Cello Concert Cancelled After $3 Million Instrument Misses Flight... Wait, How Much Was The Cello?!

Fans of cello music in Toronto were left disappointed and dozens of husbands whose wives were making them go were relieved when a concert featuring classical music brother-sister duo Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason had to cancel a gig.

The reason? Air Canada said something to the effect of:  "No, you can't bring your cello onboard. We don't care if you bought a seat for it or if it costs $3 million dollars."

Sheku plays the cello — a large member of the sting instrument family which has a name that sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to pronounce "Jell-O" — and Isata plays the piano. 

Luckily for Isata, it's pretty hard to fly with a piano, but poor Sheku has to hoof his cello around the globe.

But this isn't any cello. That giant fiddle he's Yo-Yo Ma-ing like there's no tomorrow is practically an ancient artifact. According to the CBC, the instrument was made by famous Venetian luthier Matteo Goffriller around 1700. 

Yes, that cello of his is older than the United States, and it's valued at €3 million, or just over $3 million US.

So, you can understand why our guy Sheku wouldn't want to check a cello that expensive, but it won't fit in the overhead bin either (at least not without pissing off everyone around him).

So, he bought a ticket for it. I mean, someone who can afford a $3 million cello can certainly buy an Air Canada ticket for it.

I know guitar players do this all the time, but Air Canada wouldn't let the cello on the plane.

I get why a lot of items aren't allowed on planes, but what was the problem with a cello? Were they afraid he was just going to unload a stirring rendition of "Cello Suite No. 1 in G major" by Johann Sebastian Bach?

Or maybe "Youth Gone Wild" featuring the vocal talents of Canadian singer Sebastian Bach.

I didn't realize chamber music on planes was such a rampant issue.

This came after some other flight issues, and it ultimately led the two to cancel their show.

But Air Canada said that it's still not sure why the 300-plus-uear-old cello got put on the no-fly list.

"In this case, the customers made a last-minute booking due to their original flight on another airline being canceled," an Air Canada spokesperson said. "We are still reviewing what happened including why the cello was not successfully rebooked."

At this point, the least Air Canada can do is put the cello up at a hotel for the night, or maybe throw in a couple of meal vouchers…