Six of the seven headliners canceled following a mass shooting

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has quietly canceled the concert that was set to feature Don McLean, Lee Greenwood, T Graham Brown, Larry Gatlin, Larry Stewart, Danielle Peck and Jacob Bryan. The “Grand Ole Night of Freedom” concert was set for tomorrow (Sat, May 28th) as part of the NRA Convention in Houston this weekend, but was officially canceled last night (Thurs, May 26th) after all major headliners canceled in the wake of the mass shooting at a Uvalde, TX school on Tuesday (May 24th).

Independent country singer Jacob Bryant shared the news on Twitter while taking heat from users for still planning to perform.

“The show was canceled yesterday,” he tweets.

Each of the artists cited the massacre in which 19 children and two adults died as their reasons for no longer appearing. McLean was the first artist to drop out on Wednesday (May 25th), followed by Gatlin and Stewart earlier on Thursday (May 26th), and then Greenwood, Brown and Peck within hours apart on Thursday evening.

“In light of the recent events in Texas, I have decided it would be disrespectful and hurtful for me to perform for the NRA at their convention in Houston this week. I’m sure all the folks planning to attend this event are shocked and sickened by these events as well. After all, we are all Americans. I share the sorrow for this terrible, cruel loss with the rest of the nation,” McLean shared on Wednesday.

Gatlin and Stewart both pulled out earlier Thursday. “To my fellow sad Americans— I cannot, in good conscience, perform at the NRA convention in Houston this weekend. While I agree with most of the positions held by the NRA, I have come to believe that, while background checks would not stop every madman with a gun, it is at the very least a step in the right direction toward trying to prevent the kind of tragedy we saw this week in Uvalde — in my beloved, weeping TEXAS,” Gatlin stated.

Stewart added, “Due to the tragedy in Uvalde with the horrific school shooting and children who died, I want to honor the victims, families, the town and our friends in the great state of Texas the best I know how. So I have made the decision to pull out as a performer for the NRA convention this weekend, especially given the event is just down the road. I just believe this is best for me at this time. God Bless everyone involved!”

Greenwood followed the sentiment with a statement of his own on Thursday. “As a father, I join the rest of America in being absolutely heartbroken by the horrific event that transpired this week in Texas. I was scheduled to perform at NRA’s private event on Saturday with my band. After thoughtful consideration, we have decided to cancel the appearance out of respect for those mourning the loss of those innocent children and teachers in Uvalde,” Greenwood shared.

Both Gatlin and Greenwood appeared in separate TV appearances to discuss their decisions. Gatlin appeared on CNN on Thursday to clarify that he still supports the NRA and the Second Amendment, but felt the timing of the conference wasn’t right.

“I did not cancel it in protest against the NRA,” Gatlin states. “I canceled it because I didn’t think it was a good time to go down to Houston and have a party with hem digging 21 fresh graves in the valley of my precious beloved Texas. I believe in the Second Amendment.”

Greenwood appeared on Fox News Friday morning in which he explained he wasn’t able to perform due to the shooting.

“The unfortunate shooting in Texas took place at a very bad time and for me to go and play at the NRA just days after the shooting, would be an endorsement. And people would then deem that as a ‘I like this weapon,’ and obviously that weapon killed kids, and I couldn’t go.”