Jewish-American musician Matisyahu accused two venues of antisemitism this week after both canceled his upcoming shows only hours before showtime.
Matisyahu, a reggae artist who also blends hip hop and rock into his sound, blasted both the Rialto Theater in Tucson, Arizona and the Meow Wolf venue in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for axing his shows after receiving warnings that protests were being planned for both events.
Though the artist claimed the decisions were due to the antisemitic views held by the venues' staff members, both venues insisted they canceled the shows solely due to safety concerns, the New York Post reported.
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The Santa Fe venue was the first to cut Matisyahu’s show, doing so only an hour before he was set to go on. According to local news station KOAT 7, "More than 150 staff members are said to have expressed concern over a lack of safety" after several local pro-Palestinian activist groups planned protests outside the concert.
Counter-protesters were set to confront the pro-Palestinian groups outside Meow Wolf as well, prompting the venue to pull the plug.
Multiple pro-Palestinian groups took credit for the shutdown, with some detailing how their members "overwhelmed Meow Wolf with social media posts and phone calls," the station reported.
The cancellation generated enough noise that Sante Fe Mayor Alan Webber released a statement seemingly criticizing how Matisyahu was treated.
Webber stated, "There is a significant difference between protesting against the policies of the Netanyahu government in Gaza and shutting down the performance of a Jewish-American artist in Santa Fe. There’s no excuse for antisemitism, Islamophobia, bigotry, bias, racism, or intolerance, not here, not now, not ever."
That Thursday, the Rialto Theater cut the Jewish-American artist’s show hours before showtime for the same reasons. In a statement posted to Facebook, the venue’s account said, "We will always prioritize the safety of our employees and our guests. We are in the process of refunding all ticketholders. We apologize for the late notice of cancellation."
The venue did not specify what the safety concern was.
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The artist blasted both venues in a statement he shared with his fans after the cancellations.
He stated, "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 canceling 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."
He continued, saying, "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."
In a statement given to local affiliate Fox 10, the Rialto Theater’s executive director Cathy Rivers insisted it was only safety concerns that prompted the action.
She said, "Let me be very clear on this situation. The decision to not have Matisyahu play tonight was not made about politics or religion. This decision was made based on safety. The temperature of the day changed, and the tone was not set by us. This escalated to a concern of safety for our patrons, our staff, and our community."
"We have hosted Matisyahu at our theatre many times but today was not the day to have him play. He was paid in full and ticket refunds are available to all ticket holders," she added.
