Fargo concert promoter under fire for booking show with Minneapolis performer accused of sexual assault

Undated courtesy photo, circa July 2018, of musician Har Mar Superstar. Sean Tillman, who goes by the name Har Mar Superstar, is doing shows performing the music of Sam Cooke. Courtesy of Har Mar Superstar — Sean Tillmann, who goes by the name Har Mar Superstar, is booked to perform June 1 at The Hall at Fargo Brewing.

By John Lamb

March 28, 2023 at 9:21 AM

FARGO — A Fargo show with Har Mar Superstar is drawing criticism in light of sexual accusations made against the singer in 2021.

On Monday, Fargo-based events promoter Jade Presents posted on Facebook a June 1 concert by the singer, whose real name is Sean Tillmann, at The Hall at Fargo Brewing. Shortly after the post went up, people complained about the show.

“Fargo Brewing Company, you're platforming a known and admitted sexual predator who has refused accountability at every opportunity for the damage he's done to numerous women in the Twin Cities community,” one person wrote. “Perhaps you weren't aware of this when you booked this event, but you are now, and I urge you to do better.”

“Don’t make space for people that potentially can harm another person in your community,” Maria Cree wrote. "Best regards from local sexual assault survivor, musician, DIY show booker."

In 2021 a number of women in the Minneapolis area accused Tillmann of sexual misconduct and assault over the years.

Tillmann released a public statement, apologizing for “conduct that was harmful, abusive and selfish” but denied a particular 2016 assault. The statement, posted to Facebook and Twitter, was later removed by Tillmann.

He was never charged with a crime.

"Personally, was a little shocked, especially with how big the news was in the MPLS," Cree later said when asked how she felt upon seeing the show announcement. "The accusations against him are very terrifying and disgusting to say the least."

“As an events producer, I don’t know if it's our job to say what or who is good or bad,” Jade Nielsen, president and founder of Jade Presents, told The Forum. “I don’t feel it’s our job to police what’s right or wrong. People can choose what they support… I think everyone deserves a second chance.”

In response, Cree said it's important to take sexual assault accusations seriously.

"People can feel what they may about sexual assault. It doesn’t diminish the abuse this musician perpetrated against the survivors in their community," she said. "Refusal to take sexual assault seriously is perpetuating rape culture."

Another Har Mar Superstar concert announced on Facebook on Monday at the What's Up Lounge in Mankato was canceled shortly after “due to unforeseen circumstances,” according to the establishment's Facebook page.

Tillmann has had a hard time booking shows in the area since the allegations came to light. He had just released an album and was preparing for a show at Minneapolis’ famed First Avenue, but the venue canceled the show in light of the accusations. His name and star on the nightclub’s wall have since been painted over.

His first regional show in the area since then was earlier this month, a free concert at Turtle Lake Casino , Wisc., about 75 miles north-east of Minneapolis. The crowd was estimated to be around 100 people.

Tillmann had performed regularly in Fargo-Moorhead since the early 2000s. In 2018 he was part of the group that opened Harold’s on Main in Moorhead and would occasionally perform or DJ there. After the 2021 allegations, he was kicked out of the business, the bar posted on its Facebook page.

“At Harold’s, we believe Women. We take the accusations against our business partner Sean Tillmann very seriously. Upon learning of these accusations last week, we swiftly asked for Sean’s resignation and immediate dismissal from our business.”

Nielsen, who is a co-owner of Fargo Brewing Company, says The Hall — which while inside Fargo Brewing is owned and programmed by Jade Presents — holds 350 people for concerts.

The Jade Presents staff is predominantly women and Nielsen said they talked about concerns they may have about the Har Mar show before it was announced.

“The only concern, per se, is negative comments,” Nielsen says. “Negative comments are endless on social media.”

Nielsen says the announcement was supposed to be made on Facebook with the comments section closed at the request of the Har Mar Superstar team. Such a request is not unusual, Nielsen added. The comments have been left open and as of 9 a.m. Tuesday morning the post had more than 35 comments, mostly negative.

"As a survivor, I found solace and comfort in music," Cree told The Forum. "Through music I knew I was not the only person struggling with this grief. Making space for someone like Sean Tillman feels like spit on our feet. It's disrespectful and (the) dude does not deserve the time on stage."