New Haven (AP) — Recent comments by rocker Ted Nugent about slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin sparked a protest outside a concert in New Haven.

Dozens of people holding signs accusing Nugent of racism marched outside the Toad's Place nightclub on Tuesday night, where the aging music star and outspoken gun-rights advocate played a sold-out show.

The protesters, including state NAACP President Scot X Esdaile, say they are upset by a column Nugent wrote on a conservative website after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the shooting death of Martin. In it, Nugent referred to the teen as a "dope smoking, racist gangsta wannabe."

Nugent acknowledged the protest during his show, referring to the marchers with expletives and calling them dumb. He said everyone who attended the show was "a bad-ass, freedom-loving American."