Music Midtown, 2004. Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images.
Editor's note, October 30, 2026: This article has been updated. An earlier version described Phillip Evans as having threatened a lawsuit against Music Midtown and characterized his correspondence with Live Nation and its security contractor as demands made under threat of a lawsuit. Evans warned organizers that they could face legal liability and encouraged others to consider legal action; he has said he did not threaten to sue and did not intend to, and no lawsuit was filed. The headline, which said Evans forced the festival's cancellation, has also been updated; Live Nation did not publicly give a reason for the cancellation.
At the start of the month, the Atlanta-based festival Music Midtown announced it would not be going forward in September. A reason for the cancellation was not given, though Billboard reported that Georgia's gun laws, which would have permitted firearms to be brought onto the festival grounds, led to organizers nixing the show. In a new interview with Billboard, Phillip Evans, the gun activist and blogger who challenged Music Midtown's ban on firearms, says he wants to "challenge" Live Nation's weapons policy banning guns inside Georgia amphitheaters.
The state's existing gun laws are the result of a 2019 decision by the Georgia Supreme Court, prompted by Evans' unsuccessful lawsuit in 2014 seeking to overturn the firearms bans at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Businesses with long-term leases on public lands are allowed to prohibit firearms while those with short-term leases, like music festivals, are not. The law has not been tested at events in amphitheaters, and Evans said he plans to see for himself.
“For a long time now there have been various pop acts and ’70s acts that I’ve wanted to see,” Evans said. “So I do plan at some point to challenge that, because I really do want to go to one of those concerts and to maintain my right of self-defense.” This could include, Evans said, showing up armed to a concert. However, because amphitheaters hold long-term leases, it's unclear if such a stunt would ultimately lead to new laws.
Evans has said his intention was not to cancel Music Midtown, but to have it follow existing Georgia law. In the lead-up to the festival, he emailed Live Nation and its private security contractor, citing Georgia law and warning that they could face legal liability if they excluded people for carrying firearms. He also posted on Music Midtown's Facebook page encouraging others to consider legal action.