HispanicBusiness

Evanston, Ohio's SPACE has canceled singer Michelle Shocked's May 5 performance at the club following reports of her anti-gay rant from a San Francisco stage Sunday night.

"After speaking with the promoter of that show about the nature of the remarks, it's clear that this is no longer a show we're willing to put our name on," the club announced on its website and Facebook page Monday, offering refunds to ticket-holders.

Reports from Sunday's show at San Francisco's Yoshi's say Shocked, a born-again Christian, railed against gay marriage and told the crowd, "You can go on Twitter and say, 'Michelle Shocked says God hates (anti-gay slur).'" The Twittersphere reacted accordingly.

SPACE general manager/talent buyer Jake Samuels, who had booked Shocked previously without incident, said he confirmed with the San Francisco promoter that Shocked's comments were "ugly in nature and not meant to be artistic or satirical in any way ... It wasn't a very hard decision for us."

SPACE was not alone in its action. All nine of Shocked's pre-SPACE concerts listed on her website have been canceled, according to the venues' websites.

This turn of events surprised many Shocked fans, who have viewed her as being more than a bit left of center since her 1988 debut album "Short Sharp Shocked."

"We've had Michelle four times in the past four years," Samuels said. "I've never had an incident with her before. She's given great shows. She always sells out. The audience loves her."

The singer's most recent tweet came Sunday: "Truth is leading to painful confrontation."