P.O.D. Lyrical Controversy Leads California Festival to Switch Venues
P.O.D. was scheduled to perform in Ventura, Calif. Sunday (Oct. 28), but canceled the gig after some controversy erupted with the venue. Originally scheduled for the Ventura County Fairgrounds, the Hell's Coming festival was moved to a smaller venue after fairground officials objected to the lyrical content of the P.O.D. song, 'Youth of the Nation.'
According to the Ventura County Star, a fairgrounds official emailed the promoter saying they did not want P.O.D. to play 'Youth of the Nation' because some of the song's lyrics were "too touchy and controversial." The lyrics refer to a school shooting, and the paper says the email described the song as "too violent to be played at a family event."
Except for a tweet announcing the cancellation and a link to the Ventura County Star article, the band has not commented on the issue. The scaled down show apparently took place without P.O.D.'s participation.
P.O.D. will be getting back on the road in November, opening for 3 Doors Down and Daughtry. They will take a few days off from that tour to set sail on the 2012 ShipRocked Cruise Nov. 27 - Dec. 3, then return to land to wrap up the last couple of weeks of the 3 Doors Down/Daughtry tour. Their latest single 'Higher,' from the 'Murdered Love' album, recently entered Loudwire's Cage Match Hall of Fame.