Arkansas venue postpones concert ordered shut due to virus

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas theater said Thursday it will postpone a country-rock concert that would have defied the state's ban on large gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic, days after health officials ordered the show shut down.

The announcement by TempleLive in Fort Smith came less than two hours after state regulators suspended the venue’s license to sell alcohol, saying it would remain suspended unless the concert was cancelled.

TempleLive said it would move the Travis McCready show from Friday night to Monday, when the state is allowing theaters, arenas and other indoor venues to reopen with some restrictions. The theater said it was submitting an application to hold the show — expected to draw more than 200 people — which is higher than a 50-person limit the state initially set for such venues.

“At the end of the day, we fought the law and the laws won," Brown said at a news conference at the theater, a former Masonic Temple.

The state on Tuesday ordered the theater to cancel or postpone the show, and Gov. Asa Hutchinson said the venue would face “consequences" that could be enforced by local police if the show went forward.

It's unclear whether the state will approve the new date for the show. Arkansas is allowing indoor entertainment venues to reopen Monday but with a 50-person limit in the audience. That restriction can be raised to one-third of a venue’s capacity, but only if its plan is approved in advance by the state.

Hutchinson said, assuming the plan is approved, “we’re delighted to welcome the concertgoers to that venue."

“We are pleased that we have that resolution and the concert promoter recognized the need to follow the directives of the Department of Health," Hutchinson said.

The venue has said it planned to...