ARKANSAS (CelebrityAccess) – Fort Smith, Arkansas venue Brown’s TempleLive has opted to postpone a concert by country-rock singer Travis McCready after state regulators suspended the venue’s liquor license Thursday, saying it would remain suspended unless the concert was canceled.
The concert was originally slated to take place tonight (Friday, May 15), three days before the state is allowing indoor entertainment venues to reopen in accordance with strict guidelines including hosting events with 50 people or less, face coverings for all attendees, and arranging seats 6-feet apart to maintain social distancing. While the state indicated that venues that wished to hold larger functions could potentially operate at one-third of their capacity, they would be required to submit a plan that is approved by the state beforehand.
Earlier in the week, the state ordered the venue to cancel or postpone the show, with Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson warning the venue it would face “consequences” that could be enforced by local police if the show went forward.
In a press conference Thursday, TempleLive finally submitted saying it would move the Travis McCready show from Friday night to Monday. Though the venue has a capacity of 1,100, it is limiting seating to 229, and expecting to draw more than 200 for the show. Given that anticipated attendance is more than the 50-person limit the state has set for such venues, TempleLive will have to submit an application to the state for approval.
“At the end of the day, we fought the law and the laws won,” Brown said during the press conference.
