First Avenue, the iconic venue that provided the setting for Prince’s “Purple Rain,” has announced that the show will not be held at their theater and will instead move to the Varsity Theater. In an Instagram post, the venue addressed the social media backlash they had received after booking Chappelle, who has had his share of controversy this year after the Netflix special “The Closer” was criticized for transphobic jokes. “To our staff, artists and community, we hear you and we’re sorry. We know we have to hold ourselves to the highest standards and we know we let you down. We are not just a black box with people inside, and we understand that First Ave is not just a room, but has meaning beyond our walls,” the statement reads. “The team at First Avenue and you have worked hard to make our venues the safest in the country and we will continue with that mission. We believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression, but in honoring that, we lost sight of the impact it would have.” After Chappelle’s show was announced earlier this week, First Avenue’s social media was flooded with comments protesting the comedian, though TMZ reported that tickets sold out quickly. “Disgusting that you allow Dave [Chappelle] to appear in your space when your guild lines [sic] specifically state that homophobic or transphobic language will not be tolerated,” reads one comment. The Varsity Theater in Dinkytown is now hosting Wednesday’s performance, in addition to two more performances on July 21 and 22. Chappelle defended his jokes by touting artistic expression, doubling down in a recent speech at his alma mater released by Netflix. During the speech, titled “What’s in a Name?”, Chappelle announced that he had decided not to have a theater named after him at the school, instead calling it the Theater for Artistic Freedom and Expression. Chappelle explained that he made the decision after a conversation with students at the school, in which they criticized his comments on “The Closer.” “When I heard those words come out of these kids’ faces, it really, honestly, hurt me. Because I know those kids didn’t think of those words. I’ve heard those words before. The more you say I can’t say something, the more urgent it is for me to say it,” Chappelle said. “And it has nothing to do with what you say I can’t say. It’s about my right, my freedom, my artistic expression. This is valuable to me. That doesn’t cut it for me. It’s worth protecting for me, and it’s worth protecting for all who strive in our noble, noble professions.” Representatives for Chappelle did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.
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