Jewish singer Matisyahu said on Thursday his planned shows in New Mexico and Arizona were cancelled at the last moment due to “security reason”, but the famous singer believes the cancellations are politically motivated due to his support for Israel.
“To my fans: My band and I should have played a sold out show at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe last night and we were excited for tonight's show at the Rialto Theater in Tucson. Instead, the staff at these venues refused to come to work, forcing cancellations. Without our permission or approval, the venue in Santa Fe misinformed our fans cancelling the show due to ‘security concerns,’ when the only concern was a group of staff unwilling to work my show. Tonight in Tucson, we have offered to supplement their staff shortages on our own dime, but to no avail. They do this because they are either anti-Semitic or have confused their empathy for the Palestinian people with hatred for someone like me who holds empathy for both Israelis and Palestinians,” Matisyahu wrote in a post on Instagram.
“It truly is a sad day when dialogue with those you disagree with is abandoned for hate mongering and silencing artistic expression,” he added.
“My band and I will keep moving forward always! We will perform songs that celebrate unity, peace and perseverance, and we will connect with our fans through the sacredness of shared music, which has always brought people together. Unfortunately, it seems that more and more people are choosing to cast their lot with actions that tear people apart,” wrote Matisyahu.
He continued, “Tearing down posters of kidnapped children does not bring peace. Chanting genocidal slogans at Jews does not bring peace. Preventing fans of all ethnic and religious backgrounds from singing together in Santa Fe or Tucson does not bring peace. In fact, it does the opposite. It may make some people feel good to express anger publicly in hopes that it will obscure the hypocrisy of us Americans living on actual colonized land taken through an actual genocide of Native Americans. But I refuse to succumb to such destructive behavior which helps nobody and only fuels more anger.”
“So to my fans in Santa Fe and Tucson, I am sorry you were denied a show. I love you all. My band and I will be back. We will not respond to hate with more hate. We will be together again. We will make music together again. We will sing together again One Day soon...” he concluded.
Later on Thursday, Tucson.com reported that Matisyahu's performance in Tucson is on track for Thursday night despite calls for it to be cancelled over his pro-Israel stance.
"The Rialto could not have foreseen the escalation of the Israel-Hamas War, and this has led some to call for the concert's cancellation," the downtown Tucson venue said Thursday in a written statement. "With less than 48 hours and with more than 400 ticket holders planning to attend, The Rialto has decided that we will not be cancelling the concert at this time."
The popular Jewish singer recently visited Israel and performed at a rally calling for the return of the hostages being held by Hamas.
He also visited the communities located near Israel’s border with Gaza, which were devastated in the Hamas attack on October 7. In addition, Matisyahu visited the scene of the Nova music festival, where hundreds of young people were murdered that morning, and heard details of the massacre.