Matisyahu accuses two venues of antisemitism for canceling concert as venues blame ‘safety concerns’
Jewish-American singer Matisyahu has accused two music venues of antisemitism after the concert halls axed his shows at the last minute this week.
The Rialto Theatre in Tuscon, Arizona announced that Matisyahu’s Thursday concert was canceled over “safety concerns and staff shortages” just hours before it was to begin and would be issuing refunds to all ticketholders.
“We will always prioritize the safety of our employees and our guests,” the theatre shared in a Facebook post. “We are in the process of refunding all ticketholders. We apologize for the late notice of cancellation.”
The company did not specify what led to its safety concerns.
Venue Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico canceled Matisyahu’s Wednesday concert only an hour before showtime following employee safety concerns over planned protests, KOAT reported.
More than 150 staffers at the venue reportedly expressed concerns for their safety after both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protestors were expected to show up to the reggae performer’s sold-out concert, according to the local outlet.
Matisyahu lobbed accusations of antisemitism at both venue organizers and accused staffers at each of being unwilling to work his shows.
“Tonight in Tucson, we have offered to supplement their staff shortages on our own dime, but to no avail,” he wrote in a statement to X Thursday. “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 Post has reached out to both the Rialto Theatre and Meow Wolf for comment on the accusations.
Rialto Theatre executive director Cathy Rivers said the decision to cancel Matisyahu’s show was solely based on safety in a statement to Fox 10.
“Let me be very clear on this situation,” Rivers said. “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 has not made any public responses to Matisyahu’s antisemitism allegation. But several pro-Palestinian groups reveled in getting the venue to cancel the gig after flooding the venue with phone calls and social media posts.
Matisyahu gave a speech and performed a song at an anti-BDS (the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement against Israel) conference held at the United Nations headquarters in 2016 after he was nearly cut from the lineup at a festival in Spain over his support for Israel a year earlier.
Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber said there was no place for discrimination in the city following the cancellation.
“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,” he said in a statement. “There’s no excuse for antisemitism, Islamophobia, bigotry, bias, racism, or intolerance, not here, not now, not ever.”
