The Zac Brown Band was forced to pull the plug on a concert in Vancouver on Friday night after being members of its crew were denied entry to Canada.
“Our team has regularly performed in Canada for 10 years, including two performances this year alone. Each time we’ve come to Canada, we have been at the mercy of a single border agent who decided who is allowed in to work, and unfortunately, not everyone was able to make it in the country last night,” Brown explained in an Instagram Story.
The singer said “some of our crew members had charges on their records from over a decade ago that have since been removed.”
Canada Border Services Agency does not comment on individual cases but says certain criminal convictions in other countries can make a person inadmissible.
Brown explained to fans why his band refused to perform as scheduled at Rogers Arena. “We stick together and support each other and we never leave anyone behind,” he wrote. “As a band who prides themselves on showing up with excitement and professionalism, we will always play where we are welcome and appreciated, and we’re sorry we can’t be there tonight.”
Rogers Arena notified ticket holders that the concert was cancelled “due to unforeseen logistical issues.”
Zac Brown Band performed at Calgary’s Cowboys Music Festival in July and did two shows at Budweiser Stage in Toronto in June.