I got an invite today from an American group that I have some ties to. They are having an event this weekend.
I replied that I would not be coming, because of the risk posed to international travellers by ICE.
I got an invite today from an American group that I have some ties to. They are having an event this weekend.
I replied that I would not be coming, because of the risk posed to international travellers by ICE.
Another valid concern is the possibility of being arrested for dubious charges and then deported to a country you didn’t originate from.
A Canadian musician might be willing to risk touring in America if the worst possibility was being sent back to Canada. But the Trump administration might abduct him and send him off to El Salvador or South Sudan or Eswatini.
It would seem a reasonable concern. But I’ve seen no evidence that foreign musicians are actually cancelling tours.
As an example, the Canadian band The Beaches recently announced a big world tour, with many stops in the US:
Stranger
I stand corrected. However, I must say that that article is mostly about visa issues, which I acknowledged in my first post was definitely causing problems.
Perhaps I am being self-centered, but none of the artists I care about have cancelled their tours for political reasons.
Mentioned upthread, Matthew Good
https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/matthew-good-cancels-us-tour-1.7584380
Yelle, from France:
Yelle Cancel North American Tour Due to “Very Worrying” U.S. Political Climate | Pitchfork Yelle Cancel North American Tour Due to “Very Worrying” U.S. Political Climate | Pitchfork
It’s one thing to say it doesn’t impact bands you like, but you can’t really deny that some artists are, in fact, making that choice.
On the other hand, all the American bands I’ve seen recently have come up here and led chants of “Fuck Trump!” and the like, and some Maga singer has been cancelled so that’s cool.