Festival Bosses Sue Animal Rights Group

April 17, 2008
(United Kingdom) ContactMusic.com

Organisers of Wyoming's Cheyenne Frontier Days festival are suing animal rights group Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) after activists pressured headliners MATCHBOX TWENTY to pull out of an appearance.

Festival bosses claim the organisation's officials used "false and misleading information" to persuade the rockers to pull out of the festival.

The Bent hitmakers had been scheduled to appear at the Cheyenne Frontier Days festival, billed as the world's largest outdoor rodeo, on 18 July (08), but scrapped the show after seeing video footage of alleged animal abuse from last year's rodeo/concert.

Frontier Days organisers estimate Matchbox Twenty's cancellation has cost them $100,000 (GBP50,000). They are also suing SHARK bosses for persuading Carrie Underwood to abandon a 2006 Frontier Days performance under similar circumstances, according to RollingStone.com.