Matisyahu Shares Statement Questioning Recent Concert Cancellations

Matisyahu has reacted to his concerts being canceled this week in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Tucson, Arizona. Matisyahu, whose Jewish faith informs his music, addressed what he deemed misinformation about the cause of the Santa Fe show’s cancellation and detailed unsuccessful attempts to prevent the Tucson show’s derailment.

Matisyahu’s Hold The Fire Tour was scheduled to make a stop on Thursday, February 15 at the Rialto Theatre in Tucson. Hours before the concert, the venue posted a message announcing the show would not go on as planned. The message read in part:

Due to safety concerns and staff shortage, the Rialto Theatre is unable to continue with tonight’s Matisyahu performance for February 15, 2024. 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.

Thursday’s cancellation came a day after Matisyahu’s concert scheduled for Wednesday, February 14 at Meow Wolf’s House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe was also canceled. The venue posted a message today (Friday, February 16) addressing the cancellation, which like the Rialto Theatre cited staff shortage issues. The venue’s statement read:

On February 14th, we canceled a concert at the House of Eternal Return. Two hours before the show was set to begin, we found ourselves without adequate staff to safely manage the sold out crowd. Meow Wolf will always prioritize the safety of our employees and our guests. We are in the process of refunding all ticket holders.

Meow Wolf believes in free expression, respectful discourse and the power of art to bring people together. We do not tolerate Antisemitism, Islamophobia, hate, racism, discrimination or violence of any kind.

In his message addressing the show cancellations, Matisyahu stated he offered to supplement the staff in Tucson but was rejected. Responding to the cause of the cancellations, Matisyahu wrote in part:

“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. 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.”

Following the Rialto Theatre cancellation, Matisyahu staged a free concert at The Rock in Tucson where funds were raised for the Bring Them Home Now initiative.

Matisyahu is set to perform tonight at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas. Read his full statement regarding the canceled Santa Fe and Tucson shows below: