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Singer and songwriter Oliver Anthony is attempting to run his business himself, but his efforts to keep ticket prices low have forced him to cancel an upcoming concert in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Anthony, who turned down an $8 million record deal, wants to cap his ticket prices to no more than $40 per ticket to see the show.
When he found out that Knoxville venue Cotton Eyed Joe was attempting to sell VIP tickets, he immediately put a stop to it.
He posted a message to fans on Instagram asking that they hold off buying the pricey tickets.
“My adrenaline is pumping, I’m p—-d right now. Don’t buy Cotton Eyed Joe tickets for $99 apiece. Sure as hell don’t buy tickets for VIP passes for whatever bulls–t prices they’re on. Don’t pay $100 for a ticket. If we’ve got to cancel the venue and play somewhere else, we will,” he explained.
“I didn’t agree to it and I don’t want you to pay it. So please don’t.”
He then went to Facebook to confirm that the show at the Tennessee venue had been canceled.
“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,” he wrote. “I’m just upset seeing those prices. We will find another place in the Knoxville area that can do a $25 ticket and free meet and greet.”
The “Rich Men North of Richmond” singer said fans will get their tickets refunded, even if that means it’s from his own budget.
“This will never happen again. Thanks for your patience. I am still learning how all of this works.”
In a since-deleted post, Cotton Eyed Joe released a statement on Facebook explaining why they sold the prices for that amount.
According to USA Today, it read: “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. All refunds will be made in the next few business days to your original form of payment.”
“The North Man of Richmond contracted to play the Cotton Eyed Joe for $120,000 for 60 minutes…. after doing the math and knowing we can only hold approx. 1500 people, paying the ticket website their fee to sell the tickets, paying the tax man, opening the JOE on a closed night… we set the ticket price to break even and bring our customers a show we thought would be fun.”
From Anthony’s social media, it seems he’s found a new venue for Knoxville fans.
He’s set to play at the Knoxville Convention Center on Sept. 29.
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