Tenacious D Cancel Remaining Australian Tour Dates
The announcement arrives after the band postponed their show in Newcastle, which was set to take place tonight.
Tenacious D (Credit: Travis Shinn)
Tenacious D have seemingly cancelled the remainder of their Australian tour and will be hitting pause on the remainder of their creative plans.
The announcement arrives after the American comedy duo postponed their show in Newcastle, which was set to take place tonight.
That gig was postponed after Australian Senator Ralph Babet, Leader of the United Australia Party, earlier today issued a statement that demanded “Tenacious D must be deported immediately” following comments from guitarist Kyle Gass. He joked about the assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump in Sydney on Sunday (14 June), where he said on stage: “Don’t miss Trump next time.”
Jack Black shared the news that the rest of the Australian tour was cancelled via Instagram tonight (16 July).
The singer wrote:
I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form.
After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all further creative plans are on hold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.
In a statement of his own, Kyle Gass wrote:
The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake. I don’t condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement. I profoundly apologize to those I’ve let down and truly regret any pain I’ve caused.
Tenacious D’s Spicy Meatball Australian tour was set to continue in Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide later in the week with support from Crusade.
Jack Black and Kyle Gass last toured in Australia in May 2013.
Earlier today, The Music reached out to Immigration Minister Andrew Giles and Frontier Touring for comment.
Following the news of the tour cancellation and worldwide reaction to Gass’s comment, the guitarist has reportedly been dropped by his agent.
This is a developing story.
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
UPDATE 8:00 AM 17/07/2024: Tour promoters Frontier Touring have confirmed that the remainder of the Spicy Meatball tour has been cancelled.
All ticketholders for the following dates will receive a full refund and should allow for 30 days for the refund to appear in their bank accounts.
Impacted dates:
Tuesday 16 July - Newcastle Entertainment Centre | Newcastle, NSW
Thursday 18 July - Brisbane Entertainment Centre | Brisbane, QLD
Saturday 20 July - Rod Laver Arena | Melbourne, VIC
Monday 22 July - Adelaide Entertainment Centre | Adelaide, SA
Wednesday 24 July - TSB Arena | Wellington, NZ
Friday 26 July - Spark Arena | Auckland, NZ
More From Our Network
