Adam Calhoun performed at Greensboro music venue The Blind Tiger over the weekend.
Calhoun makes music that's a blend of rap and country that has been referred to as "hick-hop." Calhoun, who's white, uses racial slurs in his music — particularly the n-word. He's received backlash across the country for his lyrics and social media comments, and critics accuse him of being racist and homophobic.
Kelsi Liddle was eating across the street during what is called the “The Crazy White Boy Tour.” She's calling for a boycott of the venue.
“And I asked my waiter, ‘Hey, what's going on right now? 'Cause this is kind of insane, like usually shows aren't this early, and it's really loud and kind of unsettling,'” Liddle says. “And he looked at me kind of funny, and he was like, ‘Actually I've been really concerned for my safety today.'”
The Blind Tiger released a statement on Facebook in response Tuesday evening. In the video, Don “Doc” Beck says the venue does not condone hate speech and that even though an outside promoter booked the Calhoun concert, they "take full responsibility for the behavior of the performer on June 23rd. We share the community's outrage, and are equally offended."
Initially, the venue shared a Facebook post by management group DC Live, saying they are a black-owned business and asking commenters to not bash the establishment.
That post has since been deleted.
*Editor's note: this story has been updated to include the response from The Blind Tiger. The business did not respond by the deadline for the original story.
Eddie Garcia: garciaea@wfu.edu