Photo Credit: The Black Crowes by JazzyJoeyD / CC by 4.0
The Black Crowes were booed when frontman Chris Robinson called out fans for “USA” chants after they displayed their crow logo dressed as Uncle Sam.
Atlanta blues-rock veterans the Black Crowes played the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre on Sunday night as part of their Southern Hospitality tour. But after displaying their crow logo dressed as Uncle Sam, the crowd started chanting, “USA! USA!” When 59-year-old frontman Chris Robinson responded poorly, concertgoers began booing, and many got up and left.
“Thanks for the geography lesson,” quipped Robinson over the sudden chants. “I don’t know what [you have to be] so proud of right now,” he added, which led to boos from the audience.
“For those of you fuckin’ booing us, some of us are not afraid, and we most assuredly are not fuckin’ ignorant, so thank you!” Robinson told the crowd.
At that point, several attendees started leaving the show. While one Instagram user claimed that “most of the audience got up and left,” that seems to have been an exaggeration. But another person noted on Facebook, “Never seen so many people walk out of a concert.”
Other commenters were decidedly less kind in their assessment of the night’s events, with one person on the former Twitter calling it “disgusting anti-American garbage,” calling the band “commie filth,” and telling them to “get out of this country.”
Notably, Trump pal Kid Rock played the same venue just the night before, indicating that perhaps those attending concerts in the area were not prepared for the whiplash of the following night’s act being critical of the MAGA movement.
The Black Crowes have not publicly responded to the incident, nor did they immediately respond to media requests for comment.
The band first started displaying the patriotic (if decidedly toked up) version of their mascot back in the ‘90s. But it regained traction in 2020—a major election year—with the band encouraging fans to get out and vote as part of a partnership with HeadCount.
The Black Crowes continue their tour tonight (June 2) in St. Augustine, FL, with more shows this week in Georgia and North Carolina. The North American leg of the tour kicked off in May.
