Controversy after the cancellation of a tribute concert to Queen by the RN town hall of Orange

The producer of a concert in tribute to the group Queen announced that he had filed a legal appeal against the cancellation of a show dedicated to the group Queen by the RN town hall of Orange in Vaucluse. The appeal was brought before the administrative court of Nîmes so that the concert could take place in September, as initially planned.

“It hurts my heart for all my students, it’s not about money“, explained to AFP on Sunday the producer, David Hardit, who runs the DH management singing school and was to bring nearly 1,000 singers on stage. A hearing must be held on July 27, according to a press release sent on Friday by the person concerned.

The new mayor of Orange, Jean-Dominique Artaud, has decided to cancel “Queen Forever”, the show he produces, which was to be held on September 4 at the ancient theater. Scheduled under the previous municipality, this concert, financed by the municipality, was to be offered free of charge to the public.

Questioned in Provence, Jean-Dominique Artaud justified the cancellation by financial considerations, indicating that he had to face an expense of 300,000 euros after a major rockfall which had blocked a road in the city for months. The mayor justified his decision by claiming to have acted “as a good father“, as part of a “budgetary arbitration“.

The contract established between the former far-right mayor, Yann Bompard (Ligue du Sud), predecessor of Mr. Artaud, and DH management, which AFP was able to consult, amounted to 41,450 euros. The municipality will have to pay this amount in the event of cancellation in any case, as stipulated in the contract, underlines David Hardit who says he is struggling “to understand the motivations” of the new municipality.

He claims to have “even offered to play the show for free“.”Beyond its artistic dimensione, regrets David Hardit in a press release, this event represented a formidable human and economic project. More than 600 amateur choristers from all over France had already organized their trip: hotel reservations in Orange, train tickets, bus rentals and other costs incurred to participate in this musical adventure“. Orange town hall could not be reached by AFP on Sunday.