Pizza! has canceled their first show in their five years of being a band due to shady political donations by Best Buy, one of the corporate sponsors of “Hide+Seek: Summer at the Bandshell.” According to the band, Best Buy made a significant campaign contribution to an anti-gay Minnesota gubernatorial candidate — totally not cool by Pizza! standards, and not cool by our standards, either.
Check out the band’s reasoning written by frontman Geoff Geis below and come support this amazing band at a more tolerant venue this summer. You can also pick up copies of their super cool cassette, Bogus Rimshots from the Fourth on our release page and at every Pizza! show this summer.
Pizza! has removed itself from the bill of performers playing the West Los Angeles Bandshell on Wednesday, August 11. This is our first cancellation in over five years as a band.
We have chosen not to perform on Wednesday as a result of Best Buy’s involvement as a sponsor of the performance. Human Rights Campaign has reported that Best Buy has donated $100,000 to MN Forward, a political action committee that is working to elect State Representative Tom Emmer to be governor of Minnesota. Representative Emmer is on record as a vehement opponent of equal rights for homosexuals, and has stated his support of at least one group that advocates violence against gays. Human Rights Campaign has asked Best Buy to compensate for their action by donating an equal or greater amount to a candidate who is supportive of civil rights, and the company has declined to do so. In an emailed response to a Best Buy shopper who expressed his dismay about the company’s donations, a representative of the company said the following: