According to ABC News, Ella Langley's sold-out Tulsa show was canceled Friday night over a "serious security threat" after bomb-detection dogs swept the arena twice and Tulsa police said they found nothing credible.
Read the statement twice. Her post says the decision was made "under the advisement of local authorities, the venue, and my security team." Tulsa police, in a video posted Friday night, say they told the performers the searches found no credible threat and the venue was cleared to proceed. Four parties were consulted for the decision. Zero of them were the ones who told her it was safe. This is celebrity PR's group project: everyone is advising, no one is deciding, and the decision is always the show cannot proceed.
The dogs did the actual work here. Sweep one, nothing. A call about gunfire and bombs. Sweep two, still nothing. Then the artist with the longest-running number one in Billboard history, whose fans crossed state lines for a ticket, decided the safest concert in Oklahoma is the one that does not happen. The FBI is now assisting with the investigation, which is what you do when there is nothing to investigate but the report needs a line.
Her caption ends with "I refuse to put anyone in harm's way," which is the correct line in the wrong sentence, because the people at risk were the fans' refunds. Ticket info is coming "as soon as possible." Meanwhile she plays Lubbock today, same arena type, same state line, presumably the same dogs.
YOUR TURN: Is "made under the advisement of local authorities" a legal defense or a press release? Pick a side. The dogs are done talking.
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