“After much consideration, I no longer feel it is appropriate for me to continue touring with Tenacious D,” he added. “All future creative plans are on hold. I thank my fans for their support and understanding.”
During Tenacious D’s performance in Sydney on Sunday night, Gus was presented with a birthday cake by what appeared to be a robot, according to videos of the event posted on social media. When asked what he wished for, Gus blew out the candles and said, “Don’t miss Trump next time,” a reference to the lone gunman who opened fire on former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania the previous day. The shooting left one person dead and several others injured, including Trump, who was left bleeding from his ears and face.
The Sydney crowd responded with a mixture of boos and cheers, while Black’s critics outside were relentless.
Elon Musk called X’s joke “evil,” while Australian Senator Ralph Babette called for the heavy rock band to be expelled and their visas revoked. “There is no place in Australia for those who wish to assassinate others,” he wrote.
Early Tuesday morning, Frontier Touring, which is promoting Tenacious D and the Spicy Meatballs tour, announced that Tuesday’s show at Newcastle Entertainment Centre in Australia had been postponed. Black’s post about the tour cancellation came shortly after industry publications began reporting on the postponed shows.
Gass also apologised for the incident on Tuesday, writing in an Instagram post that “the line I improvised on stage in Sydney on Sunday night was extremely inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake.”
“I do not condone violence of any kind or form towards anyone,” Gass added. “What happened was tragic and I deeply regret my poor judgment. I am deeply sorry to those I have let down, and I sincerely regret any pain I have caused.”
Tenacious D were scheduled to play several more shows in Australia and two in New Zealand before cancelling the tour.
The band is also scheduled to play the “Tenacious D: Rock D Boat Tour” in the U.S. this fall. A representative for Tenacious D declined to comment beyond Black’s statement.
The attack has generated a wave of sympathy for the victims and support for Trump, with even his harshest critics denouncing the violence. Musk posted his full support for the former president after the shooting, and Kid Rock has been vocal in his support of Trump. Jason Aldean dedicated a performance of “Try That in a Small Town” to Trump at a concert in Nashville on Saturday after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, a city of about 13,000 people. President Biden called the attack “horrible,” and his campaign quickly pulled its political ads.
Trump has inspired many comedians and performers to fantasize about his death or personal tragedy, especially during his first months in office. In 2017, comedian Kathy Griffin sparked outrage when she posted a photo of herself holding a mask of Trump’s severed head. CNN subsequently fired Griffin as a New Year’s Eve co-host.
“Donald Trump ain’t safe in my neighborhood, get a wife on IHOP,” rapped Dave East in his 2016 song “Bad Boy on Death Row.” Punk band Cabbage was a bit more direct in their 2016 song “Free Steven Avery (Wrong America),” whose chorus reads, “Death to Donald Trump/Death to Donald Trump/There’s something about American politics.”
BuzzFeed News reports that Eminem received a visit from the Secret Service after his 2017 song “Framed” included a line about Ivanka Trump emerging from the trunk of his car.
Also that year, comedian Tim Heidecker released Too Dumb For Suicide, whose album cover depicts Trump trying to shoot himself in the head with a hair dryer (or something similar). One song, “Trump’s Private Pilot,” shows Trump’s plane deliberately crashing into a field; the same song was covered by Father John Misty.
Since Saturday’s attack, there has been far less Trump-themed assassination memes. On social media, aspiring comedians have shared 50 Cent album covers with Trump’s face superimposed on them (making a joke about Trump and the rapper being involved in a shooting), which 50 Cent himself later posted on X and used in a live performance, sparking unfounded rumors that the rapper would endorse Trump at this week’s Republican National Convention.
