After buying concert tickets that support the lavish lifestyles of famous superstars—you would think the least they could do is show up to their own shows.
Unfortunately this is all too common in the music world. We idolize and worship artists who make the music we love, which in turn supports their fame and wealth. It’s worth it to drop big bucks on music festivals, concerts, shows, etc. because naturally, as humans, many of our souls thrive through artists who create this music that captivates us. And in return, they continue to bang out songs, albums, mixtapes, collaborations, music videos, they grace us with their live performances, concerts, tours, festival appearances—and many even reach out personally to their fans via social media, fan clubs, contests, etc.
But what about the ones who don’t? To what extent must you love an artist’s music to continue to support talent that doesn’t support its fans? After all, the fans are the ones who put them on such a high pedestal. Yes, stars are human too and of course they make mistakes, but where do we draw the line between accidental and inconsiderate?
About two weeks ago, rapper Young Thug disappointed the crowd at Moonrise Music Festival held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Unlike the common schedule conflicts that occur at festivals with big-name headliners—where sometimes artists have to reschedule set times or back out with at least enough time to warn the crowd—this wasn’t the case. Scheduled to perform at 5:15 on Sunday, Aug. 7, without any notice whatsoever, Young Thug didn’t show up to his set. Instead he was replaced by a few last-minute DJs including LAXX, heRobust, Cesqeaux and Kayzo.
Apparently that same day, he was posting on social media about his new Instagram filter and said he was “taking over snapchat.”
So, regardless of how busy he was—he was very active on social media and didn’t bother to mention Moonrise at all. He did manage to post the day-long outing with his kids and many fans expressed their disappointment.
As dedicated fans, we try to be understanding. We know the fast-life can be hectic and we respect that artists deserve to have their own personal life without always being on the road—but at least have enough respect to keep your fans informed.
Even a mega rap-star like Ludacris can find the time to reschedule his festival set in the midst of filming for the newest Fast &Furious movie. Back in June, Luda was scheduled to perform Friday night before the headliner at Firefly Music Festival held in Dover, Delaware. Unlike Moonrise, Firefly’s festival is a five-day long camping experience in the middle of the wide-open woodlands. Due to schedule conflicts with filming, instead of cancelling, he rescheduled his set to 12:30 p.m. that Sunday. Do you know how much it sucks to go on at 12:30 p.m. on the last day of the festival? That means your fans have to be up, dressed, ready and trekking all the way across the festival grounds early as hell just to get a decent spot. In the hot afternoon sun. Still drunk. And that is why they usually schedule the less-known artists at the beginning of the festival. It’s really nobody’s ideal time to see one of the best artists on the lineup.
The point is, Luda is dedicated to his fans. It’s risky to take the early timeslot when you have to rush around and make it across the country in the same day. But in return, Luda knew his fans would be dedicated to him and still show up to throw down—hungover and all. From my own experience of the struggle to make it to Luda’s set on time after what felt like a 10-mile hike across the Sahara desert in the brutal morning—each one of his classic hits from the 90s to the 2000s made every single booty-shake worth it.
But Young Thug couldn’t even tweet an apology for leaving everyone completely hanging. Not that he is even comparable to Luda in any way, shape or form—it just proves what type of celebrity he really is.
It’s important to keep in mind who is worth giving your hard-earned money, time and dedication to, when in reality—you’re the one supporting their money, time and dedication.