The DECC Responds To Outrage Over Upcoming Show

The recent announcement of a comedy show coming to the DECC later this year has been drawing criticism from some Northlanders outraged about the show coming to the prominent Duluth venue.

The DECC has since publicly responded to the concerns of people upset about the show.

What show is drawing criticism from some Northlanders?

On June 10, the DECC announced that comedian Chris D'Elia and his "Straight Outta The Multiverse Tour" would be coming to Duluth for a show that would be held at the DECC's Symphony Hall on Friday, September 20.

Following the announcement, some Northlanders have been campaigning for the DECC not to host the show, pointing to accusations D'Elia has faced from multiple women alleging inappropriate and predatory behavior.

Comments from the public about their displeasure with D'Elia performing at the DECC have spilled into other, unrelated social media posts about events at the venue.

One such example is a mysterious post about some pink-themed event shared this week, teasing a big announcement coming soon.

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In the comments of that post, some commenters have used the post to continue to cancel the show. The DECC has offered a response to these comments.

What is the DECC saying in response to criticism about the show?

While comments on the original post about the D'Elia show have been limited by the DECC's Facebook page, a member of the venue's communications team has offered a response in the comments of a subsequent post about the aforementioned mysterious pink event they're teasing.

In response to various comments in the post, the DECC's communications manager explains that the D'Elia show is not a show the DECC booked, but rather that a Los Angeles-based promoter named Icon Concerts that booked the show and is just using the venue to host it.

They go on to explain that "As a public entity, the DECC cannot turn away an artist because they have had terrible accusations in the media. To do so would open us up to litigation based on infringement of free speech." also commenting that the venue "cannot be the arbiter of good taste". 

While these comments did not seem to allay the concerns of some, the venue did note that "Voting with one's wallet and feet is always the best way to get a promoter's attention!" in response to one commenter remarking "Hopefully people not going to the event will speak volumes as to your taste in artists."