The Rialto Theatre in Tucson canceled the Matisyahu concert Thursday night hours after saying it would not do so despite criticism over the reggae vocalist's pro-Israel stance.
Matisyahu countered, promising a free show tonight at The Rock, 136 N. Park Ave.
It will be the first time Matisyahu performs here since October 2022, when he performed at the Rialto.
The venue is limited to "the first 300 people," Matisyahu said Thursday afternoon on Instagram about the show at The Rock.
The Rialto Thursday afternoon cited safety concerns and a staffing shortage in explaining why it decided to cancel the concert after all. It did not mention the artist's politics.
A venue in New Mexico canceled a show Wednesday night over similar concerns.
"Due to safety concerns and staffing shortage, the Rialto Theatre is unable to continue with (Thursday's) Matisyahu performance," the downtown Tucson venue said Thursday afternoon in a Facebook post. "We will always prioritize the safety of our employees and our guests."
On Wednesday, the vocalist was expected to perform a sold-out show atΒ Meow WolfΒ in Santa Fe for his "Hold The Fire Tour 2024." But following employee safety concerns over an anticipated pro-Palestine protest, the concert was called off about an hour before showtime, Albuquerque-based news outlet KOAT reported.
"The event was expected to have both protesters and counter-protesters, which became a safety concern for employees," KOAT reported. "Several local pro-Palestinian activist groups credited themselves for pressuring Meow Wolf to cancel the event. The pro-Palestinian and union activists claim to have overwhelmed Meow Wolf with social media posts and phone calls."
Matisyahu said the two venues canceled its shows without his or his band's permission, in an Instagram post Thursday afternoon addressed to his fans.
"My band and I should have played a sold out show at Meow Wolf (Wednesday) and we were excited for (Thursday's) show at the Rialto (Theatre) in Tucson," he wrote. "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 was 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," Matisyahu wrote Thursday afternoon. "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."
The vocalist is on tour for his latest five-track EP, "Hold the Fire," which was released earlier this month.Β
In a 2013 interview in the Star's Caliente, Matisyahu discussed his then-choice to shave his 'big bushy beard,' a reflection of his Hasidic faith for more than a decade.
"The last decade of my life has been immersed in Judaism and Jewish culture and Jewish religion and Jewish spirituality and I really took that trip as far as I could take it," he told the Huffington Post in the summer of 2012. He was a little more vague in an email interview with Caliente the following year.
"I wouldn't say I've moved away from anything," Matisyahu said. "I am moving closer to my inner truth and it feels great. It's like Han Solo coming out from being frozen in 'Return of the Jedi.' But Judaism is still a major part of my life."
The Rialto asked ticket holders to contact the box office at 520-740-1000 or email a refund request to box.office@rialtotheatre.com.
"All purchased tickets will be refunded to their original form of payment," the venue said Thursday.
"It is truly a sad day when dialogue with those you disagree with is abandoned for hate mongering and silencing artistic expression," Matisyahu wrote on Instagram Thursday afternoon prior to his announcement of the free show. "Unfortunately, it seems that more and more people are choosing to cast their lot with actions that tear people apart."
