Artists Refuse to Play World Cafe Live Amid Meltdown

Philadelphia performers Orrin Evans, Pariah Sinclair, and Renee “Ray” Drezner, all of whom say they are boycotting World Cafe Live even though the venue is still advertising their shows there. (Photos courtesy the artists.)

If you look at the website for World Cafe Live  or you check out the music venue’s social media posts right now, it would seem that all is peachy. The most recent Facebook post from World Cafe Live came on Thursday, when the venue was touting the sold out Pub Choir show there the night before. And according to the World Cafe Live website as of press time, you can attend Drag Bingo with host Pariah Sinclair there on Wednesday, you can see DIY punk band the Taxpayers there on Friday, Renee “Ray” Drezner’s tribute to Joni Mitchell there on Saturday, or, if it’s a jazz you want, Philly great Orrin Evans is playing the piano there in a couple of weeks. But are any of those shows actually happening? Doesn’t sound like it.

All of the performers mentioned above tell me that they will not be playing at World Cafe Live, even though World Cafe Live is still actively selling tickets for some of those shows. This all comes after an employee walkout amid a labor dispute led World Cafe Live leadership, under CEO Joe Callahan (aka the guy that brought the Portal to Philadelphia), to threaten to go after some of those employees (now former employees) through the Department of Justice and the Attorney General of Pennsylvania. A hardline approach, if ever there was one.

“We moved our show from World Cafe Live to First Unitarian Church in response to the labor dispute,” a representative of the Taxpayers told me over the weekend, citing “gross mismanagement” and “hostility from the new CEO.”

“Prior to moving the show, we gave the CEO several days to come to a fair agreement with workers and were met with silence,” the rep went on to say. “Beyond these labor disputes, I think any artist or booker right now is questioning whether World Cafe Live can even run a show, considering the amount of staff that has been fired and the silence from management.”

“We are standing with the [World Cafe Live] workers,” Evans wrote to me.

Upon learning what was happening, Drezner sent an email to several contacts there, including Callahan, expressing her concerns. She then published her email on her Instagram page. She tells Philly Mag that the response she received didn’t actually address any of her issues, so she canceled the show via a followup email. That was last Wednesday, and yet you can still buy tickets to the show on the World Cafe Live site.

“This is heartbreaking for me, as World Cafe Live is my favorite venue, and I’ve been working on this show for two years,” Drezner wrote in that second email.

One popular local performer who asked not to be named says that they’ve been considering playing at World Cafe Live again — they’ve sold out the venue in recent years — but that this option is now off the table. “I’m shocked to see what’s been going on there,” they said. “And I can’t imagine being a Philly band and agreeing to play a show there at this point. Beyond everything else, it’s just not a good look for a local band to be involved with them. And it’s not like there aren’t plenty of other places to play.”

As for that Facebook post bragging about the Pub Choir sellout, critics of the venue were quick to jump on in the comments section — that is before management appeared to have limited who could leave comments. A sampling:

Joe Callahan if you’re reading these comments you’re realizing what they taught you at North Catholic: Tenui Nec Dimmitam [sic] (I have taken hold and I will not let go). This city, the employees, the concert attendees and local artists will not let go of this. This isn’t gonna just blow over. What was once a venue I held in such high esteem and spent a good part of my life at since 2007 is hitting rock bottom.

Well at least they didn’t delete all the comments – Yet. Will not attend shows there until management changes. Will let all artists who announce shows there know what they are getting into. If their goal was to drive the WCL into the ground, looks like they will get their wish.

This is so tone deaf. This is not what you should be posting while you’ve fired workers who are advocating for better treatment in their workplace. Do better, World Cafe Live.

On Sunday, I emailed Callahan and his PR team to ask for a comment on what’s happening at World Cafe Live. Callahan himself responded and said I should make an appointment for an in-person interview at his office this week. I declined, citing my deadline and explaining that if the mayor and governor are able to respond to press inquiries without meeting face-to-face, he should be able to do the same. Later, a spokesperson for Callahan sent me the following:

We want to be very clear: the current disruption at World Cafe Live is the direct result of systemic sabotage carried out by members of the former leadership team, several of whom abruptly resigned in coordination just days after Joe Callahan and the new leadership team assumed operational control. This group left behind a trail of dysfunction, locking out new managers from core systems including accounting, ticketing, marketing, and payroll, and actively attempted to destabilize the venue’s ability to serve the community, artists, and fans.

Their actions appear designed not only to create operational chaos but to obscure and delay discovery of significant financial irregularities, including unaccounted-for cash payments, deletion of financial records, and unauthorized administrative control over ticket revenue platforms. Our legal and forensic investigations, initiated immediately upon discovering this—prompted us to notify the appropriate federal and state authorities. That remains an ongoing matter.

Despite this chaos, the new leadership team has stabilized day-to-day operations, ensured that shows continue to run, and continues to communicate with artists and customers transparently. The negative online comments you’re referencing are largely rooted in misinformation, much of it seeded by individuals connected to the former regime. We are prioritizing truth, accountability, and the protection of a beloved cultural institution that has served Philadelphia for over two decades.

So basically… Callahan is blaming the “former regime” and fake news? Interesting. Something tells me this is not the end of this saga.