Rap star dumped by Las Vegas festival after anti-American chant

On Tuesday, he was cut from a first-ever festival in downtown Las Vegas.

Organizers for the Neon City Festival have dropped the 41-year-old recording artist from their inaugural event, scheduled for Nov. 22-24 at several downtown venues and stages.

A statement from event organizers said “unforeseen circumstances” had prompted the decision.

The Neon City Festival was designed to generate business during Formula 1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. Macklemore was among the five primary headliners for the event. No word on who, if anyone, would replace the ousted performer for this year’s festival.

The rapper was performing at the “Palestine Will Live Forever” festival in his hometown of Seattle on Saturday night. The event was a benefit for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees.

Long a supporter of Palestinian causes, the singer-songwriter called out the U.S. for its policy supporting Israel in the war against the terrorist group Hamas. His anti-U.S. line was during his performance of “Hind’s Hall 2” at the Seward Park Amphitheater.

The song is a sequel to Macklemore’s “Hind’s Hall,” which features several Palestinian-American artists and poets.

In the song’s final verse, Macklemore raps the “(Expletive) America!” section.

“Straight up, say it, I’m not gonna stop you,” Macklemore is shown saying in a fan video from the show after the crowd shouts at the stage.

“I’m not gonna stop you … yeah, (expletive) America,” he says into the mic, prompting cheers from the crowd.

Social media posts from the performance show the crowd chanting along, touching off a heated response that — it seems — has cost the headliner a spot in the November festival.

Wilsons for two

Heart has announced a second date on their restarted “Royal Flush Tour” at Fontainebleau’s BleauLive Theater. Pencil in March 1, following the original Feb. 28 date for the tour’s relaunch.

The legendary rock band, founded and fronted by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, was forced from the schedule in July because of Ann’s cancer treatment. Heart had originally been scheduled to play BleauLive Theater on Dec. 15.

Scorpions at (what!) 60

The band that once said, “Don’t want to find out! Just want to get out! Blackout!” is celebrating its 60th anniversary at PH Live at Planet Hollywood for five dates from Feb. 27-March 11 (tickets on sale to the public 10 a.m. Saturday at ticketmaster.com; go to The-Scorpions.com/RockZone for pre-sale intel).

Frontman Klaus Meine said in a statement (edited for effect), “We’re gonna sting yaaaa!!!” Righteous.

Wayne, Mars, Flav, etc.

Monday was a typically shining night on the scene in VegasVille.

I caught up with Wayne Newton at Monday’s Dark at The Space, where Mr. Las Vegas took part in the show’s Road Case Conversation segment. Emcee and venue founder Mark Shunock and Monday’s Dark entertainment director Paige Strafella retraced Newton’s history in Vegas.

Shunock wants to post these conversions on the Space’s website by the end of the year, a noble idea.

Newton also smiled when told yours truly was hitting the Tom Jones show at Encore Theater on Saturday. Jones is among the few remaining headliners to hearken to Newton’s early days on the Strip. “Tom Jones!” Newton said. “That is great.”

Newton continues his own performances at Flamingo, where he appeared Monday before dropping into The Space.

I then rolled into The Pinky Ring at Bellagio, having been tipped off about this dazzling young hip-hop ensemble, OMA. The guys from the U.K. spin through the sounds of the ‘90s and 2000s. Mars is a major supporter, which is why he was in the club on a rare Monday night before taking off for a tour swing through Brazil.

I once more ran into Flavor Flav near the entrance, having just seen him Saturday night at iHeartRadio Music Festival. Flav was clad splendidly in U.S. Olympic gear, including his bejeweled clock necklace. He waded to the stage for 5 minutes of fury, His callback “You say Bruno! I say Mars!” lit the place up.

Mars and Gaga have a hit with “Die With a Smile.” Flav lives with one.

Tease this …

A prominent Vegas entertainer, once a co-star in a hit show on the Strip, is making a return at Myron’s at the Smith Center. Expect holiday frivolity.

Cool Hang Alert

Turning to a hang with a musical theater flavor, Richard Oberacker and Robert Taylor’s latest project, The House on Watch Hill, opens for previews at 7 p.m. Friday at Vegas Theatre Company in the Arts District.

This is a coming-of-age yarn about a gang of misfits (not the OMA band) bent on building the greatest haunted house the neighborhood has known. The story takes place in the summer of ’84, and the production is punctuated by an ’80s-inspired score and live band.

VTC Artistic Director Daz Weller directs. Oberacker previewed a number at The Composers Showcase on Wednesday at Myron’s. It is worth a look-see; go to theatre.vegas for intel.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.