Anti-Trans Trolls Attack Bands in Bud Light’s Concert Tour
Many conservatives are still boycotting Bud Light, and are now ready to "cancel" bands participating in the company's summer concert series.
The conservative backlash against Bud Light and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, shows no signs of stopping after the beer giant became the target of a boycott designed to punish the company for entering into a social media advertising partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Now, conservatives are attacking four bands taking part in the Bud Light Backyard Tour — in which the musical acts each play a free concert in four different cities throughout August — for merely being associated with the “Bud Light” brand.
As part of the tour, the pop band OneRepublic will play in Nashville on August 10. Country music group Midland will play in Oklahoma City on August 15. The American rock band Dashboard Confessional will perform in St. Louis on August 17. And English rock band Bush will perform in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 29.
“Ice up the beers, because the Bud Light Backyard tour is coming through,” Bud Light’s official Twitter account said in a tweet advertising the series. “RSVP and enter for a chance to win tickets, it’s that easy.”
But social conservatives flocked to Twitter to bash the company for embracing “woke” ideology, mocking the company for its sustained profit losses, and blasting the bands for being associated with Bud Light.
“RIP all those bands,” tweeted one user.
RIP all those bands. 🪦☠️⚰️
— kroot (@dakroot) July 13, 2023
Other users announced that Bud Light had been “canceled” for its alleged faux pas in partnering with Mulvaney — despite the company’s efforts to distance itself from the controversy and remarks by Mulvaney accusing Bud Light of “abandoning” her in response to the boycott.
“I feel terrible for all those artists, being associated with your brand,” another user tweeted.
I feel terrible for all those artists, being associated with your brand.
— Professor HeyTeeEn (@SilverCyanide2) July 13, 2023
“Great I now know who not to go see. I will not support Bud light nor anyone sponsored by bud light!” a third user declared.
Great I now know who not to go see. I will not support Bud light nor anyone sponsored by bud light!
— Moralcompass (@Moralco61898803) July 13, 2023
“Add 4 more to the boycott!” tweeted another.
Add 4 more to the boycott!
— Big Funky (@Big_Funky2024) July 13, 2023
Still others trotted out homophobic tropes, like renaming the “Backyard Tour” the “Backdoor Tour,” or claiming that drinking Bud Light makes a person gay.
According to the financial news site The Street, Todd Allen, the vice president of marketing for Bud Light, explained the intent behind the free concert tour.
“This summer, Bud Light is building upon its ‘Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy’ platform by showing just how easy it is to enjoy the summer season,” Allen said. “We know summer concert experiences can sometimes be hard to enjoy between scoring coveted tickets and navigating large venues, which is why we are proud to introduce the Bud Light Backyard Tour, a summer tour that is easy to enjoy by bringing top artists and the best parts of the live music experience directly to local venues featuring intimate, backyard vibes across the country.”
The band Midland also defended participating in the tour, offering the following comment: “Summer, country music, beer, and good times. Why wouldn’t we be there?”
But conservatives appear unsatisfied with the lack of apology from Anheuser-Busch for elevating Mulvaney, who many conservatives and some feminists saw as “cosplaying” or “mocking” women through Mulvaney’s “365 Days of Girlhood” series, in which she documented a day-by-day account of her transition process.
One Twitter user suggested that the beer company agree to donate its profits to organizations supporting disabled veterans for a few weeks, in the hope of winning back conservatives’ support by “keep[ing] the brand patriotic” going forward.
All you have to do is offer 100% of profits to disabled vets for a few weekends, especially long weekends. By Thanksgiving you will have won back Americans. Keep the brand patriotic thereafter and you're out of the doghouse.
— Orry E. Robb 🛸 (@OrryRobb) July 13, 2023
But several users replied to that tweet, laying out what they believe Anheuser-Busch, and Bud Light, must do to win back support — assuming it’s not too late for them to do so and that their former customers are willing to resume drinking Anheuser-Busch products.
“They have to start by apologizing, formally rejecting the transexual ideology and formally declaring they are against trans-ing the kids,” tweeted one user.
They have to start by apologizing, formally rejecting the transexual ideology and formally declaring they are against trans-ing the kids.
— Ehud (@IMEhud) July 13, 2023
“No. Giving $ to vets after hiring an influencer who mocks women and refusing to apologize is just making things worse — as a female veteran I say ‘keep your $—APOLOGIZE.’ Ffs it’s not rocket science & you can’t buy your way out,” tweeted another.
No. Giving $ to vets after hiring an influencer who mocks women and refusing to apologize is just making things worse—as a female veteran I say “keep your $—APOLOGIZE”. Ffs it’s not rocket science & you can’t buy your way out.
— SmallestSparrow (@SmallestSparrow) July 15, 2023
“You forgot the part where they apologize and revoke their support for ANY and ALL woke agendas,” added a third. “[W]ithout this, they are dead to me.”
You forgot the part where they appologize and revoke their support for ANY and ALL woke agendas.. without this, they are dead to me.
— Peter Paninár (@KillerkoUK) July 14, 2023
“Let’s start with firing the people…they’re still on leave,” added a fourth user, referring to those who approved the Mulvaney social media promotion. “2nd a REAL apology. 3rd Leave politics out. They will teach marketing lessons in college decades from now about how bad they F’d this one up.”
Let’s start with firing the people… they’re still on leave. 2nd a REAL apology. 3rd leave politics out.
They will teach marketing lessons in college decades from now about how bad they F’d this one up— jason (@jason51884717) July 14, 2023
Based on the online reaction, it appears that the company’s decision to partner with Mulvaney — even for a social media-only promotion — and its decision to send her a custom-made can featuring her face on it is seen as an unforgivable sin by its harshest critics.
The company’s sales have also been hurt by backlash from pro-LGBTQ people and drinking establishments, who were angered by the company’s attempt to distance itself from Mulvaney and from the company’s previous support for the LGBTQ community.
That reaction from LGBTQ advocates and allies also revived old criticisms of Anheuser-Busch for its lopsided support for conservative, anti-LGBTQ politicians, which led to some small boycotts at individual LGBTQ-owned bars or restaurants a few years ago.
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