Kevin Joy
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Buju Banton's song Boom Bye Bye speaks of shooting and burning gays.
The Lifestyle Communities Pavilion has canceled an
Oct. 3 show featuring reggae singer Buju Banton after protests by advocates for Columbus' gay community.
Taking issue with some content in the singer's music, several groups -- including Equality Ohio and Stonewall Democrats of Ohio -- circulated an e-mail yesterday urging people to voice their disapproval and shut down the show.
"The targeted audience for his message and the proximity to the OSU campus neighborhood creates a tangible threat to the safety and well-being … particularly of the gay and lesbian community in Victorian Village," the message said.
The direct phone number and e-mail address for the venue's marketing director, Amy Cooper, were included in the note and posted on Columbusunderground.com, an online news site and message board.
At the center of the controversy: Banton's 1988 song Boom Bye Bye, whose lyrics speak to shooting and burning gays.
Banton and others were charged in 2004 for breaking into a home in Kingston, Jamaica, and attacking its gay residents. Two years later, a judge dismissed the case, citing a lack of evidence.
Cooper -- whose PromoWest Productions employer books shows at A&R Music Bar, the Basement, Lifestyle Communities Pavilion and the Newport Music Hall -- acknowledged yesterday that the show had been canceled but declined to elaborate.
PromoWest did not directly schedule the Banton concert, she said, but only rented the venue to an outside agency that handles the show booking, lighting, production and other aspects (except security).
Cooper would not provide contact information for the outside booking agent or Banton's managers.
Yesterday's development follows the cancellation in late August of seven Banton shows by promoters AEG Live/Goldenvoice and Live Nation. The concerts were scrapped in the wake of myriad phone calls, e-mail messages and Facebook notes objecting to the tour.
kjoy@dispatch.com
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