Garth Brooks CANCELS massive stadium tour for the rest of 2021 due to COVID-19 spikes: ‘I must do my part’
Country superstar Garth Brooks canceled his remaining shows for 2021.
The performer said refunds will be offered on the approximately 350,000 tickets that were sold for stadium gigs in five cities — Foxborough, Charlotte, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Nashville.
Brooks had previously indicated that he was rethinking upcoming dates, in light of spiking COVID rates. He’d previously performed stadium shows in five cities this year alone.
Friends in Low Places: Country superstar Garth Brooks canceled his remaining shows for 2021; seen in 2020
‘In July, I sincerely thought the pandemic was falling behind us,’ Brooks said in a statement. ‘Now, watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight and I must do my part.’
He added: ‘I have asked the wonderful cities of Cincinnati and Charlotte to wait too long, and I don’t want to now do that same thing to the great folks in Boston and Baltimore.
‘As far as Nashville, we are looking for a make up date from the July rain-out and though this is not COVID-related, to make them wait makes me sad, as well. So, it is with a heavy heart we announce the decision to cancel all five shows but with a hopeful heart, we will reschedule and start over when this wave seems to be behind us.’
https://www.instagram.com/p/CRLRVpFLAg4/
A post shared by Garth Brooks (@garthbrooks)
‘In July, I sincerely thought the pandemic was falling behind us,’ Brooks said in a statement. ‘Now, watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight and I must do my part’
Brooks left open the possibility that he might schedule new dates by the end of the year, but his reps say all the shows that were now on the books will have refunds automatically processed through Ticketmaster to the original form of payment, rather than postponing the concerts indefinitely and leaving ticketholders on the hook.
The nixed dates were slated for Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Sept. 18; Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte Sept. 25; M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore Oct. 2; Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts Oct. 9; and Nissan Stadium in Nashville, which had already been rained out a few weeks ago and was awaiting a rescheduling date.
His last tour date was Saturday night in Lincoln, Nebraska, at a show attended by nearly 90,000 fans, and followed performances in Las Vegas, Nashville, Salt Lake City, and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The artist’s wife, fellow performer Trisha Yearwood, contracted COVID over the summer, but Brooks himself did not come down with the novel coronavirus.
Tough call: Garth is one of only a few entertainers in his industry taking caution with COVID-19 as multiple country music stars hit the road to play for fans after a nearly 16-month hiatus due to the deadly virus, including Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Lady A and Blake Shelton, who kicks off his Friends and Heroes tour tonight in Omaha, Nebraska; seen in 2020
‘I’m sincerely hoping we are back on tour before the year’s end,’ Brooks said in his statement. ‘With that said, the most important thing to me is fulfilling my end of the Stadium Tour by making sure every show is doable before putting tickets on sale (that is why we pulled the Seattle on sale) and making sure the environment these people are trading their time and money to put themselves into is not only the best experience ever, but also the safest one we can provide.’
He added, ‘The joy I have seen in everyone’s faces as live music returns has been more than worth our constant diligence to maintain safety protocols not only for the fans, but for our band, the crew and the hard working staff in these stadiums,’ Brooks said. ‘Their dedication to safety for the people who fill those seats has been a miracle to watch and a blessing to receive. I am truly grateful.’
Garth is one of only a few entertainers in his industry taking caution with COVID-19 as multiple country music stars hit the road to play for fans after a nearly 16-month hiatus due to the deadly virus, including Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Lady A and Blake Shelton, who kicks off his Friends and Heroes tour tonight in Omaha, Nebraska.
Multiple entertainment companies — including major concert promoters AEG Presents and Live Nation — now require either proof of vaccinations or recent negative COVID-19 test results for entry into shows at their venues, causing backlash from the unvaccinated communities.
L.A. County recently reinstated mask mandates at all outdoor concerts with attendance over 10,000 guests, which will include shows at SoFi Stadium as well as all Hollywood Bowl concerts.
Source: Read Full Article