The owners of Harpos Concert Theatre in Detroit apologized Monday after inadvertently hosting a concert featuring bands with alleged neo-Nazi and white supremacist ties. Co-owners Ruzvelt Stevanovski and Krystle Dzajkovska said they were deceived by the event’s promoter and should have done more research before booking the black metal bands. The controversial show took place Saturday night and was abruptly halted by the venue midway through the second band’s set.
Stevanovski said he was alerted to the bands’ alleged racist leanings through urgent phone calls from friends who had seen outraged posts online. “As soon as I found out, I walked onstage and said, ‘We’re shutting down. Kill the sound,'” Stevanovski recounted.
About 200 to 250 people were in attendance at the time. Police arrived at Harpos Saturday after learning of threats made against the venue, though the show was not shut down by law enforcement. Officers did order Harpos closed after discovering the club was not in compliance with certain licenses.
Apology for unvetted concert booking
In a statement, Stevanovski and Dzajkovska said the event did “not reflect our values, or that of our community” and that they are “holding ourselves and others involved accountable.” They said racism has no place in their business. “I never heard of this band,” Stevanovski said.
“There is no way the band would have been allowed to perform if we had known beforehand. Unfortunately, we did not do our homework.”
The owners explained the promoter had kept the concert’s location hidden from the public and requested Harpos not promote it on social media or the venue’s website. “We were not given certain information during the process of booking this event that could have prevented this from happening,” they stated.
“We feel manipulated throughout the entire process.”
Dzajkovska, who is Black, said her race is “no defense or excuse for my ignorance in not knowing” about the bands. “Hate and racism is not something that I or Harpos stand for, encourage, or promote,” Stevanovski added. “This is not who we are, this is not what we represent.”
The venue has been a popular spot for hard rock, metal and punk shows in Detroit since the 1980s.
Stevanovski, a longtime local venue operator, purchased Harpos in 2017.