @ 11:39 am
Absolutely agree
April 27, 2023 @ 1:32 pm
From Ward Davis’ Facebook. Wise words a lot of people should hear.
“I wish everybody would leave Morgan Wallen alone. Like seriously. Every time the guy does anything, there’s 50 buzzards circling, ready to rip him apart. Like a whole subculture of trolls, looking to destroy Morgan Wallen, as if he represents everything that’s wrong with the world, which he doesn’t.”
April 27, 2023 @ 1:56 pm
Ward Davis is right, and he’s wrong.
I’ve been defending Morgan Wallen from many of the crazy attacks he’s been incurring since the N-word incident, including the fake TMZ story about him pouring a beer on a woman, people attacking Miranda Lambert for writing a song with him or appearing at a concert with him, for Rolling Stone falsely reporting that he did not make donations he pledged.
But that doesn’t mean Morgan Wallen isn’t a knucklehead. The N-word incident put ALL of country music in the crosshairs, and has caused massive collateral damage to the genre. And in regards to this incident, it COULD have been handled better by Wallen and his team.
Is it the end of the world? No. Should he be cancelled for it? Of course not. But fans have a right to be angry, and Wallen could have either informed fans earlier, or figured out a better way to handle the situation like we’ve seen from scores of other artists previously. And when you’re Morgan Wallen, the heat is already on you. So yes, you have less latitude, because you’ve burned through all of your good will previously.
April 27, 2023 @ 7:11 pm
But the thing is, he hasn’t burned through all his good will. People are just overly offended by things that don’t matter. Ward Davis is completely right.
April 28, 2023 @ 1:23 pm
Maybe Morgan quaffed too much of his favourite brew.
April 28, 2023 @ 3:23 pm
I know it is not a popular opinion but what if he is telling the truth?
May 23, 2023 @ 1:46 pm
OK,but he’s known for prevaricating .