Matisyahu: Head of Arizona concert venue 'deeply saddened and offended' over antisemitism accusations

PHOENIX – The head of a concert venue in Tucson has issued another statement amid ongoing controversy over the cancellation of a concert by Jewish-American singer Matisyahu on Feb. 15.

We first reported on the cancellation on Thursday, which happened hours before the concert was set to begin. The singer later posted a statement on his social media pages in response to not only the cancellation in Tucson, but a cancellation at another venue in New Mexico.

In the statement, Matisyahu appeared to blame antisemitism as a factor in the two show’s cancelling.

“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 wrote, in part.

In her initial statement, the Executive Director of The Rialto Theatre in Tucson, Cathy Rivers, denied that the decision to cancel the concert was not due to politics or religion.

“This decision was made based on safety. The temperature of the day changed, and the tone was not set by us,” read a portion of Rivers’ initial statement.

Head of venue reveals additional details surrounding cancellation

On Feb. 16, Rivers issued a lengthy statement detailing the cancellation.

In the statement, Rivers said “as a member of the Jewish community myself, a female business leader, and a longstanding community partner in Tucson, I am deeply saddened and offended by the public’s accusations of antisemitism as the cause for the Matisyahu concert cancellation.”

Rivers also delved into the circumstances surrounding the cancellation, stating that the venue was made aware of security concerns by Matiayahu’s team on Feb. 12. ahead of the scheduled show in New Mexico that was ultimately canceled.

“With security being a concern for the tour amid online threats of protests from his detractors, The Rialto opted to increase staff security for the concert and the Tucson Police Department was alerted,” read a portion of the statement.

Initially, the venue announced that the Feb. 15 concert would go on as scheduled, but Rivers wrote that staff members later started to call out of work over security worries, and that a local, private security firm had notified the venue that they were contacted by Matisyahu’s team for additional security, and requested to bring firearms.

The venue, according to Rivers, has a “longstanding policy of prohibiting all firearms on our campus.”

“It was at that time that we re-evaluated the risk that this performance would have on Matisyahu, our staff, and our customers for this all-ages concert. Short staffed and with an amplified sense
that the artist himself did not feel safe enough to perform at our venue, we decided that the temperature of the situation had changed drastically enough to warrant calling for the show to be canceled,” read a part of Rivers’ statement.

Rivers said staff members were paid for the hours that they would have worked, and Matisyahu was also paid in full for his would-be performance.

“There was no intention to distance or unalign ourselves with Matisyahu as a performer. This was not done to hurt the artist who we have happily hosted for 13 previous years,” read a part of the statement.

Rivers also said it is “heartbreaking” for her to learn that her decision to “de-escalate a perceived security risk to a performer, our staff, and our customers was met with vitriol by our own community.”

“I see now that I should have been more forthcoming in The Rialto’s initial statement to the community and our ticket holders prior to the Matisyahu concert cancellation. This is a learning experience for us all. I came to understand that our customers and community need to hear the complete story,” Rivers wrote.

Matiayahu has had concert cancellation controversy in the past

This is not the first time a Matiayahu concert cancellation has sparked controversy.

In 2015, the Associated Press reported that organizers of an international reggae festival in Spain canceled a Matiayahu concert, because the singer declined “to declare himself regarding the war and in particular the right of the Palestinian people to have their own state.”

Matiayahu, whose real name is Matthew Miller, responded by stating that the decision was “appalling,” and said organizers of the festival were pressured by the pro-Palestinian group and wanted him “to write a letter, or make a video, stating my positions on Zionism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to pacify the [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement] people.”

“I support peace and compassion for all people. My music speaks for itself, and I do not insert politics into my music,” the singer wrote at the time, while questioning whether other festival artists had faced similar demands.

The Rolling Stone later reported that Matisyahu was re-invited to the music festival after the cancellation decision was criticized by the Spanish Foreign Ministry.

The full statement from Cathy Rivers

As the Executive Director of the Rialto Theatre, I made the extraordinarily hard decision to cancel a beloved performer’s concert hours before showtime. I am writing this letter to all who
have called for more information about the cancellation of the Matisyahu concert on February 15, 2024 at the Rialto Theatre in Tucson.

As a member of the Jewish community myself, a female business leader, and a longstanding community partner in Tucson, I am deeply saddened and offended by the public’s accusations
of antisemitism as the cause for the Matisyahu concert cancellation. This would have been Matisyahu’s eighth performance at the Rialto Theatre since 2009. The Rialto was made aware that Matis’ team had security concerns as early as Monday ahead of his Meow Wolf show in Santa Fe. With security being a concern for the tour amid online threats of protests from his detractors, The Rialto opted to increase staff security for the concert and the Tucson Police Department was alerted. We released a statement saying that the show would go on as planned on Thursday morning via social media.

Staff members began to call out of work for the concert citing their own safety concerns. We simultaneously received a call from a local private security firm informing us that they had been
contacted by Matisyahu’s people for additional security. They requested to bring firearms. The Rialto Theatre has a longstanding policy of prohibiting all firearms on our campus.

It was at that time that we re-evaluated the risk that this performance would have on Matisyahu, our staff, and our customers for this all-ages concert. Short staffed and with an amplified sense
that the artist himself did not feel safe enough to perform at our venue, we decided that the temperature of the situation had changed drastically enough to warrant calling for the show to be canceled.

Matisyahu’s team was concerned enough to seek armed security out of concern for his family’s safety. I opted to do the same for my Rialto family.

Our staff was paid for the hours they would have worked for the performance. Matisyahu was paid in full for his performance as well without hesitation, question, or argument on our part. There was no intention to distance or unalign ourselves with Matisyahu as a performer. This was not done to hurt the artist who we have happily hosted for 13 previous years.

The tarnish to The Rialto’s Theatre’s 104-year outstanding reputation as a safe, inclusive, community-driven space for all cannot be overemphasized. This business is built on relationships with performers, agents, and community. To learn that my decision to de-escalate a perceived security risk to a performer, our staff, and our customers was met with vitriol by our own community is heartbreaking.

I see now that I should have been more forthcoming in The Rialto’s initial statement to the community and our ticket holders prior to the Matisyahu concert cancellation. This is a learning experience for us all. I came to understand that our customers and community need to hear the complete story. I hope that I provided the Tucson community and all of our partners around the country and the world with what they have called for.