Country superstar Garth Brooks has canceled the remaining stops on his ongoing U.S. stadium tour due to mounting concerns over the COVID-19 delta variant outbreak. Brooks had previously said that he was reassessing the tour in light of those concerns.
As Brooks noted in a statement on the tour’s cancellation, “In July, I sincerely thought the pandemic was falling behind us. Now, watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight and I must do my part. 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 5 shows but with a hopeful heart, we will reschedule and start over when this wave seems to be behind us.”
Since the massive Garth Brooks tour began, it has welcomed more than 300,000 fans in five cities. The 350,000 tickets already sold for the next five planned stops will be refunded.
“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,” he continued. “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.”
“I’m sincerely hoping we are back on tour before the year’s end,” added Garth Brooks. “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.”
In the meantime, Brooks and his team intent to “monitor the virus’ impact and watch how schools, sports, and other entertainment entities are handling this stage of the pandemic.”
The cancellation of this large-scale tour by Brooks, one of the most commercially successful artists on the road, has larger implications for the live music industry at large. While many tours, venues, and promoters have implemented vaccination/testing requirements in recent days and weeks, few have canceled such considerable chunks of shows outright.
Check out some photos from Brooks’ last performance on Saturday, August 14th performance in Lincoln, NE below.
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