Muse cancel show in Istanbul after call for boycott of concert promoter
Large-scale anti-government protests began last month after the jailing of the Turkish city’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.
English rock band Muse have cancelled their show in Istanbul after protesters called for a boycott of the concert promoter.
Large-scale anti-government protests began last month after the jailing of the Turkish city’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on March 19 over corruption charges – which he denies.
Imamoglu supporters and his opposition Republican People’s Party called for the boycott of companies that support the government, including DBL Entertainment which was due to organise Muse’s concert.
It comes as DBL Entertainment promoter Abdulkadir Ozkan called protesters’ acts “treason”.
Mr Ozkan later shared a post to X claiming his message was taken out of context and that he regrets any misunderstanding.
Muse announced that they would postpone their concert on an Instagram post, saying: “After careful consideration and hearing the feedback from our fans whilst fully respecting their concerns, our show in Istanbul will be now postponed until 2026 so we can ensure DBL Entertainment will not be involved.
“Thank you for your ongoing support, it means everything to us. See you in 2026!”
It comes only days after the band announced that they were going to be performing at Festival Park Yenikapi in Istanbul on June 11.
The tickets were due to go on sale on April 3, but the band announced on their Instagram page on Wednesday that they would no longer be performing and would postpone their concert until 2026 under a different concert promoter.
Calls for the boycott of companies such as DBL came as Mr Ozkan posted on X in response to protesters: “Plain and simple, this is hostility towards the capital. Act of treason.”
He later shared another message on the platform saying that his comments were not targeting the “constitutional right to protests”, and that he “deeply regrets” any misunderstanding.
British singer Robbie Williams and Norwegian musician Ane Brun, who have concerts organised by DBL Entertainment, also faced calls to cancel their shows from fans including Turkish singer Gaye Su Akyol, who shared a personal appeal to the performers on X.
In the post, Akyol said: “Dear Muse, Robbie Williams, Ane Brun, I’ve respected your works for years and know how much you mean to many.
“But neither I, nor anyone, will attend your Istanbul concerts because the organiser is on the boycott list of the pro-democracy movement, fyi.
“Solidarity matters.”
Brun announced on April 1 that her concert in the capital would not go ahead, sharing on X: “I have decided not to play in Istanbul this October. I was so looking forward to playing for you, but unfortunately, this is not the right time. I dream of playing for you as soon as possible. I stand by you. In Peace and Love.”
