Here is the complete article regarding Disney moving Metal concerts.

[mloanna]

Heavy metal concerts moved off Disney property
By Greg Burk, Special to The Times


Metal detectors may soon be irrelevant at House of Blues clubs, at least any sitting on property owned by the Walt Disney Co. Five heavy-metal concerts scheduled on Disney property in Anaheim and Orlando have been hastily shifted to other venues or canceled recently, according to House of Blues website calendars.

A Sept. 7 show featuring Machine Head, Arch Enemy, Throwdown and Sanctity, booked two months earlier, was moved on two days' notice from the House of Blues in Anaheim's Downtown Disney entertainment complex to the Glass House in Pomona. Thursday's concert with Cannibal Corpse, the Black Dahlia Murder, the Red Chord and the Absence, originally slated for the Anaheim House of Blues, was moved to the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana. A Sept. 26 Anaheim House of Blues concert featuring Obituary, Alabama Thunderpussy, Full Blown Chaos and Hemlock has been canceled outright.

At the House of Blues in Orlando, Fla., on Disney World property, a Sept. 17 concert of the Machine Head lineup has been moved to Club Firestone in downtown Orlando. The same action has been taken with the Oct. 11 Cannibal Corpse package.

Asked about the scheduling changes, John Vlautin, vice president of communications for Live Nation (formerly Clear Channel), the concert-promotion organization that owns the nationwide House of Blues chain, issued a statement Thursday that said only: "House of Blues offers a range of entertainment to match the audience at our venues. It was determined that the mix of entertainment at our two Disney locations should be different from our other venues."

Vlautin declined to comment on why metal bands have been singled out after years of similar bookings or whether other metal events already scheduled, including Suffocation, Edguy and Static X, will be affected.

Rob Doughty, communications vice president for Disneyland Resorts, declined to comment, referring inquiries to Vlautin. Paul McGuigan, concert promoter at the Anaheim House of Blues, also declined to comment through a club spokeswoman.

The Walt Disney Co., through Vlautin, issued a short statement Thursday that included no specifics about the shifts of the metal concerts: "In consultation with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, the House of Blues will provide a mix of entertainment for guests visiting Disney Resorts."

Rob Flynn, vocalist and guitarist of Machine Head, expressed surprise about the venue change, saying in a phone interview that the group had played both clubs several times without incident. He said he had been told that Disney pressured House of Blues to evict metal on the grounds that it attracted an "undesirable" element; he also said he suspects that "one of the main issues of contention Disney had with Machine Head was our antiwar and anti-administration lyrics."

A sample lyric from the Bay Area quartet's current recording, "The Blackening," goes, "Murder us, silence us, / Divide and conquer us."

The veteran Cannibal Corpse, which headlines the touring Metal Blade Records bill that was removed from the Anaheim and Orlando House of Blues calendars, is known for its extreme album-cover artwork and death-obsessed lyrics such as "Pray to our God / With blood we praise his epic acts of hate," from last year's "Kill" collection. Many modern metal bands express an antiwar, anti-authority and/or anti-religion message.

John Halperin, talent booker for the Glass House, said Friday that the Machine Head show transferred to his venue came off to the satisfaction of bands and fans, despite the fact that it is an all-ages club where no alcohol is sold.

 

[Troy the nomad]

Hmm, I wonder if they'd let DT and Redemption play?

 

[J-Man]

Redemption and Dream Theatre probably, they would be allowed to play.

 

[Heavenly Call]

This is crazy. Where are they going to draw the line? Think in their terms: Is Kid Rock metal? Poison? Would not a similar (not the same obviously) crowd go to Edguy and Arch Enemy and perhaps Dream Theater? I don't live near a House of Blues or a Disney owned property, but it's still silly. Argh.

 

[nailz]

Ok, I know this is going to be incredibly unpopular, but lets face it.. Disney owns the land and I assume the clubs, and if not the clubs, then they have a very high stake in them. It is there poragitive what types of music gets played there or does not.

 

[Michael TEOF]

I wish Mr. Van Dyke could comment. It'd be mighty interesting to hear what he has to say.

 

[Rick Pierpont]

I'm not sure about DT, but I know that a Symphony X show scheduled for Anaheim was moved at the last minute to The Galaxy in Santa Ana. At the time, no mention of this policy was made, I now wonder.

 

[Bryan316]

I'm writing a HUGE letter of dissatisfaction to these fools. I'll never attend a House of Blues again, no matter how tempting the concert.


Screw these bigoted prejudiced pricks.

 

[MetalRose]

Since when is Britney Spears/ Pussy Cat Dolls, etc more "whole some" than a bunch of TALENTED musicians playing music?

-Metal

 

[Diabolik]

Face it....you are not going to change anything by writing letters or anything....you would be surprised how insane Disney is. I have had many dealings with them and there is no point getting upset. When people hear the term heavy metal they think of violence and drugs and satan. No one there is going to put on a Symphony X disc to see if it is good enough to be played at on thier property and that the lyrics are not "evil". Someone like say Kid Rock...is a celebrity (not in my world) so even though he would draw a more loser crowd than a metal show....it is all up to Disney in the end. Basically it boils down to the ole sterotype of metal is evil and Disney wants no association with it. I hate to say it but it is Disney's right.

 

[Greykiller]

It looks like CheapChannel wants to take this hit for Disney. Cheap Channel execs are used to screwing over artists in the name of "morality" or political expediency.

BTW Thanks for the props, Metal.

 

[Burke]

Are they fucking kidding?.................

fuck them

 

[sh0kr0k]

What's so hard to understand about this? Disney would have canceled all metal shows at all of their venues if they were trying to oust the metal community. Did you even READ the articles? ""House of Blues offers a range of entertainment to match the audience at our venues. It was determined that the mix of entertainment at our two Disney locations should be different from our other venues."" That says it all! The two House of Blues locations at Disney Resorts have changed their entertainment format to be more family oriented because FAMILIES are the ones staying at the resorts, not gangs of metalheads.

 

[Heaven and Hell Records]

That's to bad because all those "Disney metal" bands like Nightwish would fit perfectly at Disney World. Didn't all those singers come from Disney cartoons anyway?
Ok, now I can get beat up for that one. But hey, I loves me some Within Temptation. But face it, those groups are basically scores for Disney drible. And were is the metal in it.
Throwdown at Disney World, well who thought that was a good idea to start with?

 

[nailz]

What's so hard to understand about this? Disney would have canceled all metal shows at all of their venues if they were trying to oust the metal community. Did you even READ the articles? ""House of Blues offers a range of entertainment to match the audience at our venues. It was determined that the mix of entertainment at our two Disney locations should be different from our other venues."" That says it all! The two House of Blues locations at Disney Resorts have changed their entertainment format to be more family oriented because FAMILIES are the ones staying at the resorts, not gangs of metalheads.

thank you.

 

[DAVETHEMETALGUY]

what if Cannibal Corpse and all those other bands wore Disney masks THEN played? hahahahah

 

[booB]

what if Cannibal Corpse and all those other bands wore Disney masks THEN played? hahahahah

it would be like Slipknot on acid.

 

[mloanna]

My one question is, since when do families on vacation go to concerts. When you go to Disneyland the last thing you plan around the trip is who is playing at the House of Blues. By the time the concert starts most people are going to bed. The only thing I see families do at the Disney HOB in Anaheim is eat.

It will be interesting to see how long the HOB stays on the Disney properties all together. HOB is about MUSIC. Right now, Metal and Rock is history. Next Rap, o.k. so far that is the top of nonfamily music. They also book punk, Spanish Rock/metal bands, country, jazz, cover bands, gospel bands and dance bands.

All someone has to do is complain about the next "Problem Music" and pretty soon, the HOB will just be another restaurant on the Disney properties. House of Blues is a business and if the business is no longer profitable at a certain location maybe it is time to move on. Luckily here in L.A. there are tons of other places for bands to play without restrictions and problems so this maybe a minor issue but if HOB/Disney gets away with it who is to say other venues may try to do the same thing.

 

[nailz]

OO, ITS A SLIPPERY SLOPE. PRETTY SOON, DISNEY WILL BAN PHIL COLLINS FROM THE HOUSE OF BLUES.

Seriously. There is a set stigma that comes with metal. Dark and Scary. Disney is not dark and scary.

 

[SavaRon]

It's not families going to the House of Blues for the most part either. I have been there many times. Not a problem once. The place is not big enough for major pop artists. What bands are going to play there for the families that just got done running around for 12 hours in thier theme parks? I think it's going to be a small crowd at the end of the day.

It's metal now, next is rap I suppose, then punk, then what? Where does it stop...It's thier buisness so they can do what they please. In my case, I will not be buying or attending anything Disney any more. That is the only message you can send to them as a consumer and I intend to do that no matter how small a difference it makes. All our small "differences" can make people listen. I would bet that a small number of complaints made this policy go into effect. So let your voice/wallet be heard by them.