Machine Gun Kelly was definitely in town for his scheduled set on the NYC stop of his tour with Tech N9ne last night, but he was nowhere near the Highline Ballroom venue it was going down in. Why? He was banned the day before! After news broke late last week the Bad Boy rapper was facing a lawsuit for allegedly slicing a bouncer’s hand open in Florida, the Highline owners decided it was in their best interest to keep him far, far away. The show went on as scheduled and fans of the “Laced Up” MC were NOT refunded their tickets. MGK’s response to the fiasco below.
“The normal MGK reaction that everyone expects is for me to be angry and go off, because my history shows that’s the type of attitude I’m bringing to the table. But I think that after this being the second time on tour that this has happened, I’m more just bummed for the fans. I don’t care about [me]. My fans are kids that don’t have [much].
“There are kids who are spending their last amount of dollars [to buy a ticket to come see my show]. They are waiters and waitresses, you know, minimum wage working kids that are spending their last money to come see one of their idols. This is the second time it has happened on this tour, and it’s because of this same stereotype that I’ve been put under. I’m more lost for words. I feel like a victim.
“Yes, it’s one hundred percent [unfair that they are not refunding the tickets for tomorrow night’s show]. Hell motherfuckin’ yeah. Shit is ridiculous. I’m not one of those acts where it’s like this mainstream person where the average white kid at Harvard University is like, ‘It’s educational tonight. Let’s all go out there and spend Dad’s money.’
“These are kids out there that I know personally, because it’s such a cult fan base, and an intimate fan base, that I know these kids are coming to see me, because they come see me every time I come [to New York].
“I’ve graced almost every stage in NY, from Webster Hall to Gramercy Theater to Best Buy. And I’ve done Highline Ballroom before. [Tech N9ne and I] happen to have a big fan base here. We’ve sold out the last three or four times. Tap into your heart and see that these kids spent money that they don’t have to spend to see an artist that you just banned for false accusations and weak reasoning.
“I’ve been more scared to look at my Twitter than anything. I know my ride or die fans will roll with me, even if I was like, ‘Yo, I don’t feel like doing this concert tonight,’ which I would never do. But if I pulled some bullshit like that, they’d still be like, ‘Fuck it, you’re still my favorite artist. I’ll still ride with you no matter what.’
“But this is also a bigger stage for me, because Tech brought me on this tour, and I have a lot of new fans that wanted to come out and see me, and they heard the hype about how crazy my show is. I haven’t looked at Twitter, because I don’t want to go on and see negativity. I hope everyone is feeling for me, rather than thinking I just ditched them. When the police step in, I can’t really do shit.
