Stevie Wonder no longer standing his ground

[lostinblue 1,989]

Stevie Wonder’s Tour Will Take Him to States He Vowed to Avoid

What was once a limited engagement is back by popular demand: Stevie Wonder has extended last year’s “Songs in the Key of Life” tour, and will bring performances of his classic 1976 album to 11 more cities this spring.

The second leg begins March 17 in Denver, and will take Mr. Wonder and his lively band to Houston; Dallas; New Orleans; Louisville, Ky.; Minneapolis; Columbus, Ohio; Austin, Tex.; Nashville; and Baltimore. The finale will come on April 12 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

In 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida, Mr. Wonder said that he would no longer appear in states with a Stand Your Ground self-defense law.

“Wherever I find that law exists I will not perform in that state or that part of the world,” Mr. Wonder said at the time, in reference to provisions that allow people to use deadly force in public with no requirement to retreat if they “reasonably believe” they are in grave danger.

However, Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, where Mr. Wonder is scheduled to perform this year, all have laws comparable to the one in Florida. (Additionally, some of the states that were included in Mr. Wonder’s fall tour also have Stand Your Ground laws.)

“My commitment to the battle for equality and justice has and will not waver,” Mr. Wonder said in a statement on Thursday. “I am as resolved as ever to keep the issue front and center, but feel that by speaking directly to the citizens of the states in which the stand your ground laws exist, I can have a greater impact on the push for change.”

He added, “I will address this matter in greater detail prior to these 11 dates, and I look forward to seeing you when I do.”

Jon Pareles, writing in The New York Times, called the Nov. 6 concert at Madison Square Garden “a triumph: not a simple nostalgia trip but a return visit to songs and ideas that still matter.” He named the show – the very first of the tour – among the best of the year.

Tickets for the additional dates go on sale beginning Jan. 23 at livenation.com.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/15/stevie-wonder-extends-songs-in-the-key-of-life-tour/?_r=0

“Wherever I find that law exists I will not perform in that state or that part of the world,” Mr. Wonder said at the time, in reference to provisions that allow people to use deadly force in public with no requirement to retreat if they “reasonably believe” they are in grave danger.

However, Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, where Mr. Wonder is scheduled to perform this year, all have laws comparable to the one in Florida. (Additionally, some of the states that were included in Mr. Wonder’s fall tour also have Stand Your Ground laws.)

So much for this liberal's convictions.

[Ban Hammer 13,696]

cease with the personal attacks

[X Factor 1,112]

Oh man I missed the action before it was deleted