2 Live Crew Will Play in O.C. Nov. 9

The rap group 2 Live Crew, which canceled an appearance at the Celebrity Theatre last month in the midst of national controversy over the group’s allegedly obscene recordings, has announced that it will play the theater after all, on Nov. 9.

Already, there are small swarms of community protest as some residents once more are urging the city to ban the show.

More new Southern California show dates are expected to be announced today, according to a spokeswoman for the Crew’s booking agency in New York.

Members of an Anaheim group calling itself the American Civil Responsibilities Union asked the City Council on Tuesday night to ban the rappers.

“Reasonable community standards are to be expected,” said Howard Garber. “Conservative Orange County is not going to put up with this apathy and indifference by the Anaheim City Council.”

The protest group had urged the council to ban 2 Live Crew last month, but before the council took any action, the rappers themselves cut short their California tour, asserting that leader Luther Campbell’s doctor had ordered him to rest.

Before the cancellation, the council had taken a low-key approach, hoping that with low ticket sales and little publicity the concert would fade away.

“There’s other ways to do it without running around screaming,” said Mayor Fred Hunter. “For us to even pass a resolution banning the 2 Live Crew isn’t right.”

Earlier this year, a 2 Live Crew album called “As Nasty as They Wanna Be” was ruled obscene by a federal judge in Florida. However, the rappers have not been found to violate any California obscenity laws.

Garber said that if the Celebrity show takes place, his group will protest outside the theater. He also said that the Rev. Lou Sheldon of Orange County’s Traditional Values Coalition would support the protest, bringing the total number of marchers to “several hundred.”

However, Sheldon, who was not at the Tuesday council meeting, said he is not certain that his group would protest. “We’re still looking into this,” he said.

According to the Celebrity box office, about 900 of 2,500 tickets had been sold to the concert last month and will be honored in November.

Times staff writer Rick VanderKnyff contributed to this story.