Morrissey had to cancel his weekend concerts after police warned him about a serious threat on his life. The former Smiths frontman was supposed to play two shows in the United States – one Friday evening at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut and another Saturday at MGM Music Hall at Fenway. Both got canceled when officials learned about the danger.
A 26-year-old man from Ottawa made the threat against the 66-year-old English musician on Bluesky, a social media platform, back on Sept. 4. The Ottawa Citizen reported this story first. Officials became aware of what they called a credible threat on Morrissey’s life over the past few days. They opted to cancel the shows out of abundance of caution for everyone’s safety – both the artist and his band.
Recent Violence Makes Everyone Nervous
These cancellations come at a scary time. Recent assassinations in the US have made everyone more worried about public figures getting hurt. Just earlier this month, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University’s campus.
Other terrible assassinations occurred within the past year too. On June 14, someone killed Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in a fatal shooting. Then on Dec. 4, 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was murdered as well. All this violence has venues and artists really scared.
What Happens to the Rest of His Tour?
Morrissey had begun touring across North America in September with stops in Montreal, Canada and New York City. Now nobody knows what happens next. The status of his upcoming shows stays unclear – he’s supposed to play Philadelphia on Sept. 23, Pittsburgh on Sept. 25, and Chicago on Sept. 27.
USA TODAY reached out to Morrissey’s representatives for comment but hasn’t gotten any response yet. Fans are left wondering if they’ll get to see the “Suedehead” singer perform at all. The venues he was set to play at are staying quiet too.
This Isn’t His First Cancellation This Year
The singer already cancelled a show in Stockholm back in June. That time, he was mad about lack of “music industry support” for his European solo tour. He wrote on his website, Morrissey Central, about how upset he felt.
“The pain at not reaching Stockholm this week is horrific for the band and crew,” he complained. He went on: “I know it’s impossible for people to understand, but we dream of Stockholm, Reykjavik, Trondheim, Helsinki, Aarhus… but there’s no financial support from imaginary record labels to get us to such places.” Sounds like money troubles were already making his tour difficult.
Venues Take Security Seriously Now
MGM Music Hall at Fenway confirmed the cancellation on Instagram pretty quickly. These days, concert venues have to move fast when they hear about threats. The Bluesky social media post from the Ottawa man reportedly got noticed by the right people before anything bad could happen.
Security experts say social media platforms make it easier for dangerous people to target artists. When someone posts a threat online, like what happened on Sept. 4, venues have to take it seriously. Nobody wants another tragedy at a concert.
Fans Get Their Money Back
Morrissey’s official Facebook page assured ticket holders they’ll get refunded automatically. The page wrote, “We appreciate your understanding” about the whole mess. Still, lots of fans feel disappointed, especially those who traveled far to see the former Smiths frontman.
Concert cancellations hit fans hard, but everyone agrees safety comes first. The music industry keeps trying to figure out how to protect artists without ruining the fun for fans. Right now, it seems like credible threats mean shows get canceled, no questions asked.
