Amid "Blackfish" fallout, Martina McBride is the latest artist to back out of SeaWorld’s Brews, Bands and BBQ concert series scheduled for March.
“I've decided that given all the issues that have been aired recently, the
time isn’t right for me to play at Seaworld,” McBride announced on Facebook Saturday.
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Rock band 38 Special quickly followed McBride’s actions with their own Facebook post.
"Due to concerns raised by the CNN documentary 'Blackfish,'
38 Special will be canceling its scheduled March 9th concert at SeaWorld. We appreciate the outpouring of support and especially apologize to our Orlando fans. We will try and schedule another performance in your area in the near future."
The cancellations, which also include REO Speedwagon, Willie Nelson, Cheap Trick and Trisha Yearwood, were sparked by the “Blackfish” film, which is a contender for a Best Documentary Oscar. The film explores the Orlando marine theme park’s role in a death of a trainer and raises questions about keeping killer whales in captivity.
Performers have also felt the pressure from animal rights groups and an online petition by Change.org.
CNN reported the park’s six-week concert series was removed from SeaWorld’s website.
"We expect that other artists will be targeted in this campaign," SeaWorld spokesman Nick Gollattscheck said in a statement, according to CNN.
"We're disappointed a small group of misinformed individuals was able to deny fans what would have been great concerts at SeaWorld," Gollattscheck said.
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