Bob Vylan

[1986]

It was the set of the weekend with or without that headline making 10 seconds. Full of activism on a range of topics, life affirming moments and energy filled bangers. Big Bob is a hell of a frontman. 

[Ben7amin_]

Obviously this has also been wildly mishandled by the media 

 

 

Yesterday (July 2), Radar shared a brief statement to confirm that Bob Vylan would no longer be performing. It simply read: “Bob Vylan will not be appearing at RADAR Festival this weekend.”

In response, Bob Vylan wrote on social media: “Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting. Manchester, we will be back.”

Now, during an interview on the Two Promoters One Pod podcast, Radar organiser Catherine Jackson-Smith has revealed that the festival did not want to cancel Bob Vylan’s headline set.

 

The event runs between July 4-6 at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse, and is completely independent. However, the host venue is privately co-owned by AMG and Live Nation.

 

“It started to become frustrating because there were constant conversations above our collective heads, as a venue and ourselves, about whether Bob Vylan could play,” Jackson-Smith explained (via Far Out).

She went to claim that she had asked to be part of the conversation, and said it was confusing that they weren’t involving Radar’s organisers if there were “public order” issues.

 

Jackson-Smith told the podcast that the option was “put very bluntly” to her, adding: “We could continue with Bob Vylan as our headliner. If we continued, we wouldn’t have the festival happening on Saturday.”

As a result, the other acts heading to Radar on Saturday would have been in jeopardy, and cancelling the day’s programme would have caused a precarious situation for organisers.

“There was not an option for Bob Vylan to step on stage on Saturday; that became apparent at the beginning of the week,” Jackson-Smith insisted. She explained that she had to speak to Bob Vylan about removing them from the line-up, despite it not being her decision.

“[It was] categorically, one of the most horrendous professional discussions I have ever had,” Jackson-Smith continued. “I cannot express clearly enough that I wanted Bob Vylan to perform at our festival.”

Elaborating on the discussion, she explained that Bob Vylan’s agency – which dropped the duo in light of the Glasto controversy – passed on their details to her. “It was horrific as a conversation,” she said. “Bob Vylan knew that we didn’t want to pull them.”

Jackson-Smith went on: “The headlines will be ‘Radar Festival pulled Bob Vylan’. There isn’t room journalistically for the nuance of what is happening to be put into a headline that will go out anywhere, so it won’t.

“It gives the impression that – not that we are part of the establishment, but I can’t think of a more eloquent way of putting it. That we have joined the course for XYZ consequence, and we haven’t.”

Jackson-Smith claimed that Radar was instructed on how to announce that Bob Vylan would no longer be performing. She said she was only allowed to write a brief statement on social media.

Radar Festival has not yet announced a replacement headliner for Saturday night.

[HotChipWillBreakYourLegs]

3 minutes ago, Ben7amin_ said:

Obviously this has also been wildly mishandled by the media 

 

 

Yesterday (July 2), Radar shared a brief statement to confirm that Bob Vylan would no longer be performing. It simply read: “Bob Vylan will not be appearing at RADAR Festival this weekend.”

In response, Bob Vylan wrote on social media: “Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting. Manchester, we will be back.”

Now, during an interview on the Two Promoters One Pod podcast, Radar organiser Catherine Jackson-Smith has revealed that the festival did not want to cancel Bob Vylan’s headline set.

 

The event runs between July 4-6 at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse, and is completely independent. However, the host venue is privately co-owned by AMG and Live Nation.

 

“It started to become frustrating because there were constant conversations above our collective heads, as a venue and ourselves, about whether Bob Vylan could play,” Jackson-Smith explained (via Far Out).

She went to claim that she had asked to be part of the conversation, and said it was confusing that they weren’t involving Radar’s organisers if there were “public order” issues.

 

Jackson-Smith told the podcast that the option was “put very bluntly” to her, adding: “We could continue with Bob Vylan as our headliner. If we continued, we wouldn’t have the festival happening on Saturday.”

As a result, the other acts heading to Radar on Saturday would have been in jeopardy, and cancelling the day’s programme would have caused a precarious situation for organisers.

“There was not an option for Bob Vylan to step on stage on Saturday; that became apparent at the beginning of the week,” Jackson-Smith insisted. She explained that she had to speak to Bob Vylan about removing them from the line-up, despite it not being her decision.

“[It was] categorically, one of the most horrendous professional discussions I have ever had,” Jackson-Smith continued. “I cannot express clearly enough that I wanted Bob Vylan to perform at our festival.”

Elaborating on the discussion, she explained that Bob Vylan’s agency – which dropped the duo in light of the Glasto controversy – passed on their details to her. “It was horrific as a conversation,” she said. “Bob Vylan knew that we didn’t want to pull them.”

Jackson-Smith went on: “The headlines will be ‘Radar Festival pulled Bob Vylan’. There isn’t room journalistically for the nuance of what is happening to be put into a headline that will go out anywhere, so it won’t.

“It gives the impression that – not that we are part of the establishment, but I can’t think of a more eloquent way of putting it. That we have joined the course for XYZ consequence, and we haven’t.”

Jackson-Smith claimed that Radar was instructed on how to announce that Bob Vylan would no longer be performing. She said she was only allowed to write a brief statement on social media.

Radar Festival has not yet announced a replacement headliner for Saturday night.

 

Is this that cancel culture thingy all the right whingers have been going on about for the last few years?

 

Surely the Free Speech Union are going to fight this!