Daily BrewChris Brown concert in Halifax makes mayor ‘sick’, but show will go on
Chris Brown is known in some circles as a talented R&B musician who goes by the nickname Breezy, and in other circles as a loathed human convicted of assaulting his former girlfriend, Rihanna.
That is the mixed bag a Canadian concert series signed on for when they announced Brown would be playing in Halifax later this summer. But Drop Entertainment Group is standing behind the decision to bring Brown north of the border, saying they are not surprised by the "mixed reaction."
The announcement that Brown would perform at the Halifax Energy Rush concert on August 31 prompted a local backlash that saw a major sponsor pull out of the event and elicited furious comment from the city's mayor.
“It makes me kind of sick, to be honest with you, that someone like this will be performing in Halifax,” Mayor Mike Savage said, according to The Chronicle Herald.
“Those of us who are in public life – I’m in public life, he’s in public life – you have to be responsible for your past actions, and I think it sends a very, very wrong message to everybody.”
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Brown was sentenced to five years of probation and six months of community service in 2009 after assaulting his famous girlfriend, Rihanna. A spokesperson for Brown told E! Online that the artist is "trying to learn from his past" and participates in various philanthropic endeavors.
Many Halifax residents, however, say inviting Brown to their city sends a bad message. The decision has been attacked online and a petition was been launched to have him banned from the city.
"Chris Brown is a known woman beater. As a city, I believe it reflects poorly on us to not only host such an artist, but to make him the headliner of this show," the petition reads.
His inclusion in the concert also led Rogers Communication to pull out of the event - which it has been sponsoring for seven years.
On Monday, Drop Entertainment Group responded to the controversy, saying Brown is an acclaimed artist and the reaction to his visit to Canada has been largely positive.
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Drop Entertainment owner Stephen Tobin said in a statement:
In no way do we condone Chris Brown’s past behavior or personal endeavors; we are purely focused on his music, incredible talent and overall popularity. I believe it is a very
slippery slope when we start trying to censor, or dictate, who can or cannot perform in this province. There are thousands of people in the Maritimes who want to see Chris Brown perform. If some do not want to support him, or this homegrown event, they can exercise their right by simply choosing not to attend. But everyone is free to make their own choices and no one has the right to prevent others from having a chance to see this world-class performer, should they choose to do so.
Brown is also set to appear at concerts in Winnipeg and Toronto, but there has been a smaller amount of backlash to those appearances. He also has his share of supporters in Halifax.
Which means, unless the Canadian Border Services Agency mistakes Breezy for Coolio, the show will go on.
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