On July 25, MassCann announced that reggae artist Matisyahu would be "performing live" at the 36th Annual Boston Freedom Rally on Sept. 19-20. Two weeks later, the organization, in a socal media post, said they had "made the tough decision to postpone Matisyahu's scheduled appearance... and look forward to rescheduling his performance to 2026."
This decision has caused rancor within the activist group; one member of the MassCann board, J. Max Piergallini, was removed. Another local, Julie Ann Mejia, critcized MassCann, calling the decision racist "because of his identity as a Jewish man and a Zionist."
Piergallini says the board reacted to a couple of veiled threats from angry supporters. "There were 300 likes, 23 negative comments and one loud, threatening voice on the annoucement post," he tells CelebStoner."The decision was made out of fear."
This is not the first time Matisyahu has been canceled since the Hamas attacks on Israel in 2023. It happened three times in 2024 in Chicago, Santa Fe and Tucson. MassCann apparently was unaware of the controversy.
The threats included protests at the event in Boston Common. "They want to protest, that's fine," Piergallini added. "But I wouldn't self-censor. I favored staying with Matisyahu."
Due to a few missed meetings, the seven-member board decided to dismiss him. "I disagreed and the next meting I was voted out," he says.
RELATED: MassCann Chair Resigns After Leading "All Lives Matter" Rally
There's also the matter of Matisyahu's fee, half of which ($17,500) has already been paid. While stating MassCann is "solvent," Piergallini notes, "It's not good stewardship of MassCann's money."
He also disagreed with the decision to punt to 2026, which may not at all be an option for Matisyahu and his repressntives, and call it a postponement rather than a cancellation. "My biggest issue is they refused to own it in either direction," he says. "They crumbled rather than standing strong."
CelebStoner sent queries to Matisyahu and Fallen Sparks Management. Neither responded.
MORE ACTIVIST LINKS
• NYC Blocks Cannabis Parade & Rally (2025)
• 25th Annual Freedom Rally (2014)
• HEMPILATION Albums Benefited NORML (2019)
See more of the latest CelebStoner news!
×
