QOTSA Cancel Brazil Show, Sparking Division + Toxicity Among Fans

Last Thursday (Aug. 24), Queens of the Stone Age announced – via social media – that they’re no longer performing at The Town Festival in São Paulo, Brazil on Sept. 9. While the undeniably disappointing news was met with plenty of empathy and understanding from followers, it also spawned a surprising amount of negative reactions, leading to contention amongst fans.

As Loudwire noted on Aug. 22, the multiday event (which will also feature Foo Fighters, Garbage, Maroon 5, Post Malone and Demi Lovato) was set to be their final international stop before resuming their “The End Is Nero” tour (in support of In Times New Roman) in North America.

Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen, as the band confirmed with the following declaration: "Following doctor’s advice, QOTSA regret to announce we are no longer able to travel to Brazil to perform at The Town. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and look forward to coming to Brazil in 2024."

You can see the post below:

In announcing that indie rockers Yeah Yeah Yeahs will replace QOTSA, the festival’s social media accounts noted that QOTSA can’t “travel to Brazil” due to “medical recommendations.” While no further details have been given, it’s worth noting that frontman Josh Homme recently revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer in 2022.

Endearingly, the group’s posts have received a lot of support from fans. For instance, one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote: “Hope everything's okay. Love u.” Likewise, someone on Facebook replied: “Your health comes way before anything else and true fans will understand this - sending you best wishes and lots of love.”

That said, there have also been a fair amount of people voicing their rage about the cancellation.

Specifically, a devotee on Instagram declared: “We deserve more than this silly ass excuse.” Similarly, another Instagram account stated: “We all know this is a lie. Since August 3rd u have been announcing dates without the scheduled concert here in Brazil! So disappointed, this is really disrespectful!”

Consequently, fans have been going back and forth about not only the legitimacy of QOTSA’s circumstances but also about whether the distraught attendees are justified in angrily declaring their skepticism, inconveniences and the like.

As one person succinctly put it:

The selfishness in these comments is astonishing. Y’all do realize Josh had a cancer diagnosis last year right? It’s not like they canceled because they don’t feel like playing. It’s for medical reasons and they don’t have to share the specifics. Be nice. Let him heal so they can come back again and again. Playing music and touring is actually pretty hard on the body.

Afterward, another QOTSA seemed to feel the same way: “The audacity in this comment section is disappointing, someone is sick and your response is 'PLAY MONKEY, PLAY'! I mean, wtf?”

So, how do you feel about the situation? In general, what’s your stance on artists pulling out of concerts suddenly if it’s for sincere – and even unavoidable – reasons? Let us know!

Late last month, Homme spoke to the Tuna on Toast With Stryker podcast about his views on bands that don’t recreate their biggest hits on stage. In particular, Homme proclaimed:

I understand that I’m always going to play “No One Knows” because I still like playing that song and that’s something that it’s an agreement with the audience. . . . When there’s bands that don’t want to play their big song or their big songs, I always think it’s a little cunty to do that. Acting like a song that a lot of people like is a burden is just a strange reaction to the gift that your fans have given you. Seems like an odd reaction.

Speaking of QOTSA’s North American tour, it’s still scheduled to continue on Sept. 16 at Riot Fest in Chicago, Ill. You can check out all of the upcoming tour dates here and grab tickets here.

Lastly, Loudwire extends our well wishes to everyone in QOTSA.