Musician Matisyahu — whose orthodox Judaism was as much a part of his identity as his music was when he came to prominence in the early 2000s (we were all shocked when he shaved his beard in 2011) — has issued a statement after having two shows on his current “Hold The Fire Tour” cancelled at the last minute.
“To my fans,” he writes, “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 continues:
It truly is a sad day when dialogue with those you disagree with is abandoned for hate mongering and silencing artistic expression. 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.
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…
In a statement in their Instagram story, the Rialto Theatre wrote, “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.”
In a statement to Fox 10 Phoenix, Rialto executive director Cathy Rivers added, “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.”
Meow Wolf also released a statement on social media, writing, “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.”
Santa Fe Reporter reports that members of Santa Feans for Justice in Palestine, Santa Fe Jews for a Free Palestine, the Santa Fe Democratic Socialists of America, Showing Up For Racial Justice in Northern New Mexico and the Santa Fe Ad Hoc Committee on Palestine had called for Meow Wolf to cancel the show, and were planning on holding a protest if it went ahead. A joint statement from the groups said that “Local activists, advocates, and community members inundated Meow Wolf with calls and social media posts throughout the day preceding the event until the Meow Wolf phone line was disconnected. In addition to local pro-Palestinian activists, Meow Wolf Workers Collective members and leadership also advocated for the show to be canceled. The Meow Wolf Workers Collective called for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine in December of 2023.”
The letter goes on to call Matisyahu “an outspoken supporter of the genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” and includes a quote from a local member of Santa Feans for Justice in Palestine Samia van Hattum, which reads, “This victory in canceling the performance of an artist who is pro-apartheid and pro genocide is part of the ongoing academic and cultural boycott movement. It is unconscionable that an arts organization that purports to have an equity lens, such as Meow Wolf, would host an artist like this. We are happy to see this event has been canceled and it speaks to the power of the BDS movement.”
A letter to Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber and Meow Wolf CEO Jose Tolosa, sent on behalf of the New Mexico Jewish Community Relations Coalition, decried the cancellation of the show, writing, “Let us be clear: Matisayu, an American artist, became a target only because of his identity as a Jew with an affinity toward Israel. This kind of targeting cannot be normalized.”
Their letter continued:
As Jews and as New Mexicans, we believe deeply in freedom of artistic expression, and we applaud Meow Wolf for its seminal role in advancing the arts in Santa Fe and across the Mountain West. We also understand that the conditions that led to the cancellation of last night’s concert were beyond Meow Wolf’s immediate control. However, we fear that this incident nonetheless sets a dangerous precedent that may deprive local audiences of exposure to the important, transformative work of artists from a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. We are also concerned that the performance’s cancellation may implicitly discourage other artists from seeking to bring their talents to our community, which may now be inaccurately characterized as one that welcomes them only selectively.
Santa Fe, its businesses and civic leaders must remain fully committed to free artistic expression without regard for any artist’s cultural, religious, or national affiliation. The city’s character, culture, and economy depend on it remaining a place where the arts thrive unabated, and where the right to artistic freedom is secure. To limit artistic expression is to threaten the very economic and cultural foundation on which the city stands, and so our leaders must take every measure to protect artistic freedom.
Webber also released a statement of his own, which reads, “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. The war in Israel and Gaza is a humanitarian tragedy, and we should all join in the call for the safe return of all hostages and an end to the killing. We need to see peace in the Middle East.”
You can see also see the statements from Matisyahu and Meow Wolf below:
