Think about it: most (if not all) of the bands playing at the SWO/BGT BBB 2014 event are HAS-BEENS. They haven't been relevant for 10-40+ years. While they were once extremely hot acts that have made their mark on music history, their star(s) has faded and they've now been relegated to playing THEME PARKS and STATE FAIRS. Not exactly the arenas they were once filling in their heydays. These artists are simply trying to stay out of controversy and maintain the little bit of their empire that they have left. Yes, I call them cowards, but I'm also a hypocrite in doing so, because I don't blame them for doing it. In a year or two, once all this sh!tstorm fallout blows over, they're going to be trying to come back and perform at SWO and BGT. In the meantime, Lance over at Screamscape posed a great idea (that he seems to have removed from his site, because I can't find it listed anymore) of how this could all work in SeaWorld's favor--whether temporarily or for the long-run--by bringing in much more affordable DJs and cover bands. No, it's not the same as seeing The Beach Boys or .38 Special, but it would shift the focus of the event from the BANDS to the beer and food…which could (potentially) make SWO/BGT a bigger profit.
The future of this is going to be interesting. Now that SeaWorld is starting to fight back, and now that it's come out that the lead OSHA investigator is all "buddy-buddy" with the Blackfish production team, it's going to be fascinating to see how SeaWorld fights and hopefully wins this battle. I would think that if SWO can actually prove that "the film" is filled with falsehoods, they would have legal channels to follow in their fight against the backlash caused by this LIE. Furthermore, I would think that they'd have a chance to go after OSHA in regards to the blatant conflict of interest between the OSHA investigator (Lara Padgett) and the Blackfish producers and maybe, JUST MAYBE get the green light to get trainers in the water with the orcas again during shows. SeaWorld is playing their hand very cautiously right now, and I suspect they'll whip out the big guns and start blazing away when the time is right. In the meantime, we need to show our support in any way that we can.
The future of this is going to be interesting. Now that SeaWorld is starting to fight back, and now that it's come out that the lead OSHA investigator is all "buddy-buddy" with the Blackfish production team, it's going to be fascinating to see how SeaWorld fights and hopefully wins this battle. I would think that if SWO can actually prove that "the film" is filled with falsehoods, they would have legal channels to follow in their fight against the backlash caused by this LIE. Furthermore, I would think that they'd have a chance to go after OSHA in regards to the blatant conflict of interest between the OSHA investigator (Lara Padgett) and the Blackfish producers and maybe, JUST MAYBE get the green light to get trainers in the water with the orcas again during shows. SeaWorld is playing their hand very cautiously right now, and I suspect they'll whip out the big guns and start blazing away when the time is right. In the meantime, we need to show our support in any way that we can.