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Bye-bye Billy Bob.
Billy Bob Thornton & the Boxmasters have pulled out of their Canadian tour with Willie Nelson and Ray Price and will not be at the John Labatt Centre tonight.
The tour turned sour on Thornton after his bizarre interview on CBC radio's Q earlier this week hit the airwaves and the Internet. He was booed by a Toronto Massey Hall crowd, which also made catcalls, Thursday night.
A statement on Willie Nelson's website said the Boxmasters have cancelled the remainder of the tour.
"At this time, no reasons have been announced but the remainder of the tour will continue as scheduled."
The John Labatt Centre's Chris Campbell said last night that officials there were not told why Thornton dropped out.
"We've just been notified that he won't be performing," Campbell said.
He said the cancellation doesn't change the start time of the concert, set for 7:30 p.m., or the length.
Both Price and Nelson will extend their sets, Campbell said.
Thornton, the band's singer, took issue with Q host Jian Ghomeshi's introduction to the interview, which included references to the star's career as a Hollywood actor, director and screenwriter.
It came to a head -- and the buzz began -- when Ghomeshi mentioned Thornton's passion for music. "Would you say that to Tom Petty?" Thornton questioned.
One result would seem to be that readers of The Free Press will not know what else he was thinking.
An e-mail from the Boxmasters' media relations team arrived early Thursday.
"Unfortunately, I won't be able to schedule this for (Thursday). I've got some conflicts in the guys' schedule," the e-mail said.
On Wednesday, the radio host suggested Thornton's past was relevant to provide context for listeners.
"There's plenty of context without all that," Thornton fired back.
When Ghomeshi pointed out that his refusal to acknowledge his film career was odd, Thornton responded: "I think it's odd that you have to smoke inside a white stripe outside," apparently referring to a no-smoking policy at buildings in Toronto.
Ghomeshi said later in a phone interview that Thornton left without saying goodbye or thanking the host.
During that radio show, the Oscar-winning star found time to insult Canadian crowds.
"Canadian audiences seem to be very reserved," he told Ghomeshi. "We tend to play places where people throw things at each other. Here, they just sort of sit there. And it doesn't matter what you say to 'em . . . It's mashed potatoes but no gravy."
Even without the Boxmasters, there is plenty of star power on the bill tonight.
Price and Nelson go way back. Nelson was a member of Price's band early in his career.
He now has more than 200 albums in his catalogue and is known for such songs as Crazy, Hello Walls, and his famous genre-adjusting version of Stardust. Nelson, 76, is also known as an author, actor and activist.
- With files from The Canadian Press