Garth Brooks Cancels TV Appearances because of Ferguson

[summer]

reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Country music star Garth Brooks canceled scheduled media appearances this week, saying it would be in poor taste to promote his comeback album during national protests after a grand jury did not indict a white policeman in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager.



Brooks, 52, canceled appearances on NBC's late-night "The Tonight Show" and the morning "Today" show as well as daytime talk show "Live with Kelly and Michael" and National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," the singer's spokeswoman, Nancy Seltzer, said on Wednesday.



"To spend the day promoting our stuff like nothing was wrong seemed distasteful to me," Brooks said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.



The St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri, has been hit by two nights of unrest after the grand jury's decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson after shooting 18-year-old Michael Brown in August.



The decision also touched off demonstrations in cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Washington.



Brooks was scheduled to perform live on "Kelly and Michael" on Tuesday, while other appearances were to be taped and broadcast later, Seltzer said.



The singer was set to appear on the "Tonight Show" on Thursday, and "Today" on Friday, two sought-after spots at the beginning of the U.S. holiday shopping season.



Brooks, who has sold more than 130 million albums worldwide, released "Man Against Machine" on Nov. 11, his first studio album in 13 years.

[KateAggie]

He's a good man.

[pixy0stix]

Very nice. I'd wager he probably doesn't need the publicity from those shows anyway.

[sparrowsong]

I've never listened to him really, but I'm glad to hear him taking a stand on this, especially when I imagine his base of fans skews a little more towards the pro-Wilson crowd.

[meshaliuknits]

This is the best thing he's done since Thunder Rolls

Sent from my EVO

[starlily]

Nov 27, 2014 14:21:40 GMT -5 Stan said:

I'm surprised by this because I don't like him. This makes me like him and it's weird.

Same here.

[ajj]

Very good of him.

[hopecounts]

He has always been fairly liberal.
See We Shall Be Free for example

[KateAggie]

My personal favorite of his, for his native Oklahomans.

vimeo.com/8716214

[eclaires]

Nov 27, 2014 16:06:36 GMT -5 KateAggie said:

My personal favorite of his, for his native Oklahomans.

vimeo.com/8716214

God I love that song. And I love Garth Brooks.

Despite his name recognition, his album and he probably could use this publicity on those shows. It's been quite awhile since he was on the radio and in the news.

[jln]

I'll definitely be purchasing his album.

[StrawberryBlondie]

I didn't have an opinion on him but this makes me like him.

[gpw]

Nov 27, 2014 14:49:28 GMT -5 sparrowsong said:

I've never listened to him really, but I'm glad to hear him taking a stand on this, especially when I imagine his base of fans skews a little more towards the pro-Wilson crowd.

I kind of think that's a little unfair.  It implies a lot of country music lovers are racist and I just can't make that leap. 

Good on Garth.  

[jlt19]

I wonder how it will affect his shows here in St. Louis next weekend, if at all.

[ladyk]

Nov 27, 2014 16:06:36 GMT -5 KateAggie said:

My personal favorite of his, for his native Oklahomans.

vimeo.com/8716214

I was in NC when that happened but went to the University of Tulsa for law school in the late 90s. I don't think I've even seen some of that footage.

I've loved his music for years and I think he's good people.