The Boston Celtic punk rock band Dropkick Murphys have quit the Punk in the Park festival tour of several U.S. cities after it was revealed the owner of the promotion company Brew Ha Ha had donated less than $1000 to President Donald Trump.
After last weekend’s stop in Denver, the festival has two shows remaining this year: Worcester, MA on September 27 and October 4 and 5 in San Pedro, California. Leftists have started a petition to cancel the Punk in the Park festival.
The controversy first flared up last weekend when two lower tier bands pulled out of the Punk in the Park festival in Denver, citing the Trump donations by Brew Ha Ha owner Cameron Collins.
Excerpt from KMGH-TV report on the Denver show controversy:
Punk in the Park, a three-day punk rock festival held at the National Western Stockyards, kicked off with controversy overshadowing the packed lineup of 40-plus bands.
…Two bands, Destiny Bond and Time Heist, announced their withdrawal from the festival after discovering Cameron Collins, owner of Brew HaHa Productions — the production company behind Punk in the Park — had donated to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign along with other right-wing political groups, according to FEC reports.
Their sudden exit sparked heated debates among punk fans, aligning with the genre’s anti-establishment roots.
Brandon Alan Lewis, owner of Punkerton Records, first uncovered Collins’ political contributions and felt compelled to inform others.
“I felt like people at least had the right to know,” said Lewis, explaining how this revelation conflicts with punk’s fundamental ideals. “I just felt like it was the antithesis of what we represent in punk rock.”
The Dropkick Murphys played the Denver stop, but announced their decision to quit the tour on stage. The group posted a statement on Tuesday on Instagram, “Hey folks . Punk Rock and Donald Trump just don’t belong together. So Upon finding out that Brew Ha Ha promotions donated to the Trump campaign we will not be playing any more Punk in the Park shows. We kept our commitment to the Denver show because we didn’t want to leave our supporters who bought tickets holding the bag. Thanks for your understanding on this matter.”
The video features front man Ken Casey trashing Trump supporters:
A post shared by DROPKICK MURPHYS (@dropkickmurphys)
Cameron Collins responded with a lengthy statement posted to Instagram and Facebook which talks about his Trump donations and his current dissatisfaction with various actions by Trump this year as well as stating his solidarity with the punk rock community (click the arrows on the Instagram image to scroll the statement. (Text posted below)
A post shared by Punk In The Park (@punkintheparkfest)
I have never posted anything political on our platforms and have no intention to in the future but this needs to be addressed. There have been a lot of assumptions and conclusions made as to who I am and what my values are.
Like many Americans, my political views don’t neatly fit into a single box or party affiliation. I believe in fairness, humanity, free expression, and fostering unity among people. That’s how I’ve tried to live my life and conduct my business.
We live in a two-party system, and unfortunately, you must choose based on a few important issues that resonate with you. For me, those issues were the promise to end wars and refrain from entering new international conflicts, lower taxes, and stopping government overreach.
At the time, it boiled down to those points for me. I must admit that I haven’t been pleased with a great many of the current President’s viewpoints, opinions, and policies thus far, particularly with the recent ICE atrocities and the backtracking on the Epstein files being released as well as all the posturing with our allies around the world.
I think we all probably have common ground on a lot of big issues like being anti-racism, anti-war, and the belief in human rights for EVERYONE, regardless of race, sexual orientation, religion, or any other identity.
Additionally, I’d imagine we all oppose hate of any kind and passionately support this community of punk rock and its individuality that has welcomed so many misfits into the family over the years.
This community represents a wide range of views and backgrounds, and that diversity has always been part of its identity. We don’t have to see eye to eye on everything to come together and enjoy what unites us, great music, good times, and mutual respect.
It’s important to note that the festival has not and will not donate any of its proceeds to any political party. However, we do make significant donations to various charitable causes, such as Punk Rock Saves Lives and Big Brother Big Sister.
We proudly employ hundreds of people directly and indirectly at our festivals from all walks of life, race, religion and sexual orientation.
Over the years, I’ve been proud to provide a platform for artists to connect with hundreds of thousands of fans. We’ve invested millions of dollars in artist guarantees, and I’ve never censored or restricted a band’s message or voice. Our track record speaks for itself.
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