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PETA plans to protest two concerts at SeaWorld in San Antonio featuring Vanilla Ice and Jesse McCartney.
SeaWorld San Antonio is celebrating its re-opening with a series of open-air concerts at its Nautilus Amphitheater. The “Electric Ocean” concert series will kick off with Vanilla Ice headlining on June 10. Vanilla Ice was supposed to perform at a concert at Lake Travis Austin in July 2020, but it was postponed due to the pandemic.
SeaWorld Electric Ocean Concert Series Dates
- Vanilla Ice – July 10
- Kenny Metcalf as Elton: The Early Years – July 11
- Jesse McCartney – July 17
- .38 Special – July 18
- Matthew West – July 24
- Shelly Lares – July 25
- Air Supply – July 31
- Blue Oyster Cult – August 1
PETA has caught word about the concert series and will make a show of protesting it. The animal rights group says it will show up to those events holding signs that say “Stop, Collaborate, and Listen: Animals Suffer at SeaWorld” and “A Beautiful Soul Doesn’t Support SeaWorld Dolphin Abuse.”
PETA specifically mentions only the July 10 and July 17 concerts that feature Vanilla Ice and Jesse McCartney specifically. “Vanilla Ice and Jesse McCartney can choose to perform at a marine park, but the orcas and other dolphins at SeaWorld can’t choose where to go, what to eat, whom to live with, or anything else that matters to them,” says PETA president Ingrid Newkirk.
“PETA is encouraging would-be ticket buyers to skip all of SeaWorld’s shows, from the sad dolphin displays to the throwback concerts.” You’d think PETA would be calling out the rest of the musical acts that will appear instead of focusing on the two highest-profile artists.
Activists say the protest is about sending a message specific to the artists rather than SeaWorld.
A San Antonio activist says, “we want to send a message to the artist to not support SeaWorld and their practices.” SeaWorld has faced backlash about its animal housing practices since the 2013 documentary Blackfish. Neither SeaWorld nor any of the musical acts taking part have commented on PETA’s statements.
