Singer Bryan Adams Blames “Bat Eating” and Wet Markets for His Concert Cancellations

In a forceful tirade on social media, singer songwriter Bryan Adams is blaming “bat eating” and wet markets for his recent concert cancellations as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Canadian musician, perhaps best known for his hit singles including “Summer of ’69” and “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You,” took to Instagram and Twitter yesterday evening to vent his frustration at the cancellation of his shows at The Royal Albert Hall in London, because of the outbreak. Captioning a video of himself playing guitar in his home, he writes:

“…thanks to some fucking bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making bastards, the world is on hold.”

Adams quickly deleted the strongly-worded post from his Twitter account, though the Instagram post is still viewable online. He is currently trending worldwide on Twitter.

See the full Instagram post below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CADYjsonDVJ/

Netizens have since come out in force against the singer, particularly against his characterization of what Chinese wet markets are and what they do. One Twitter user pointed out that a wet market — which is very similar to a farmers’ market — can be found anywhere in the world.

Really curious if Royal Albert Hall is going to cancel your tenancy permanently…

— Pé (@4everNeverTrump) May 12, 2020

Many outside of China have made the mistake of confusing wet markets for those that sell exotic animals. In most cases, wet markets sell fresh produce such as meat, vegetables, and fruit, and are common in cities and towns across China, providing a main source of food for the country’s population.

Related:

No, You Won’t Find “Wild Animals” in Most of China’s Wet Markets

Under increased scrutiny after Covid-19, China's wet markets are actually as different as the regions in which they're found

Article Feb 25, 2020

Adams’ post follows a similar tone to many other ill informed arguments about the threat of wet markets, which became a hot topic after the initial outbreak was traced back to an exotic animal market in Wuhan, Hubei province. He joins the likes of former Beatles member Paul McCartney in posting dangerous views on the subject.

Related:

Paul McCartney Calls on China to Close Down “Medieval” Wet Markets

The former Beatle has called on China to close its wet markets

Article Apr 17, 2020

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 at the end of December last year, the exotic animal trade has also rightly come under fire. China recently banned the domestic trade of wild animals in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak, and cities such as Shenzhen have made the consumption of cats and dogs illegal as well.

Related:

Shenzhen Becomes the First City in China to Ban Eating Dogs

China has already banned the sale of wild animals -- but Shenzhen has one upped that move, making it illegal to eat dogs or cats

Article Apr 09, 2020

Update: Adams took to Instagram once again to offer a flimsy, ill-informed “apology” for his statements. A day after the original Instagram post, the singer on Tuesday cited his wish to highlight animal cruelty at wet markets as the reason for his online rant, as well as wanting to promote veganism. He also used the hashtag #banwetmarkets in his post. The apology has again been received with anger and bewilderment.

In a comment made under the post, Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu, who is set to play Chinese superhero Shang-Chi in an upcoming Marvel film, wrote, “Wet markets are a way of life for literally billions of people around the world. Not everyone is privileged enough to be able to choose to live vegan; there are plenty parts of the world where that kind of diet is just not possible.”