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Keli Holiday Says U.S. Re-Entry Was Denied Mid-Tour, Cancelling New York Show
Keli Holiday says he was denied U.S. re-entry at the border, forcing him to cancel a New York show and return to Australia early.
Keli Holiday says he was blocked from re-entering the United States during his North American run, forcing him to abandon a scheduled New York City date and head back to Australia earlier than planned.
The Australian artist, the solo project of Adam Hyde from Peking Duk, broke the news over the weekend after being held at the U.S.-Canada border following shows in Toronto.
“Unfortunately I’m not going to make it to tonight’s show at Baby’s All Right in NYC,” Holiday wrote on Instagram. “I have spent all day detained at the Canadian border and denied entry back into the U.S. despite having the proper visa documentation in place.”
“I’m still trying to get clarity on the situation myself,” he added.
The New York performance was supposed to close out a short North American itinerary running from May 1 to May 7. A representative later confirmed that Holiday had returned to Australia, where he is due for upcoming dates in New South Wales and Victoria.
The episode lands in the middle of a broader conversation about U.S. border processing and the scrutiny facing international artists on tour. Proposed changes connected to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, have already stirred debate in Australia and New Zealand over tougher entry checks and expanded screening.
Hyde introduced Keli Holiday in 2021 as a more intimate, indie-leaning outlet alongside Peking Duk, the electronic duo he formed with Reuben Styles. That group became one of Australia’s defining electronic acts of the 2010s, helped along by hits like “High” featuring Nicole Millar, which reached the top five on the ARIA Singles Chart.
Holiday’s profile has only grown since then. As previously reported, Capital Fiction is currently the highest-charting album by a homegrown artist on the latest ARIA Albums Chart, entering at No. 3. Under the Peking Duk banner, Hyde previously peaked at No. 12 with 2018’s Reprisal.
Capital Fiction includes “Dancing2,” a song that revisits how Hyde met his partner and love of his life, Sydney media personality Abbie Chatfield. The track landed at No. 2 in triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown for 2025, won best video at last year’s ARIA Awards, and Holiday performed it at the top of the recording industry’s annual ceremony.
Under the Keli Holiday name, Hyde has leaned into a darker blend of indie-pop, dance and alternative music, gradually building an audience through club dates and festival sets. After the New York cancellation was announced, fans filled his comments with support and plenty of calls for the show to be rescheduled once the visa issue is sorted.
