Oliver Anthony, the singer of the viral song “Rich Men North of Richmond,” canceled a Tennessee show after seeing the outrageous ticket prices.
Ticket prices at Cotton Eyed Joe, a Knoxville country-themed nightclub, were listed at $99.
Meet-and-greet tickets would cost fans $199 each.
Anthony became enraged after learning the prices and responded with multiple social media messages.
“Don’t buy $90 Cotton Eyed Joe tickets or $200 for a meet and greet. That’s not acceptable. Just saw the Facebook post and lost my s***,” Anthony wrote on Instagram.
“Miscommunication with my friend booking shows and I. My shows should never cost more than $40, ideally no more than $25. H**l, out of the 4 shows we have currently done, 2 of them have been completely free. This will get straightened out tonight. Hold off on buying tickets for now,” Anthony added.
“I had to pull off on the side of the road and make this video. My adrenaline’s pumping. I’m pissed off right now,” Anthony said in the video.
“Don’t buy Cotton Eyed Joe tickets for $99 a piece and sure as h**l don’t buy VIP passes for whatever bull s*** price they’re on,” he continued.
“I have a buddy of mine who’s not a booking agent and he’s a friend of mine. He’s a full-time plumber and I’m trying to hire him full-time as my booking agent. And he agreed to the show, I guess, without asking what the ticket prices are,” he continued.
“Don’t pay $100 for a ticket. That’s horse s***. 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,” he added.
Anthony confirmed on Facebook that his scheduled performance at Cotton Eyed Joe was canceled.
Via Facebook:
Cotton Eyed Joe has been cancelled. Ultimately, it’s my fault for not being more directly involved with the venues who have reached out. My plate has been full and I delegated the responsibility to someone else to help me book. 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. We will find another place in Knoxville area that can do $25 ticket and free meet and greet. 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.
According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, Cotton Eyed Joe set the ticket price to “break even” after Anthony agreed to play a 60-minute set for $120,000.
The outlet cited a Facebook post from the venue which is no longer available.
From Knoxville News Sentinel:
Cotton Eyed Joe explained that Anthony had agreed to play a 60-minute set at the Knoxville bar for $120,000. “We set the ticket price to break even,” organizers wrote on Facebook and Instagram.
The venue ultimately decided to cancel the show altogether, using some of Anthony’s lyrics and claim to fame in the process.
“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,” the company wrote on social media.
“To our talent agency and promotor friends that follow us … be careful booking the North Man of Richmond,” the post continued.
But Anthony is pushing forward. He told his followers that he didn’t agree to the Cotton Eyed Joe performance or ask for a $120,000 fee. He said the booking was through a friend of his who did not get the full details before agreeing to the deal.
It remains unclear which side canceled the show.
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