Jazz Fest News: Wilco Skips Indiana Show in Protest

The state's new "religious freedom" law has caused the Jazz Fest performers to cancel an upcoming Indianapolis show.

On Friday, April 24, Wilco will close the Gentilly Stage at the end of the opening day of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell. The 20th anniversary tour that brings Wilco to New Orleans was scheduled to take the band to Indianapolis, Indiana on May 7, but the band has cancelled the show in protest of the state's new "religious freedom" law. 

In a tweet, the band said:

We’re canceling our 5/7 show in Indianapolis. "Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act" feels like thinly disguised legal discrimination...

Opponents in the state and around the country are concerned that the act's efforts to protect religious expressions will allow legal discrimination against members of the LGBT community.

In a follow-up tweet, Wilco said:

Hope to get back to the Hoosier State someday soon, when this odious measure is repealed. Refunds available at point of purchase.

In other Wilco news, the band has announced the lineup for its Solid Sound Festival, which takes place June 26-28 in North Adams, Massachusetts. Wilco will play, as will almost all the projects from the rest of the band, Mac DeMarco, Taj Mahal, King Sunny Ade and His African Beats, Richard Thompson Trio, Cibo Matto, NRBQ and more.