Queer Musician Cancels Festival Performance in Kentucky

On September 21, queer country musician Adam Mac posted a video announcing the cancellation of his upcoming performance at the Logan County Tobacco and Heritage Festival in Kentucky. The festival, which started on September 23, occurs annually and features dozens of events over a three-week period each fall. Mac, who is from Logan County, was scheduled to conclude this year’s festivities with a grand finale concert on October 14.

In the video, Mac explains that he received a call from a festival board member who informed him that some Logan County community members had questions about the type of performance Mac was going to put on.

“(They) wanted to ensure that I would not be promoting homosexuality, or sexuality, in a family-friendly environment,” Mac says. “I don’t really know what they expected I was gonna do other than come and put on a hell of a show, like we do.”

The video, which was posted with a broken heart emoji, has received over 53,000 views and a flood of supportive comments.

“It was made aware to me that there were people in the town that were very upset that they would have a gay person headline the festival,” Mac continues.“To know that there are people who are angry that they asked me to come and perform in a town that I was raised in for 21 years of my life. Sure, they have the right to not listen to my music. They have the right to not come to the show. But what’s happening now is, they are protesting; they’re showing up at the chamber; they made comments online and to the chamber that they will be holding protests at the show, which is just so disheartening.”

Shortly after Mac’s announcement, the festival confirmed the canceled concert with two posts on Facebook. The first simply states that the cancellation was due to “reasons beyond our control.” The second statement delves a bit deeper into the situation: “Following threats of protest, Adam Mac made the decision to cancel the concert due to safety concerns for himself, his band, and the concert attendees,” the post reads. “While we did not request him to cancel, we respect his decision.”

Comments on the posts are heavily critical of the festival’s response and question why the organizers didn’t tighten security measures to ensure there would not be a protest. They also point to the hypocrisy of the festival’s sloga—”Peace, Love, and Logan.”

“A part of me feels like (canceling) would be letting down the people who need to see me the most there in that space, and the people who were so excited for me to come home and put on a show,” Mac says. “It also feels like if I don’t do the show, I’m caving and letting those people win, which, if you know me, is not something that I like to do. It’s hard for me to say this but I think the best move forward is to cancel the show and let them book someone else who will not be as controversial. ”

Photo courtesy of social media