John Hinckley Jr.’s ‘Redemption Tour’ Dates Canceled in Connecticut, Chicago & Brooklyn

John Hinckley Jr., the singer-songrwriter who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, revealed on Thursday (June 16) that three dates of his Redemption Tour have been canceled.

“I’ve had 3 concerts cancelled – Chicago, Connecticut and now Brooklyn,” he tweeted. “The promoter is looking for another venue.”

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The Brooklyn venue, Market Hotel, also shared a lengthy statement to their Instagram page, writing, “After a lot of serious consideration, we are canceling the scheduled event at Market Hotel with John Hinckley. The event came to Market Hotel through a third-party promoter, and we approved it because it sounded like an interesting gathering and a memorable night. Hosting provocative gatherings for its own sake is valid, and should be part of any venue’s reason to exist. The tour also sends a message that mental health issues and a criminal past can be recovered from and atoned for, after serving one’s debt to society and getting real treatment.”

“If we were going to host an event for the principle, and potentially put others at risk in doing so, it shouldn’t be for some stunt booking — no offense to the artist,” the venue continued.  “We might feel differently if we believed the music was important and transcended the infamy, but that’s just not the case here.”

The statement concluded, “It is not worth a gamble on the safety of our vulnerable communities to give a guy a microphone and a paycheck from his art who hasn’t had to earn it, we don’t care about on an artistic level and who upsets people in a dangerously radicalized, reactionary climate.”

Hinckley was released from court supervision Wednesday (June 15), 41 years after his attempted assassination of Reagan on March 30, 1981. He was acquitted by reason of insanity after shooting the former President, wounding him as well as police officer Thomas Delahanty and Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy. Reagan’s Press Secretary James Brady was permanently disabled from his wounds. Hinckley later claimed that he carried out the attempted crime to get the attention of actress Jodie Foster, according to Deadline.

Last September, US district court judge Paul L Friedman in Washington said he would free Hinckley on June 15 if he continued to remain mentally stable in the community in Virginia where he has lived since 2016.

“After 41 years 2 months and 15 days, FREEDOM AT LAST!!!” Hinckley tweeted on Wednesday.

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