The Black Keys Cancel North American Leg of International Players Tour
The Black Keys have abruptly canceled their upcoming North American tour.
The 31-date arena trek — which was scheduled to launch Sept. 17 in Tulsa, Okla., and wrap Nov. 12 in Detroit — quietly disappeared from Ticketmaster’s website without explanation on Friday (May 24).
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The upcoming jaunt, dubbed the International Players Tour, was in support of the rock duo’s 12th studio album, Ohio Players, which debuted and peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in April.
A handful of venues that were scheduled to host the Black Keys — including Austin’s Moody Center (Sept. 18) and New York’s Madison Square Garden (Oct. 30) — acknowledged the nixed dates on their websites and noted that ticket-buyers would be refunded.
“Unfortunately, the Event Organizer has had to cancel this event,” the Moody Center’s date noted. “Ticket holders, please check your email from Ticketmaster for more info.”
The Black Keys have also removed the upcoming North American tour dates from their website, except for a lone appearance at Chicago’s NASCAR Street Race on July 6.
Billboard reached out to the Black Keys’ representatives for comment.
On Sunday, the band posted an update on X (formerly Twitter) in the afternoon, writing, “The band wants to assure everyone that Dan & Patrick are alive and well.”
They continued, “Following the recent run of shows in the UK & Europe, including stops at iconic venues like Brixton Academy and the Zenith in Paris, we have decided to make some changes to the North American leg of the International Players Tour that will enable us to offer a similarly exciting, intimate experience for both fans and the band, and will be announcing a revised set of dates shortly.”
“Everyone who had purchased tickets and/or VIP to the initial tour dates will be fully refunded – and when the new plans are announced, will be the first to be able to buy tickets. Thank you for your understanding and apologies for the surprise change… We’re pretty sure everyone is going to be excited when you see what we have in mind though, and look forward to seeing everyone soon,” the update said.
The tour news arrives on the heels of Black Keys’ appeared on NBC’s The Voice, where members Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney performed their song “Beautiful People (Stay High).” The pair also recently completed the European leg of their tour in mid-May.
The Black Keys launched three singles in the lead-up to the full release of Ohio Players on April 5. Lead single “Beautiful People (Stay High),” which features writing contributions from Grammy-winner Beck, became their seventh chart-topper on Alternative Airplay, spending two weeks atop the ranking.
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