Tenacious D Cancel Tour, Put Future Creative Plans “On Hold” Following Trump Assassination Comment at Australia Performance
Photo Credit: Travis Shinn
Today, Tenacious D have immediately canceled all upcoming performances and frozen all future creative plans following a comment made by Kyle Gass regarding the July 13 assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump. At a July 14 performance in Sydney, Australia, bandmate and film star Jack Black ushered a costumed robot to the stage with a cake to celebrate Gass’ 64th birthday. Prompted to make a wish while blowing out the candles, Gass stated, “Don’t miss Trump next time.”
Following the show, Black promptly broke with Gass and issued a statement to his social channels detailing his reaction to the incident. “I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday,” he wrote. “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. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”
Gass has released a statement of his own, reckoning for the comment and assuming the responsibility for any harm that stemmed from it. “The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake,” the guitarist and co-vocalist offered. “I don’t condone violence in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgment. I profusely apologize to those I’ve let down and truly regret any pain I’ve caused.
Tenacious D, the comedy acoustic-metal duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass, formed in 1994. In three decades, the project has earned acclaim for such high-profile entries as the eponymous HBO miniseries which ran from 1997-2000, a 2001 debut album featuring Dave Grohl, Page McConnell and the Dust Brothers and the 2006 feature film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. The D was currently on the road for the final leg of the Spicy Meatball tour, which was to be followed by a five-stop mini-tour of major swing states to support Rock the Vote in October.
The band have been vocal critics of Trump on and off the record in the past, perhaps most notably on the 2018 song “marCH,” which rallies against conservative extremism. Black–wearing American flag overalls and a Dark Brandon tee–recently delivered a viral speech from a high-profile Hollywood fundraiser for President Biden. From a torrent of backlash to Gass’ comment, the artist has been released from his representation by Greene Talent.
