The Jon Bon Jovi-led band cancels their August 28 concert in Syracuse to perform instead in a private political fundraiser.
- Aug 15, 2013
AceShowbiz - Veteran rock band Bon Jovi was set to perform at the New York State Fair in Syracuse on August 28 in front of about 17,000 fans. That performance, however, has apparently been called off in favor of an August 25 private fundraiser for political aspirant Gov. Andrew Cuomo where they'll play instead to an intimate crowd of a hundred guests.
"The contract was pulled at the request of the band for scheduling conflicts," said Rich Azzopardi, spokesman for Gov. Cuomo, referring to the $650,000 payday that awaited Bon Jovi should they have pushed through with their NY State Fair concert. The deal was requested to be withdrawn last July 30 by a lawyer for the New York's Department of Agriculture and Markets.
But some insiders say the underlying reason for the cancellation was "to avoid anyone seeing a conflict in...playing a private show for the governor and then three days later being paid $650,000 to perform at the fair." What the band was not able to avoid however was the negative reaction from New Yorkers upon learning of their pull-out from the show which could have generated $1.1 million in revenue.
Some critics slammed Bon Jovi for choosing politics over a show that would have benefited upstate New York. Others have directed their criticism to Gov. Cuomo who could have let the band go in favor of the state fair who would have gained a lot in revenues from the popular band's appearance.
