Cee Lo cursing scandal: We all need to grow up

Cee Lo Green performs at the Soul Train Awards.

First, let’s get one thing straight: Cee Lo Green wasn’t “banned” by Riverbend for cursing in his performance on Saturday night. It’s just that the stocky, short-armed soul singer “won’t be coming back,” according to Chip Baker, executive director of the Friends of the Festival.

Apparently to Baker, whose organization manages Riverbend, never being invited to play Riverbend again and being banned are two different things.

Let’s not kid ourselves, Cee Lo wouldn’t have ever played Riverbend again anyway. The odds of seeing Cee Lo a second time on the festival’s floating stage are about the same as Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley rising from the dead to perform a surprise zombie duet of “Thriller” at next year’s Riverbend.

Not only do Riverbend organizers (wisely) refrain from repeating headlining performers, but Cee Lo actually appealed to teens and young adults, drew people from outside of Chattanooga to the festival and infused some authentic excitement into the event – all things Riverbend seemingly tries to avoid.