The long-running Music Midtown festival in Atlanta - set to feature performances this year from Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Jack White, and Future - has been cancelled. A statement posted on the festival's website claims "due to circumstances beyond our control, Music Midtown will no longer be taking place this year".
So what circumstances would cause this?
Well, many industry executives speculate it's due to recent gun law changes in the state of Georgia, which would prevent the festival from preventing firearms at the festival.
The "Safe Carry Protection Act" was expanded in 2019 and allows for gun carry rights on publicly owned land. The festival grounds - Piedmont Park - is public property and therefore protected from firearm restrictions under the law. While most festivals are in locations that already do not allow firearms, Music Midtown is an exception, and it's been revealed that LiveNation can not legally ban guns from entering the festival grounds.
Politics aside, it's understandable that the festival creators would be nervous about hosting an event with tens of thousands of fans in an area where anyone could be carrying a weapon. It's a clear safety and liability concern. Cancelling the event gives them an extra year to potentially move the event to a different area that would allow them to restrict firearms on the property.
If you had tickets to Music Midtown in September, refunds will automatically be processed and should hit your bank account in the next 7-10 days.