First US comedy-rock band Tenacious D sensationally cancelled their sold-out Newcastle show just hours before they were due to perform. Now they have cancelled the entire tour and it could spell the end of the famous duo.
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Hollywood actor and comedian Jack Black and his Tenacious D bandmate, Kyle Gass, found themselves at the centre of a growing controversy after making a joke about Donald Trump's assassination attempt on stage at their Sydney show on Sunday.
In a break between songs Black presented Gass with a cake for his 64th birthday on stage and asked him to make a wish. Gass blew out the candles and joked, "Don't miss Trump next time."
The gag came just hours after former US president Trump was shot in the ear at a campaign rally. Another man was killed and two people were wounded in the shooting.
Tenacious D's joke led to calls from enraged United Australia Party senator, Ralph Babet, to have the duo deported and Sydney shock jock Kyle Sandilands said he had banned them from his radio show.
On Tuesday a spokesperson for Frontier Touring declined to comment on the reason for the postponement of Tuesday night's show at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre and referred the Newcastle Herald to their social media post.
The statement said: "Frontier Touring regret to advise that Tenacious D's concert tonight at Newcastle Entertainment Centre has been postponed. Ticket holders are asked to hold onto their tickets until further information is available."
But later that night it was announced Tenacious D would be cancelling all shows in Australian and New Zealand including Brisbane (Thursday), Melbourne (Saturday) and Adelaide (Monday). Ticket holders will receive a full refund.
And that fateful Sydney show could potentially be the duo's last with Black and Gass releasing separate statements confirming the Trump joke was the cause for the tour cancellation.
"I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday," Black said in a post on social media.
"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."
Meanwhile Gass released an apology saying "the line I improvised...was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake".
Earlier on Tuesday the Herald reported that Black was already in town and had purchased a $600 watch on Monday afternoon from Newcastle business Thomas' Timepieces.
Owner David Thomas described Black as "a very nice gentlemen."
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Jessica Brown
Jessica began her journalism career in 2009 as a cadet at The Port Stephens Examiner before moving to London for a two-year stint working in magazines and digital publishing. The Lake Macquarie local returned to Australia where she took up a reporting role at The Maitland Mercury. She worked across several rounds including local council, police and property before moving into digital journalism and joining the team at The Newcastle Herald in 2017.
Jessica began her journalism career in 2009 as a cadet at The Port Stephens Examiner before moving to London for a two-year stint working in magazines and digital publishing. The Lake Macquarie local returned to Australia where she took up a reporting role at The Maitland Mercury. She worked across several rounds including local council, police and property before moving into digital journalism and joining the team at The Newcastle Herald in 2017.
