Oliver Anthony, the author and singer of the famous song “Rich Men North of Richmond,” sent an apology to his fans for the cancellation of a gig in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he was scheduled to perform at the end of the month.
There is outrage about the high admission and meet-and-greet fees at Cotton Eyed Joe nightclub, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
“I had to pull off on the side of the road and make this video. My adrenaline’s pumping. I’m p*ssed off right now,” In a video that was uploaded to Instagram on Monday, the singer remarked.
“Don’t buy Cotton Eyed Joe tickets for $99 a piece and sure as hell don’t buy VIP passes for whatever bulls*** price they’re on,” he added.
Anthony disclosed that his plumber friend had been the performer’s part-time booking agent.
“He agreed to this show, I guess, without asking what the ticket prices are,” Anthony said.
“Don’t pay $100 for a ticket. That’s horses***. 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 told his fans.
Anthony is certain that the optimal price for tickets to his events should be under $25 and that they should never go over $40. He made this obvious in a thorough Instagram post by expressing it.
“Cotton Eyed Joe has been canceled. I am so sorry about all of this. I will do better next time. We are still learning,” he promised.
Anthony posted on Facebook: “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.”
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looking for a new $25 ticket venue in Knoxville.
“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,” Anthony said.
According to an exclusive story from The News Sentinel, Cotton Eyed Joe recently posted on Facebook—although the post has since been removed—that Anthony is scheduled to play for an amazing $120,000 for a complete 60-minute stint at a Knoxville pub.
“We set the ticket price to break even,” the post stated.
The show’s demise has raised questions.
Although Anthony doesn’t expressly say he plans to cancel, his displeasure with the ticket prices is clear. According to The News Sentinel, the venue smartly used lyrics from “Rich Men North of Richmond” to announce the show’s cancellation in a social media post. Unfortunately, you can no longer view that post.
“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 club stated in a statement on Instagram, according to the News Sentinel.
Last month, “Rich Men North of Richmond” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
It was ranked third on Apple iTunes as of 7 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, behind Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” and “Come Monday.” Following the singer’s passing over Labor Day Weekend, sales of a number of Buffett’s songs have increased.
Along with “North of Richmond,” Anthony also has the No. 19 song on iTunes with “I Want to Go Home” and the No. 26 song with his most recent single, “90 some Chevy.”
