Tenacious D is going to take a pause from rocking.
*UPDATE* Kyle Gass, Jack Black’s bandmate, has issued an apology on social media. It reads: “The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake. 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. I profoundly apologize to those I’ve let down and truly regret any pain I’ve caused.”
Jack Black and Tenacious D have cancelled their current tour and are putting a pause on all creative work. The media-induced firestorm was uncorked after Tenaious D’s Australia concert date on Sunday. Kyle Gass made a joke about Donald Trump’s recent assassination attempt. Jack Black was caught off-guard by the comment and chose to take a step back to re-evaluate thing. This comes after conservative critics posted the lip on Twitter trying to amplify the attempt at humor. Black posted about it on social media, apologizing to the fans for having to cancel their ongoing tour. After all the media attention on Gass’s comment, the comedian also made the decision to condemn political violence as well.Â
“I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black clarified. “After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”
The promoter for the Tenacious D and the Spicy Meatball Tour, Frontier Touring, also issued a statement with some instructions for the fans in Australia and New Zealand.” Refunds are expected to be provided in the coming weeks as the United States branch of the tour was coming up later this fall.
Still A Great Year For Jack Black
2024 had been going pretty well for Jack Black, and probably still is. Another successful Kung Fu Panda entry in the can with some great performance at the box office. We’re also in a School of Rock renaissance. 20 years ago the actor started this rocking path with the movie and the soundtrack finally became available on streaming this year. Some schoolkids in Australia even tried to get Black and his band to come perform with them in their school play. The students at Ringwood Secondary College told the School of Rock star that they wanted him to come shred during a spot with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Unfortunately, he couldn’t attend. But, he did send them a nice message.
“Oh my God! Ringwood Secondary College, are you kidding me? You’re doing School of Rock? I love it — so touched,” Black told them on social media. “So moved by your video. And the fact that you’re gonna rock. You know, it’s been 20 years since I made that move, as you can tell from my beard, my old man beard. It’s still my favorite movie I ever did. I love that you guys are gonna rock it. And I wish I could come see it, but unfortunately I’m going to be rocking! But, I just wanted to remind you that there’s no way you can stop The School of Rock.”
Are you sad the tour won’t continue? Catch all of our pop culture discussion at @ComicBook on social media!