Wilco Cancels Indiana Show Due to Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images For The Recording Academy
by Jason Lipshutz
Veteran indie-rock group Wilco has scrapped its May 7 show at the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis, Ind. due to the state’s controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Mike Pence last Thursday (Mar. 26). The act has been widely criticized for seemingly allowing business owners to use religion as an excuse to discriminate against minorities, including members of the LGBT community.
"We are canceling our May 7 show at the Murat in Indianapolis," the band wrote on Monday in a Facebook post. “The ‘Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act’ feels like thinly disguised legal discrimination to us. Hope to get back to the Hoosier State someday soon, when this odious measure is repealed. Refunds available at point of purchase.”
On Sunday, Pence appeared on ABC’s This Week to declare that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act will not be repealed. Wilco is the first major artist to cancel a show due to the new Indiana law.
Wilco, whose last album The Whole Love was released in 2011, returns to the road on Apr. 22 in Dallas. The group is also performing at Pitchfork Music Festival, Gathering of the Vibes and Outside Lands this year.
