Garth Brooks cancels stadium tour for rest of 2021 amid COVID spikes: ‘I must do my part’
Garth Brooks. Image: official website garthbrooks.com
LOS ANGELES — Country superstar Garth Brooks, one of the few reliable stadium-fillers in the business, has 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.
Brooks had previously indicated that he was rethinking upcoming dates, in light of spiking COVID rates. He’d previously done stadium shows in five cities this year.
“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 left open the possibility that he might schedule some 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. 25th; 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.
“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,” Brooks said.
“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.”
The artist’s wife, fellow performer Trisha Yearwood, contracted COVID over the summer, but Brooks himself did not come down with it.
“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.”
“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.” JB
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