Heart Cancels February SeaWorld Performance

Classic rock band Heart cites the documentary Blackfish as the reason for cancelling their scheduled performance at SeaWorld’s Bands, Brew, & BBQ event on February 9. The CNN documentary, which was released earlier this year, exposes the inhumane conditions that orca whales are forced to live in at the aquatic theme park, and it has incited an outpouring of public protest against SeaWorld. Petitions requesting that musicians not perform at the Florida location have been circulating online, and the Barenaked Ladies along with country legend Willie Nelson, have also canceled their performances. “This is a complicated issue, and we don’t claim to understand all of it, but we don’t feel comfortable proceeding with the gig at this time,” wrote the Barenaked Ladies on their Facebook page. “I don’t agree with the way they treat their animals,” says Nelson to CNN. “It wasn’t that hard a deal for me.”