Bela Fleck Withdraws From Kennedy Center Performance, Calling It 'Charged and Political'

[highplainsdem]

Source: Rolling Stone

Béla Fleck is the latest artist to pull out of an upcoming performance at the Kennedy Center in the wake of Donald Trump‘s controversial takeover. The Grammy-winning banjoist was scheduled to perform with the National Symphony Orchestra in February, but announced last night that he has cancelled.

“I have withdrawn from my upcoming performance with the NSO at The Kennedy Center,” Fleck wrote on social media. “Performing there has become charged and political, at an institution where the focus should be on the music. I look forward to playing with the NSO another time in the future when we can together share and celebrate art.”

Fleck’s cancellation comes only days after Stephen Schwartz, the celebrated Oscar-winning composer behind Wicked and other hit musicals, pulled out of a scheduled appearance at the Kennedy Center in protest of Trump’s takeover of the institution and its legally dubious name change.

Schwartz was set to host the Washington National Opera Gala at the Kennedy Center on May 16, but in an email sent to Newsday, said the Center “no longer represents the apolitical place for free artistic expression it was founded to be.” He added: “There’s no way I would set foot in it now.”

-snip-

Read more: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bela-fleck-kennedy-center-performance-withdraw-1235495243/

[sop]

1. Looks like Lee Greenwood will enjoy a three-year residency at the Trump-Kennedy Center.

[William Seger]

2. WTF, "legally dubious name change?!" There's nothing dubious about it; the law is crystal clear!

The only thing dubious is why it doesn't matter to the MSM anymore what crimes #rump commits.

[Martin68]

3. Nothing is legally "clear" until it has been ruled on in a court of law. I'm celebrating Bela Fleck's decision to cancel

performance rather than complaining about something.

[William Seger]

5. Hmm, but it sounds like you're complaining about my use of "the law is crystal clear"

... when in fact the language of that law is completely unambiguous. If some court says that the law doesn't mean what it unambiguously says, I would call that the opposite of "clear," thank you. The police arrest people all the time because they believe the relevant law is "crystal clear" -- they don't need a judgment first. You're saying something slightly different: that the law doesn't really mean anything until a court rules on it. Well, let's get on with it, then!

[Martin68]

7. It's no big deal. I agree the law is clear. My point, insignificant as it was , was that I supported the applauded

Bella fleck's action and thought that was more important than a minor complaint about the use of the phrase "of dubious legality" instead of "clearly illegal."

[cbabe]

4. Bela Fleck

https://m.

&pp=0gcJCR4Bo7VqN5tD

From YouTube comments:
This music is the only thing that can escape a black hole.

https://m.

[Zambero]

6. A great artist with integrity to match

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones are a genre-bending ensemble if there ever was one. Hats off to the decision to sit this one out.