A South Texas distillery may be learning a hard lesson of “you go woke, you go broke.”
Rebecca Creek Distillery agreed in early September to host a Gun Owners of America–Texas concert featuring Creed Fisher and special guest Brandon Herrera.
It cancelled the event days before the October 16 date.
The venue then claimed it had been blindsided by a “political rally.”
GOA Texas says that was never the case.
The cancellation forced organizers to scramble for a new venue and vendors while processing refunds, after both Fisher and Herrera rebooked other engagements.
Booked September 2. Cancelled on Short Notice.
GOA reports the distillery agreed on September 2 to host the event.
A walkthrough with distillery staff took place on September 19.
At that meeting, according to GOA, owners requested that political discussion be limited. GOA says its Texas State Director specifically agreed to keep such conversations in private VIP areas and off the main stage.
The event was billed as a non-political Second Amendment gathering. Fisher was the scheduled performer from the beginning. Herrera, the Republican nominee in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District and the gun YouTuber known as the AK Guy, was a known special guest.
On or around October 12, Rebecca Creek announced the cancellation on Facebook. The post cited a commitment to “performances that reflect our brands and community standards.”
Founder Steve Ryan told MySA the venue “wasn’t expecting it was a political rally,” that it “was actually kind of radicalized,” and that “I think we were bamboozled on the whole deal.” He also claimed organizers were asked not to allow political rhetoric and “refused.”
The Venue Knew Who Was Coming.
GOA Texas rejected that account.
In a public statement, the group said claims that it refused a request on political discussion are “not accurate.” It reiterated the VIP agreement and stated the concert “was always a GOA event intended to bring together and celebrate the Second Amendment community.”
GOA noted Fisher’s participation was known from the beginning. Inviting endorsed candidates did not convert a concert into a campaign rally. The group rejected the “political rally” characterization outright.
Patriot Talk 920 AM, involved in organizing, posted that the distillery “knew it was a benefit for Gun Owners of America. They knew Brandon Herrera For Congress would be involved. None of this was a secret.” The station accused the venue of deciding to “play the virtue signaling card” days before the show.
The event moved to Texas Pride BBQ in Adkins. Chuck Wimer replaced Fisher as headliner. A promotional post for the new location stated, “The Second Amendment can’t be cancelled!”
Private Business Decisions Have Consequences.
A private business can choose its customers. The problem is the sequence: booking a known GOA Second Amendment event in early September, accepting the logistics, then cancelling days before the date and publicly claiming to have been blindsided.
That is not neutral judgment. It is a last-minute retreat that left organizers scrambling, followed by an attempt to shift blame.
“Rebecca Creek Distillery knew this was a Second Amendment event when they booked it,” said Texas Gun Rights President Chris McNutt. “Cancelling days before the show and then claiming they were ‘bamboozled’ is a weak attempt to cover for caving to anti-gun pressure. Texas gun owners notice who stands with them and who folds.”
Observers familiar with the venue have noted that the owner maintains an active presence as a big-game hunter, with multiple hunting photographs on his Facebook profile. The community that values firearms for hunting, sport, and self-defense is the same community the distillery chose to eject. The groups most eager to celebrate cancelling Second Amendment events are also the ones most likely to view those hunting photos with open hostility.
The Second Amendment is not a campaign slogan or a party platform. It is an individual right enumerated in the Constitution. Treating a gathering of people who support that right as inherently “radicalized” or too political for a Texas distillery reveals priorities more than it reveals facts about the event.
Texas Pride BBQ stepped up. Rebecca Creek Distillery did not.
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