Live performers reacting in near-real time to this past weekend's failed assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump has been a mixed bag, to say the least. While Jason Aldean dedicated "Try That in a Small Town" — his controversial hit that, uh, pretty blatantly encourages gun violence — to the convicted felon while performing in Nashville, TN, mere moments after the shooting took place at Trump's campaign event in Butler, PA, on Saturday (July 13), Tenacious D's Kyle Gass had a little more time for reflection before commenting on the incident at the band's July 14 show at Sydney, Australia's ICC Sydney Theatre.
When bandmate Jack Black presented Gass with a birthday cake celebrating the latter's 64th birthday, the former prompted Gass to make a wish. "Don't miss Trump next time," Gass responded, referring to how the live bullet just grazed the politician's ear.
UPDATE (7/16, 10:26 a.m. ET): Gass has now apologized for his remark on the assassination attempt, calling it "highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake." He wrote in a statement, "I don't condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I'm incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement."
Following Australian Senator Ralph Babet calling for the band to be "deported immediately," Black has now announced that, "after much reflection," Tenacious D have cancelled their remaining scheduled tour dates, and are putting "all future creative plans on hold."
"I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday," Black wrote in a statement posted to Instagram today. "I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form."
In addition to their now-cancelled tour, the band was slated to play a series of concerts supporting Rock the Vote — the nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to encouraging young people to harness their voting power — this October.
Information on how ticketholders can access refunds has yet to be provided. See Black's full statement below.