Trapt rock band show canceled at La Calle Bar and Music Venue in DeKalb in response to controversy

DeKALB – After fielding criticism for booking the rock band Trapt amid some of its controversial stances, downtown DeKalb’s La Calle Bar and Music Venue announced Monday it won’t move forward with the show.

La Calle owners said they’ll cancel the Trapt performance scheduled for March 8 and instead schedule local punk road band Not Elliot to perform a free show that evening.

“It was brought to our attention that the band Trapt had anti views that La Calle and our community do not support,” a post on the business’ Facebook page about 7:25 p.m. Monday reads. “We support the feedback we’ve received from the community and look forward to keeping DeKalb and La Calle free of racism and bigotry for all to enjoy. Thank you.”

Some in DeKalb previously had voiced concerns about what they said are the rock band’s controversial stances. Trapt is no stranger to seeing its social media platforms either shadowed or banned on major apps, such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok over posts that convey far-right political stances. The band has an account on Truth Social, the social media platform created in 2021 by Trump Media & Technology Group, a company owned by former President Donald Trump.

Hinckley resident Greg Perrin, who administers the Facebook group DeKalb LGBT+, said the venue’s decision came as a sign of positivity for the community. Perrin previously had called for Trapt’s cancelation before Monday’s announcement, citing fears that the band’s appearance would make people feel unsafe in DeKalb.

“It was absolute delight what our community said and did: reach the ears of the people who needed to hear it,” Perrin said.

“We support the feedback we’ve received from the community and look forward to keeping DeKalb and La Calle free of racism and bigotry for all to enjoy.”

—  La Calle Bar and Music Venue wrote in a Monday social media announcement

Promotional materials for the Trapt show have since been removed from the La Calle Facebook page. An Eventbrite page for the live acoustic show indicates that the performance is canceled. Trapt’s website still listed La Calle as a performance venue.

Attempts to contact Trapt were unsuccessful.

Perrin emphasized that DeKalb is a diverse community comprised of “more than white men.”

At the same time, Perrin said they wished the venue’s owners would have engaged in further conversation about how they book performances.

“They didn’t go into much detail,” Perrin said. “Their statement was very direct. The show was canceled. We will keep the opening band, which is not a problematic thing and that show is free. I think they have room to acknowledge that in the future.”

Still, Perrin said they would be more likely to frequent La Calle at future shows because of the announcement made Monday.

“Now that they’ve made their decision, I would absolutely watch for one that’s interesting and make it a point to go out to one,” Perrin said.