Barenaked Ladies cancel SeaWorld show after viewing documentary

The Barenaked Ladies have followed their conscience and canceled a show at SeaWorld in Orlando, FL after seeing a CNN documentary on the treatment of animals and the death of a trainer at the facility in 2010.

Scheduled for February 15, SeaWorld officials have said they have removed the band from the lineup for their Bands, Brew & BBQ event.

Fans of the band pushed the members to watch the documentary Blackfish and urged them to cancel their performance through a petition on Change.Org.

The band released a statement on their official web site:


Hey everybody. We've talked things over, and decided not to play at Seaworld at this time. We watch movies too, ya know! Have you seen Star Trek IV? It's quite good. Kidding... We sometimes do that.

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. The Seaworld folks have been gracious , and extended us invitations to the park to learn more about what they do, and how they do it.

We encourage anybody and everybody to get involved with a charity organization they feel passionate about. We here at Barenaked Ladies have made a decision based on what we feel. It's not about money, or petitions, or press... But it is about our fans. We listen to them, and they're important to us. Their sensibilities resonate with ours, and have for decades now. We've grown up together. Ultimately though, we made the decision that WE feel good about.

Thanks for all of your support. We'll see you all at a mutually agreeable concert venue in the near future!

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Barenaked Ladies
The Barenaked Ladies' latest album is Grinning Streak which was released in June.

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