Tenacious D cancel show after making Trump assassination joke at ...

Tuesday night’s Newcastle concert by Tenacious D, the musical-comedy duo featuring Jack Black and Kyle Gass, has been called off without explanation, leaving fans in the queue outside the Newcastle Entertainment Centre demanding answers and others fuming online about wasted airfare and accommodation expenses.

The shock move comes the day after Gass was presented with a birthday cake onstage, and when asked what his wish was answered: “Don’t miss Trump next time.”

Promoter Frontier Touring posted on social media about 3pm on Tuesday that the Newcastle leg of the Spicy Meatball Tour had been postponed, but offered no explanation.

“Frontier Touring regret to advise that Tenacious D’s concert tonight at Newcastle Entertainment Centre has been postponed,” the company posted. “Ticket holders are asked to hold onto their tickets until further information is available.”

When contacted by this masthead, Frontier declined to comment.

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The move follows Monday night’s seemingly off-the-cuff comment from Gass in Sydney. Though in keeping with the duo’s anti-authoritarian brand of stoner comedy, it has met with an angry response by some on social media who have interpreted it as an expression of support for a would-be assassin.

Some commenters who profess to be fans have vowed to call time on their support of the band.

“I used to love @tenaciousd and thought Jack Black was funny,” wrote one on X. “None of them or their music/movies will ever be played in our home again. Ever. Sickening. Not funny and done in a foreign country is even worse.”

“Calling for the President to get shot again? Shame on you,” wrote another on the band’s Instagram. “I wholeheartedly supported Tenacious D for over 20 years. I am done.”

Controversial right-wing senator Ralph Babet, of the United Australia Party, was quick to denounce Gass’ gag, claiming it was “not a joke” and insisting he was “deadly serious when he wished for the death of the president”. (Former presidents retain that title in the US, though Babet also referred to Trump as “the 45th and soon-to-be 47th president of the United States”.)

“Anything less than deportation is an endorsement of the shooting and attempted assassination of Donald J Trump,” Babet said in a statement posted to social media on Tuesday.

With the sudden but unexplained news that Newcastle’s show will not go ahead on Tuesday night, fans have been left to speculate on the reason and to wonder if the rest of the tour is also in doubt.

Tenacious D are due to play at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Thursday, Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Saturday and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Monday, before jetting to New Zealand for shows in Auckland and Wellington. Frontier has so far declined to comment on whether these shows will go ahead as planned, or if and when the Newcastle show will be rescheduled.

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