John Hinckley Jr.’s “Redemption Tour” hit another snag when a library in Williamsburg, Virginia, canceled his concert hours after announcing it.
Mr. Hinckley achieved national notoriety with his 1981 assassination attempt on then-President Ronald Reagan, which he said was an effort to impress Hollywood star Jodie Foster.
He was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and was under institutional psychiatric care until a 2016 release into his mother’s care. She died in 2021, and he was unconditionally released beginning this June.
On Tuesday, the Williamsburg Regional Library announced Mr. Hinckley’s planned Nov. 4 concert at their Williamsburg Library Theatre.
By 5:30 p.m, the venue had received so much backlash that it canceled the event.
The library received “hostile comments through chat and email” which convinced them that “the concert was clearly going to become a major disruption to library operations,” according to a statement quoted in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
After Mr. Hinckley announced his “Redemption Tour,” similar approbation from the public led to cancelations at venues in New York City, Chicago, and Connecticut.
Mr. Hinckley has noted this on Twitter, and previously said on the platform that he was looking for a venue that would not cave to such pressure, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The would-be assassin has a YouTube channel where he posts his music, and is planning to release a vinyl record.
My music will be out on vinyl in the Fall. The album will be called “Redemption”.
— John Hinckley (@JohnHinckley20) August 1, 2022
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.