After the brouhaha surrounding the unauthorized Christian performer Sean Feucht’s concert at Washington Artillery Park, Mayor LaToya Cantrell wrote a letter to Dick Clark Productions in Los Angeles requesting that singer Lauren Daigle—who sang at Feucht’s concert—not be allowed to participate in this year’s New Orleans airing of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2020.
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve marks the 48th anniversary of America’s biggest celebration of the year and includes hours of special performances and reports on New Year’s celebrations from around the globe, including an annual remotee broadcast from Jackson Square; this year’s New Orleans segment would have featured Lauren Daigle. Last year, Ryan Seacrest lead the traditional countdown to midnight from Times Square in New York City, with live onsite reporting from award-winning actress and co-host Lucy Hale. Multi-platinum artist Ciara rang in the New Year from the West Coast as host of the Hollywood Party, while award-winning Broadway actor Billy Porter hosted the 4th annual Central Time Zone celebration, live from New Orleans. (This year Porter will join the NYC hosts.)
Daigle brought down the wrath of Cantrell (and locals) for participating in Feucht’s non-socially distanced, largely unmasked concert in the French Quarter. She claims that her performance in that event was spur of the moment (she claims to have been riding her bike in the French Quarter) when she stopped and sang at Feucht’s event. The event was widely criticized by local musicians, raked over the coals by social media and by Cantrell because it took place without being permitted and violated the city’s rules concerning live music. Local musicians have been prevented (and have accepted) the lockdown mandated by the city for performing live music due to the coronavirus pandemic, so it was particularly irksome to musicians who haven’t been able to perform live since April, and locals who haven’t been able to see live music.
Mayor Cantrell wrote directly to the Los Angeles-based production company that produces and films the New Year’s spectacular to request Daigle be removed from the performance.
NOLA.com reported today that Louisiana’s Lieut. Gov. Billy Nungesser (who was just diagnosed as being Covid positive) is upset over Cantrell’s letter to the promoter, as the state’s upcoming Louisiana Travel commercial features Daigle, who performs in the ad to promote tourism to Louisiana. Apparently Nungesser claimed that a planned $500,000 support for the Dick Clark show was contingent on Daigle’s appearing in the New Year’s event, and the state of Louisiana’s half-million dollars in support of the New Year’s Rockin’ Eve show has been pulled (Cantrell’s office is reportedly picking up the tab). Daigle—the recent winner of an American Music Award (also produced by Dick Clark Productions)—was not ever even confirmed to be on the show, according to the promoter. Updates to follow.
