Sorry Adelaide, Tenacious D won’t be making there way to Adelaide next week!
Jack Black, one half of the American comedy rock duo Tenacious D, announced last night on his Instagram account, he no longer feels it is “appropriate” to continue the band’s tour following a controversial joke made by his bandmate Kyle Gass at their recent Sydney show.
“I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday,” Black wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. “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 future creative plans are on hold.”
Black expressed his gratitude to the band’s fans for their “support and understanding.”
The situation escalated during Tenacious D’s Australian visit this week after a video surfaced showing Gass making a controversial joke on stage at their second tour show. During their performance at Sydney’s ICC Theatre on Sunday night, Gass responded to Black’s question about a birthday wish by saying, “Don’t miss Trump next time.”
Gass’s comment referenced the recent attempted assassination of former US president Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, over the weekend.
The band had already postponed Tuesday night’s concert at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre just hours before doors were set to open, without providing a reason for the cancellation at the time.
The joke has drawn significant attention from both international media and Australian outlets. Senator Ralph Babet called for the band to be deported from Australia immediately.
“I call on the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to join me in denouncing Tenacious D, Jack Black, and band member Kyle Gass, and I call on the Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to revoke their visas and deport them immediately,” Senator Babet’s statement reads. “Anything less than a deportation is an endorsement of the shooting and the attempted assassination of Donald J. Trump.”
The sold-out arena tour was Tenacious D’s first visit to Australia in over a decade, with planned concerts in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Adelaide over the next six days.
