Rush, the rock band that is scheduled to play the White House on Friday, has decided to cancel its tour after its contract with the federal government expired.
The band, which released a new album this week, has said that the tour could be scrapped if Congress doesn’t renew the government’s funding, which runs through July 7.
“Rush’s position is clear: the only way to get our message across is to leave the country,” the band said in a statement Friday afternoon.
“We cannot continue this long-term effort without the support of the American people, and we have no other choice.”
The band will have no concerts on the national political stage in 2017, although it has played to crowds of 30,000 since last summer.
The group’s announcement comes after a string of high-profile political controversies and political setbacks, including the shutdown of the government, a Supreme Court decision that struck down President Donald Trump’s travel ban and a Supreme court decision that blocked a provision of Trump’s controversial executive order that blocked immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries.
The White House has been criticized for its response to the Trump administration’s travel bans and other restrictions, including its failure to enforce the ban.
“Our goal has always been to have a full and transparent discussion with the White, congressional, and executive branches about the future of Rush’s concerts,” Rush spokesman Ryan Duffy said in an email to Reuters.
“As it has become clear that our participation in politics will require significant investment, we have decided to end our tour.”
Rush’s tour was set to begin in March, but the band announced Friday that it was cancelling the tour because the administration had been “failing to meet its commitments.”
“We can no longer play our music at taxpayer expense and our concerts are cancelled,” the statement read.
Rush had been scheduled to perform at the Capitol on Friday for a benefit concert.
