Due to a huge rise in ticket prices imposed by the bar in Knoxville, Tennessee, where the country singer Oliver Anthony was supposed to play, Anthony made the decision to cancel the show that was planned to take place there. A politically-charged song by the artist titled “Rich Men North of Richmond” went viral earlier this month, which led to the musician receiving further notice.
On Anthony’s official Facebook page, he issued an apology for the expensive ticket pricing at the Cotton Eyed Joe venue and expressed his wish for more events that were accessible to a wider audience. He claimed that he did not want ticket prices to be more than $40, and that he was aiming for costs somewhere around $25 per.
The singer assuaged his audience’s concerns by assuring them that he would discuss a solution to the problem with his booking agent and consider rescheduling the performance at a location with lower ticket prices.
Anthony was also critical of the location since, in his opinion, meet-and-greet chances for VIPs should not cost extra and should be provided for free. He encouraged others who followed him to hold off on purchasing tickets until the situation had been settled.
In a later update, Anthony responded to Cotton Eyed Joe’s allegations that he was demanding $120,000 for his performance and that this was a contributing factor to the high cost of tickets. Cotton Eyed Joe had said that these allegations were true. He specified that the highest money he had ever earned from a concert was $35,000, and he emphasized the free shows and charity events that he had performed at in the past.
He voiced his dissatisfaction with the venue’s pricing policies, but he wished them the best of luck anyway. Anthony admitted that he should have been more active in the process of booking, and he recommended that in the future, he may want to think about using the services of a professional adviser.
In spite of the obstacle, Anthony communicated to his supporters that he had located other locations in Knoxville that offered more reasonable entrance fees. He also gave his followers the assurance that he would still be performing in the city in the near future.
As a direct consequence of this, Anthony has scheduled a gig at the Knoxville Convention Center for September 29, two days after the date of his first performance there.