DENVER—Country singer Lee Greenwood, who refused to take the stage for a Denver concert in a dispute over his payment, said Thursday he feels bad for the audience but hopes they don’t blame him.
“I’d say they shouldn’t be angry at me, they should be angry at the man who put on the show,” Greenwood told The Associated Press from Oregon, where he was to appear in concert Thursday night in Salem.
Greenwood, best known for “God Bless the USA,” was to be the headliner at a concert Saturday honoring veterans, police and firefighters.
Greenwood’s manager, Jerry Bentley, said the fee was $20,000 but the concert organizer came up with only about $14,000. Bentley said $2,000 of that was personal check, but the contract specified cash or cashier’s check.
The organizer, Frank Young, disputes that, saying he had $18,000 in cash and a $2,000 check from the Knights of Columbus, a service organization. He said it was “disgraceful” that Greenwood did not perform.
Greenwood said he has done 18 tours without charge for the military, but Saturday’s concert was booked as a paid appearance and not a charity concert.
He said it was only the third time in his 25 years of touring that a pay dispute stopped him from playing.
“I feel bad for the audience,” he said. “I hate it when these things happen.”
