Photo credit: Brandy Hornback

Artist Amanda Palmer posted to Facebook a public statement about an incident that occurred in March in which a performance scheduled at National Sawdust in New York City was canceled due to complaints received. Palmer took to Facebook to let fans know limited details of the incident but wrote that after board members of the venue convened, it was decided that her performance would be canceled. 

She opened her post by discussing her ongoing legal battles involving her estranged ex-husband, author Neil Gaiman. 

Her post clarified that due to her ongoing divorce, she cannot discuss the details but her post hinted that the allegations against her were the reasoning as to the cancellation. The lawsuit in pursuit as of earlier this year, was brought on by their former babysitter who claims Gaiman allegedly engaged in human trafficking, abuse and misconduct while under their employment. 

“A few months ago, I was falsely accused in a civil lawsuit and caught in a public firestorm surrounding my estranged ex, who I had separated from five years earlier,” she wrote. “It turned my world, my family and my entire career upside-down. I could not, and still cannot, speak about it due to my ongoing divorce.”

Palmer then described the incident, “I booked a small show in NYC just to connect with my community. Some people complained to the venue, the board at the venue met and discussed, the show was canceled,” she wrote. However, Palmer was able to move the performance to City Winery on Saturday, May 17th, where it sold out. 

“I’ve never felt such a combination of joy and rage and glee and presence and most of all: such an honest and deep gratitude for a crowd,” she wrote. “I have never felt the way I felt on that stage, on Saturday night.”

The performance featured a lineup of special guests including John Teo Coons, Matta Aument, Amelia from Sir Echo, Lance Horne and Yael Rasooly. Palmer also debuted vulnerable new material, including a song tentatively titled “The Running Joke.” 

Palmer thanked the audience and City Winery’s staff for creating a space where art and community could thrive in difficult times.