Garth Brooks thought his 2021 would be more “Learning to Live Again” and less “The Fever,” but COVID-19 had other ideas. Amid surging case numbers, the country music legend has cancelled the remaining five dates on his stadium tour.
The news affects concerts scheduled in Cincinnati, OH, Charlotte, NC, Boston, MA, and Baltimore, MD. Additionally, a July show in Nashville, TN that had been rained out will not be rescheduled for this year. Tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded.
“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. 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.”
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Besides that, a stop in Seattle that was available for pre-sale without a scheduled date has also been pulled. If COVID-19 can be brought under control, Brooks will look to reschedule the tour for as soon as the end of 2021.
“I’m sincerely hoping we are back on tour before the year’s end,” he added. “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.”
August has been a hard month for touring acts. Artists who have cancelled dates due to a positive COVID-19 test include Fall Out Boy, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson, and Korn, while Limp Bizkit preemptively cancelled their trek to protect the band and audiences.
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