A day after legendary banjoist Earl Scruggs fell too ill to play his own sold-out show, reactions are beginning to seep out.
“After he arrived last night, he felt unwell and could not go on,” said Kara Larson, director of marketing and public relations for office of the executive director for the arts.
And though people left the show after Emil Kang’s announcement — some asking for full refunds — reactions were more disappointed than angry.
David Deerson, a sophomore, had been waiting since June to watch Scruggs perform. He is a folk banjoist, swayed into bluegrass fandom by Scruggs’ signature three-finger picking style.
Deerson left the show after the announcement and asked for a refund of his ticket.
“You hear he’s sick and your first reaction is oh this affects me badly,” said Deerson. “But then you’re also like, oh its sad this 90-year-old man is sick and I shouldn’t be so selfish.”
Comments on our review show a public peeved by the last-minute announcement.
“It would have been nice to have been informed of this prior to making the drive to Chapel Hill,” commented Jim on our website. “This is the first time I’ve ever arrived a a concert only to find out the headliner was going to be unable to make it.”
The office of the executive director for the arts has not made any comment on rescheduling Scruggs. They are offering full refunds for tickets.
“Obviously there were disappointed Earl fans,” Larson said. “We ourselves were disappointed Earl fans.”
The Associated Press reported that 86-year-old Scruggs was hospitalized Wednesday night. His son says he is now “doing fine.”
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