Cavalier Hotel says no to Pharrell for event with Dave Chappelle
Music superstar Pharrell Williams might have another grievance against the power brokers in his hometown.
Virginia Beach businessman Bruce Thompson recently turned down a plan from Williams to hold an event at the historic Cavalier Hotel featuring comedian Dave Chappelle.
News of Thompson’s rejection comes days after it surfaced that Williams decided not to bring his wildly popular Something in the Water music festival back to Virginia Beach, in part citing his dissatisfaction with the city’s handling of the fatal police shooting of his 25-year-old cousin in March.
Thompson offered a number of reasons for turning down the request from Williams’ representatives a couple weeks ago, including his concern about the “content” of Chappelle’s show.
Chappelle has drawn criticism from the LGBTQ community following the recent release of his Netflix standup special, “The Closer.” During the special, he made jokes about transgender people, according to reports.
Thompson said after discussions with one of Williams’ representatives, Donna MacMillan-Whitaker, “We decided it’s probably (not) going to work,” he wrote in a text message Friday.
“Wholly inappropriate for him to use the word ‘we,’ ” MacMillan-Whitaker said by phone on Friday afternoon. “I was not involved in any decision.”
Thompson also wrote that he had reservations about holding the event on the Cavalier’s lawn because it would draw too big of a crowd, and parking is limited. There was discussion of the group totaling around 800 people, Thompson confirmed.
There also wasn’t a plan in the event of rain, he wrote.
One of the planners took issue with Thompson’s reasons for not allowing the event. Robby Wells, executive producer of the 2019 Something in the Water festival, wrote in a direct message Saturday morning that they were deep into the planning for the “private, tightly controlled event,” and that parking details and a plan for inclement weather had been worked out.
He wrote that the event was nonpartisan and nonpolitical, and claimed that Thompson rejected it because of the “status quo” in Virginia Beach, referring to racial lines.
“We’ve already moved on,” Wells wrote.
Williams’ public relations firm has not responded to requests for comment.
Earlier this week, Williams wrote a scathing letter to the Virginia Beach city manager about the city losing the Something in the Water festival. In the letter, Williams wrote that the city has been “run by – and with toxic energy.”
He also wrote that he doesn’t feel welcome in Virginia Beach: “I sang about a room without a roof, but I am tired of kindly and politely being shown the door.”
The Cavalier event would have been separate from the festival, Thompson wrote.
It’s unclear if the rejection added to Williams’ frustration.
“I’ve heard he was generally upset with a lot of things but I’m not sure that had a lot to do with this event,” Thompson wrote.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, [email protected]