Texas country music artist Charley Crockett has scrapped his Canadian tour, which included a Saskatoon stop, after being barred from entering the country over a previous drug offense. The 41-year-old singer-songwriter was set to perform at Saskatoon’s TCU Place before heading to various Canadian cities like Winnipeg, Windsor, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Niagara Falls, with a scheduled show in Calgary in July.
Crockett, who expressed regret on his Instagram, revealed that he and his band were denied entry at Vancouver and Kelowna, BC, under section 44(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Act due to a 2016 marijuana conviction in Virginia.
The artist, who last toured Canada in 2024 and performed in Toronto and Saskatchewan in previous years, conveyed his apologies to his Canadian fans for the cancellation, acknowledging their support and the beauty of the country.
Jake Vaadeland and his band, slated to open for Crockett on select tour dates, also expressed disappointment over missing the opportunity to perform for their audience.
Crockett, known for his country-folk music and numerous albums, is gearing up to release his latest record, “Age Of The Ram,” on April 3 as part of his Sagebrush Trilogy. His ongoing North American tour, which started in Seattle and will continue in Pennsylvania in March, remains unaffected.
The cancellation of the tour has not only impacted the local arts and culture scene but has also affected the economy, according to Kirby Wirchenko, the director of theatre and programming at TCU Place. Wirchenko highlighted the broader repercussions of such cancellations on artists, venue staff, and disappointed fans, emphasizing the overall loss experienced by everyone involved in the event planning and execution process. Refunds are being issued to ticket holders as a result of the tour cancellation.