On Sept. 2, 2023, the SpaceXMania.com website published an article that said tickets were selling fast after it was announced that singer-songwriter Oliver Anthony had joined forces with fellow musicians Kid Rock and Jason Aldean to headline a "You Can't Cancel America" tour.
The headline of the article read, "Breaking: Oliver Anthony To Join Kid Rock And Jason Aldean For 'You Can't Cancel America' Tour."
The story began as follows:
In a move that has surprised both fans and critics, country music star Oliver Anthony announced he would be joining forces with Kid Rock and Jason Aldean for the "You Can't Cancel America" tour. The tour, which promises to be one part musical extravaganza and three parts comedic opera, has left fans wondering what they can expect from this improbable trio.
To provide some context for those living under a rock, Oliver Anthony recently made headlines for his widely debated song, "Rich Men North of Richmond". The song became a flashpoint in the cultural wars, with the singer's unexpected transition from off-the-grid farmer to a chart-topping superstar still baffling to many. His shift from singing about blue-collar struggles and governmental criticisms to now sharing the stage with Kid Rock and Jason Aldean feels a bit like a fish taking to the skies.
This article was followed by a second story published by SpaceXMania.com on Sept. 6. That headline read, "Jason, Kid Rock, and Oliver Anthony's 'You Can't Cancel America' Tour Achieves Record-Breaking Ticket Sales."
However, online users won't be able to buy tickets for the "You Can't Cancel America" tour for a pretty substantial reason: It's not real. These two stories originated with a website that describes its output as being satirical in nature, both on its "About Us" page and as a label above articles.
The news about Oliver Anthony, whose real name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford, and the "You Can't Cancel America" tour appeared to have begun in an article on the Latherland.com satire website on July 21. Latherland.com is part of the America's Last Line of Defense network. The headline of the story read, "Kid Rock And Jason Aldean's You Can't Cancel America Tour Is Happening."
A search of Facebook for the "You Can't Cancel America" tour yielded a seemingly countless number of comments from users who appeared to believe that the tour was, in fact, happening, even though all of this was nothing more than satire.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.