Band Axed From State Fair Over Confederate Flag, Sparking Boycott

DuQUOIN, IL — A Southern rock band was removed from the music lineup at an Illinois state fair after Gov. JB Pritzker's administration took issue with their logo, which uses the Confederate flag. The logo shouldn't have come as a surprise to organizers, however, since the five-member band calls itself Confederate Railroad.

Illinois canceled the band's Aug. 27 appearance at the Du Quoin State Fair over the logo, which depicts a train with two Confederate flags. Confederate Railroad is known for songs including "She Took It Like A Man," "Psycho Bitch From Hell" and "White Trash with Money."

A spokeswoman for Pritzker said his administration bars the use of state resources "to promote symbols of racism."

The band responded to the cancellation and spoke out against calls from fans for two affiliated acts — Restless Heart and Shenandoah — to boycott the fair.

Frontman Danny Shirley claims Confederate Railroad was removed from the lineup by the Illinois Department of Agriculture "because of the name of our band," adding, "It has brought to my attention that several people have asked both Restless Heart and Shenandoah to cancel their shows in protest of our cancellation. I have spoken to both acts and encouraged them to perform as scheduled. Live concerts are how we pay our bills and feed our families. I would never want to see another act lose a payday because of this."

Shenandoah released a statement saying they remain contractually obligated to perform at the fair, but added, "This 'political correctness' has to stop. It's tearing our country apart."

Shirley urged fans to attend the fair in support of the other bands, but some took to the Du Quoin State Fair Facebook page to call for a boycott of the fair.

"We are fans of Confederate Railroad AND Shenandoah AND Restless Heart and thought this would be a good year to head back down (to the fair)," one fan wrote. "Thanks for saving us $500-$700 this year. We will never be at the fair again."

Another fan vowed, "We will not be going back, EVER," adding, "We take our family of SIX to the fair every year, sometimes twice while the fair is going on. We pay to park, buy arm bands and spend 100s of dollars while we are there ... We will happily drive to another state to spend our money."

Yet another angry fan quipped, "So, is that new band. Suzy and the Illinois Snowflakes taking the open slot?"

In response to the cancellation, a Facebook group called #boycottduquoinstatefair was also launched this week. As of Wednesday, it had more than 4,500 members, and one fan took issue with the booking of Snoop Dogg at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, citing lyrics that contain racial slurs.

The cover of the rapper's latest album, "Make America Crip Again," has also drawn criticism for depicting a body draped in an American flag with a toe tag reading "Trump." In 2017, Snoop Dogg also aimed a gun at a clown dressed as President Donald Trump in the video for the song "Lavender." Trump responded by tweeting about the rapper's "failing career." As of Wednesday, Snoop Dogg & Friends were still slated to perform Aug. 16 at the Illinois State Fair.

This year's Du Quin State Fair is set for Aug. 23 to Sept. 2 "in the heart of beautiful southern Illinois," according to its website.