Platinum-selling rock band Matchbox Twenty has pulled out of a scheduled Cheyenne Frontier Days concert in July, and an animal-rights organization is claiming the band canceled because of the rodeo’s animal treatment policies.
The rodeo, held each July, is considering legal action against the band, which is responsible for record sales in the tens of millions since the 1990s.
A Geneva, Ill.-based group called Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) released a statement Wednesday that said Matchbox Twenty withdrew from the concert, scheduled for July 18, after seeing video the rights group shot at the 2007 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo.
“So long as CFD is going to include egregious animal abuse, it will have to find entertainers who simply don’t (care) . . . about compassion,” SHARK president Steve Hindi said in a statement.
Calls and e-mails to Atlantic Records, Matchbox Twenty’s label, went unreturned. There was no official word on the reason for the cancellation on the band’s main website or MySpace page. Calls to the Cheyenne Frontier Days offices also went unanswered.
Cheyenne Frontier Days’ website, however, inserted a prominent note on its home page, , that read in part: “Cheyenne Frontier Days advocates animal care that recognizes the well-being of animals, including those used and cared for by humans. We believe the right to own and use animals carries an obligation to provide proper care for all animals included in our celebration.”
The same website also plugs the remaining Frontier Days shows from artists including Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Tracy Lawrence and others. The only remnant of the Matchbox Twenty show is a short note saying it has been canceled and offering a number — 800-227-6336 — for refund information.
The Omaha-based Romeo Entertainment Group handles the booking for Frontier Days, and a representative said the band gave no explanation for pulling out of the show.
“Our office is working with the Cheyenne Frontier Days staff to assess all alternatives, including potential legal action,” Romeo president Bob Romeo said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
