Some want the city to stop the event, an idea the mayor rejected.
Patch Staff
|Updated Wed, Feb 19, 2025 at 1:21 pm CT
DARIEN, IL – Darien's Q Bar told the city it won't cancel the performance of a singer who has aligned with what is known as a hate group.
At Tuesday's City Council meeting, Mayor Joseph Marchese said he has received more than 20 messages from residents about the March 5 event featuring Michale Graves, the former Misfits frontman.
Graves supports the Proud Boys, which the Southern Poverty Law Center labels as a hate group. He also testified on behalf of members of the Proud Boys who were Jan. 6 defendants.
Some residents are looking for the city to ban the performance, Marchese said. He rejected that idea, while sympathizing with their concerns.
"The city does not condone or promote such extreme views as expressed by Mr. Graves," the mayor said. "Any attempt by the city of Darien to halt this event borders on censorship and an abridgment of Q Bar's right to have Mr. Graves perform at their venue."
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Marchese read part of a statement that he said Q Bar's owner, Bob Taft, gave to the city.
According to the statement, Taft said he does not personally book bands and entertainment.
"Even if I did, I wouldn't vet every single musician that plays by us to make sure they didn't make comments in their past that don't align with the thoughts and views of everyone in the community," Taft said in the statement. "Between all locations, we have four to six different bands playing for us every week. It would be impossible to host any sort of entertainment with those restrictions."
Taft said he believes in freedom of speech.
"In this scenario, we have to separate the art from the artist," he said in the statement. "A musician is going to go on stage that night with a guitar and play an acoustic set. That is all. There is no politics. There is no hate. There is just music."
He added, "My best advice to anyone who is upset about this is simply not to attend."
Over the weekend, Graves made headlines in Pittsburgh when a venue there canceled his March 2 performance after receiving criticism.
On Tuesday, the Darien Arts Council announced it was canceling its upcoming show, "Working," at Q Bar. The decision, the group said, aligned with its commitment to speak up against "harmful ideologies that threaten the values of unity and understanding that we hold dear."
The group added that the cancellation was a significant blow because it has struggled to find space for performances.
Later in the City Council meeting, Steve Shanks, a Darien Arts Council member, asked the city whether Taft served on the city's advisory group for its new Darien Business Alliance.
Officials confirmed that Taft did.
Shanks said Taft, Q Bar's owner, has directed "crass and vulgar" comments toward others; in 2023, Patch reported on such insults to a former Darien alderman. Shanks wondered whether Darien had considered removing Taft from his city roles.
Marchese said the city looks at Taft for what he contributes to the community, not what he publishes on social media.
Q Bar, the mayor said, has helped a variety of local groups.
"Each one has had use of his facility for their meetings without having to pay any money for rentals," Marchese said. "To me, that's a sign of an outstanding individual. He has contributed financially to the success of Darien Fest," not charging the fest for the use of Q Bar's parking lot.
Shanks said he recognized "all the good" that Taft has done for the community. But he said the arts council had to stand by its principles.
"We cannot sit idly by with our mission statement and let something like this go without a response," he said.
Taft has not returned Patch's messages for comment.