Country music superstar Garth brooks has cancelled the five remaining dates on his stadium tour, citing the upswing in COVID-19 infections as the reason.
Brooks is the latest and the biggest name in music to cancel performances as the delta variant of the coronavirus continues to spread nationwide. The live music industry, which suffered enormously the past year and a half due to the pandemic, is now facing more uncertainty with the new surge. Acts like Stevie Nicks, Limp Bizkit and Lynyrd Skynyrd have already announced cancellations. But others are pressing on with tour dates, and relying on tougher safety protocols to assure fans the concerts will not turn into super-spreader events.
From the New York Times:
Live Nation and AEG Presents, the two corporations that dominate most of the touring and festival business, have each announced that their venues will require proof of vaccination or a negative test for attendees and staff, although that still leaves uncertainty about much of the business beyond their control.
Los Angeles County will require masks at large outdoor concerts and sporting events that attract more than 10,000 people starting Thursday.
The five concerts Brooks canceled were set to begin next month. They are:
- Cincinnati, OH on Sept. 18
- Charlotte, N.C. on Sept. 25
- Baltimore, MD on Oct. 2
- Foxborough, MA on Oct. 9
- Nashville (a makeup date for a rained-out show that had not been rescheduled as of yet)
Tickets will be refunded for those shows. Brooks did provide a glimmer of hope for fans hoping to catch him in concert again. He said he would like to resume the tour before the end of the year, if things improve.