Out of their concern for the treatment of the animals, Grammy winning rock band Matchbox Twenty has canceled its July 18 show at Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, WY, because the festival features rodeo events.
The band is currently on the European leg of their Exile in America tour, but in a post on its website, lead singer Rob Thomas said, “After careful consideration, it was decided that participating in this event would directly contradict the mission statement of Sidewalk Angels Foundation, our non profit organization. The other members of Matchbox Twenty support this decision and while we understand that a great deal of effort went into the planning of this show, (sic) and apologize to any and all fans who purchased tickets to see us. We ask that they please understand that it would be impossible for us to put ourselves in the position of making money from what we believe to be the mistreatment of animals.”
No word on whether the band will still perform at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot, ND on July 19, which also holds rodeo events, including a pony pull, horse pull and a greased pig contest.
