Dave Chappelle stand-up gig cancelled by venue following backlash
Dave Chappelle stand-up gig in Minnesota has been cancelled by the venue hours before he was scheduled to perform.The comedian’s sold-out show at First Avenue in Minneapolis on Wednesday (July 20) was pulled due to backlash from “staff, artists and our community”.In a statement announcing the show would be moved to Varsity Theater, organisers wrote: “To staff, artists, and our community, we hear you and we are sorry. We know we must hold ourselves to the highest standards, and we know we let you down.“We are not just a black box with people in it, and we understand that First Ave is not just a room, but meaningful beyond our walls.A post shared by First Avenue (@firstavenue)“The First Avenue team and you have worked hard to make our venues the safest spaces in the country, and we will continue with that mission.”They added: “We believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression, but in honouring that, we lost sight of the impact this would have.