Brian May says the US is currently too dangerous for Queen to tour there | Brian May

Queen guitarist Brian May has ruled out touring the US for the foreseeable future, due to the potential danger it would pose.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the 78-year-old said: “America is a dangerous place at the moment, so you have to take that into account.

“It’s very sad because I feel like Quinn grew up in America and we love her, but it’s not the same anymore. Everyone thinks twice about going there right now.”

May did not specify the specific risks they might face, but his comments come at a time when many American citizens and foreign visitors fear violence from ICE agents or scrutiny of their political beliefs, and the threat of mass shootings — 425 such incidents in 2025, killing 420 people and wounding 1,898 — remains ever present.

British dance music star Perry cited “what’s happening in the US right now” as a factor when she canceled a US tour earlier this week. In 2025, Hungarian classical pianist Andras Schiff canceled concerts in the United States, saying: “Due to the recent and unprecedented political changes in the United States, I feel morally obligated to withdraw from all my engagements in the United States.”

Also in 2025, iD Magazine asked Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny if the reason he didn’t schedule any concerts in the United States last year was due to concerns about deportation of Latino audience members. “Man, honestly, yeah,” he replied. “There were a lot of reasons why I wouldn’t come to the United States, and none of them were out of hate… but there was a problem — like, damn ICE could be out there.” [a concert]. This is something we’ve been talking about and we’re very concerned about.

Many events celebrating Latino heritage and culture have been canceled since Immigration and Customs Enforcement ramped up its activity during Donald Trump’s second term, over concerns they would be targeted by anti-immigration agents.

There are concerns beyond arts and cultural events, particularly regarding this year’s World Cup, which is mostly hosted by the United States, and the implications for thousands of fans traveling from abroad.

The United States is witnessing a collapse in tourism revenues. In May 2025, the World Travel and Tourism Council predicted that the US would lose $12.5bn (£9.35bn) in international visitor spending over the course of the year. The numbers were backed up later in the year this fall, as the International Trade Administration, a US government body, found that international visitor spending fell by 5.5% in September 2025 compared to September 2024.

Concerns have been exacerbated by a proposal by the US Department of Homeland Security and border officials to screen five years of social media activity by potential visitors to the US before granting them entry.

Queen is currently on a break from touring, following the end of the Rhapsody Tour which ran from 2019 to 2024, which featured Adam Lambert as lead singer.

As May describes, they have a rich history in the United States. After breaking into the mainstream there with third album Sheer Heart Attack, they had five US Top 10 albums in a row, reaching number one in the 1980s with The Game which had two US hit singles: Another One Bites the Dust and Crazy Little Thing Called Love, the latter an obvious homage to Elvis Presley and American rock and roll.