British rocker Morrissey has cancelled two shows in New England after his team said there was a “credible threat” to assassinate him onstage — a move that came days after an Ottawa man was charged over an alleged online death threat tied to the singer’s Sept. 12 festival set in Canada.
The canceled concerts were set for Friday at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., and Saturday at Boston’s MGM Music Hall at Fenway.
Both venues said refunds would be issued.
“In recent days, there has been a credible threat on Morrissey’s life,” read a notice on the star’s official social media pages on Friday.
“Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of both the artist and band,” the two dates were pulled.
“All tickets will be refunded automatically at your original point of purchase,” the post read. Morrisey, whose full name is Steven Patrick Morrissey, thanked his fans for understanding.
Canadian authorities say 26-year-old Noah Castellano posted a threat on Bluesky on Sept. 4 before Morrissey’s CityFolk appearance in Ottawa, according to court documents cited by local media.
Police arrested Castellano on Sept. 12 and charged him with uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. He was released on $5,000 bail.
A Bluesky account using the name “guy who gets shot in the head one hundred thousand times a day” allegedly wrote: “Steven Patrick Morrissey when you perform at TD Place here in Ottawa next week… I will attempt to shoot you many times and kill you with a very large gun that I own illegally.”
The Ottawa Citizen reported the post matches court filings.
Despite the alleged threat, Morrissey’s CityFolk set went ahead on Sept. 12, followed by shows in Toronto on Sept. 13 and New York City on Sept. 16.
The New England dates were the first to be scrapped after the arrest surfaced publicly.
The cancellations were announced against the backdrop of heightened sensitivity after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a Utah college event on Sept. 10, an incident that has put security at live events under the microscope.
The former Smiths frontman, 66, is a controversial figure in the UK, where he has made statements that have been denounced as racist and misogynistic.
In 2019, he wore a pin for the UK’s far-right For Britain movement on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” after previously praising the party in interviews.
In 2010, he referred to Chinese people as a “subspecies” during an interview about animal cruelty in China.
A 2017 interview with Germany’s Der Spiegel drew backlash for comments Morrissey made that were critical of the #MeToo movement.
Morrissey has also repeatedly attacked Islamic practices, calling halal slaughter “evil” and falsely linking halal certification to ISIS, while blasting UK politicians for supporting halal meat in public institutions.
He has also mocked Muslim public figures and rituals, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Eid observances.
Civil rights and anti-racist groups have condemned his remarks as Islamophobic and urged boycotts of his shows.
