More bands and celebrities have canceled appearances in Paris in wake of the attacks that hit the city yesterday. U2 already announced the cancellation of its planned shows this weekend; now, the Foo Fighters have joined them, cutting short their European tour, which was planned to play in Paris on Monday, before moving on to numerous cities around the continent. The band explained the move on Facebook, issuing the following message:
“It is with profound sadness and heartfelt concern for everyone in Paris that we have been forced to announce the cancellation of the rest of our tour. In light of this senseless violence, the closing of borders, and international mourning, we can’t continue right now. There is no other way to say it. This is crazy and it sucks. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was hurt or who lost a loved one.”
Other canceled events include media appearances by actors and directors promoting their films, including Natalie Portman, who was scheduled to give interviews in support of Jane Got A Gun, and Steven Spielberg, on a press tour for Bridge Of Spies. On a similar film-centric note, the new terrorism thriller Made In France—the poster for which shows the suddenly gut-churning image of an assault rifle superimposed over the Eiffel Tower—has unsurprisingly been delayed.
Meanwhile, in America, the media response has been largely predictable; 48 Hours aired a special edition devoted to coverage of the attacks last night, while 60 Minutes is expected to run a segment on them on Sunday. Bill Maher, unsurprisingly, devoted his Friday night HBO show to his own endlessly prickly take on Paris, and how it relates to world religion. (There’s probably no other TV show host in the world who would, on the night of a major terrorist attack claimed by militant religious fundamentalists, ask a paneling Jay Leno, “Why do they hate us?”) Stephen Colbert, meanwhile—one of the only network talk show hosts to record an episode yesterday, albeit before news of the attacks had spread—simply ended his Friday program on a somber note. Clearly struck with emotion, he acknowledged the horrors of the day, before signing off from his program with a quiet, “Good night.”