BTS Just Canceled Their World Tour — And 15 Other Event Postponements Or Cancelations Due To The Delta Variant
Contrary to some of the discourse out there, the pandemic is far (let me emphasize: far) from over.
The Delta strain of coronavirus is currently the leading variant in the US, and the daily caseload is now at higher levels than in any previous surge except for last winter. Particularly hard-hit areas include regions with low populations of vaccinated people — including states like Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi — where hospitals are struggling to care for patients.
As a result, the resurgence of concert venues and indoor conventions has to take a backseat, with many celebrities, musicians, and other entertainment figures canceling scheduled events. Here's a list of what's been pulled or postponed so far:
1.Schitt's Creek: The Farewell Tour
Over the weekend, father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy announced that the two made the "difficult decision" to cancel all of their dates for the Schitt's Creek North American farewell tour. First scheduled back in March 2020, the tour was supposed to mark a closing for the beloved Canadian sitcom — which concluded its six-season run that year and won a record-setting nine Emmys. In a joint statement on Twitter, they wrote, "When we postponed the Schitt’s Creek: The Farewell tour, we had every hope and intention of traveling to see you later this year. However, despite our best efforts to reschedule while keeping your health and safety at the forefront, we’ve found that state and local mandates vary too widely to do so in the near future."
2.BTS' Map of the Soul World Tour
On Thursday, the sensational K-pop group announced that they are canceling their massive world tour — which was supposed to span 38 concerts across the globe. The tour was originally set to begin in Seoul, South Korea in April 2020 with four shows, which were, of course, canceled following the onset of the pandemic. The rest of the tour was indefinitely postponed prior to the cancellation announcement. "Our company has worked hard to resume preparations for the BTS Map of the Soul Tour, knowing that all fans have been waiting eagerly and long for the tour," Big Hit Music, BTS' entertainment and management company, said in the statement to Army. "However, due to changing circumstances beyond our control, it has become difficult to resume performances at the same scale and timeline as previously planned."
3.VidCon
The conference, which was to be helmed by TikTok for the first time and scheduled for October, was canceled on Friday. This marks the second time VidCon has been canceled, and the event is now pushed back to June 2022. "Unfortunately, the recent growth of COVID-19 cases — which puts our youngest fans at heightened risk — coupled with evolving health and safety mandates, restrict us from hosting the inclusive event we all love so much," a spokesperson for the event told BuzzFeed News.
4.Garth Brooks
The country singer announced on Wednesday that he would be canceling the rest of his stadium tour dates across five cities, including Cincinnati, Charlotte, Baltimore, Foxborough, and Nashville. The songwriter had previously mentioned that he was going to reassess the tour — which began a month ago — in light of the recent surge in cases. "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."
5.Stevie Nicks
Nearly two weeks ago, the rock icon and former Fleetwood Mac singer said in a statement on Twitter that she will no longer tour for the rest of 2021. Similar to Garth Brooks, she was scheduled to play five more shows in Colorado, California, Texas, and Louisiana starting September 3. "These are challenging times with challenging decisions that have to be made. I want everyone to be safe and healthy and the rising COVID cases should be of concern to all of us."
6.Florida Georgia Line
The country duo announced the cancellation of their 2021 I Love My Country Tour two days ago, citing the rise of COVID cases. Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley's tour was set to begin September 24 in Atlanta and run through mid-November. “Due to the rising COVID cases and risk of putting our family, band and crew, friends, and fans in harm's way, we've decided it's best to cancel the fall tour. This breaks our hearts as we were so excited to get back out and throw a party for the fans,” Hubbard said in an Instagram statement.
7.Alan Parsons
On Friday, the Grammy-winning artist said he postponed the U.S. tour of the Alan Parsons Live Project. Alan said the tour — which was set to begin August 27 — will be entirely rescheduled. "Nothing is more important to me than the safety of my band, crew, the concert staff, and most importantly, of course, you — the fans. This has been a very difficult and devastating decision — we were so thrilled to be returning to the stage for the first time in over a year and a half. The world could use more music right now, however, it just isn’t safe yet for us to come together indoors for events like concerts."
8.Nine Inch Nails
The rock band canceled all of their scheduled performances for the rest of the year, including headline shows at Cleveland, Ohio's Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica and Riot Fest 2021. “When originally planned, these shows were intended to be a cathartic and celebratory return to live music,” the group wrote in a statement on Twitter. “However, with each passing day it’s becoming more apparent we’re not at that place yet.”
9.Limp Bizkit
The '90s nu-metal rock band fronted by Fred Durst announced they pulled the plug on their Limited Last Minute Post Pandemic Popup Party Edition Tour. After a return to the stage in Chicago at a packed Lollapalooza, Fred told Billboard that "the system is still very flawed." "Even if the performers, crews, staff, and promoters do their best to ensure safety on and behind the stage, that doesn’t ensure the safety of the audience as a whole. We are all in this together, and we all — individually and as a whole — have to make our best efforts to be as responsible and proactive as possible moving forward to combat and stop spreading COVID."
10.New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Organizers of the festival announced its cancellation two weeks ago, citing the influx of cases in Louisiana. Scheduled to run October 8-10 and 15-17 after last year's cancellation, the event — which is traditionally held during springtime — is set to return April 29-May 8, 2022. "In the meantime, we urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials, so that we can all soon experience together the joy that is Jazz Fest," festival organizers said in a statement on Twitter.
11.Lynyrd Skynyrd
The rock band canceled four of their summer dates two weeks ago, following guitarist Rickey Medlocke testing positive for COVID-19. The band was supposed to resume touring on August 19 with a show in New York but updated fans two days earlier on social media that the performance would not take place. "Due to unforeseen circumstances and a COVID illness within the Lynyrd Skynyrd band, we are unable to perform this Thursday, August 19 at Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center," the band wrote. As of now, Lynyrd Skynyrd is set to perform at their rescheduled show in Atlanta on October 23 and in Mississippi on November 20.
12.Michael Bublé
The Canadian singer-songwriter announced the postponement of his August shows a little over two weeks ago. The dates were then rescheduled for October. As of August 9, however, the tour will end in Argentina, with future dates in South America rescheduled at a later time "given pandemic challenges."
13.Neil Young
Last week, the veteran singer-songwriter withdrew from the sold-out Farm Aid concert, where he was set to perform on Sept. 25 alongside headliners Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Dave Matthews. "My soul tells me it would be wrong to risk having anyone die because they wanted to hear music," he wrote in a message posted to the Neil Young Archives site. "All you people who can't go to a concert because you still don't feel safe, I stand with you. I don't want you to see me playing and think it's safe now."
14.Foo Fighters
Mid-July saw the cancellation of Foo Fighters' performance at The Forum in Los Angeles following a "confirmed COVID-19 case within the Foo Fighters organization." After the hiatus, the rock band returned to the stage in late July for a performance in Cincinnati. The Forum show is rescheduled for April 26 of next year, with the band scheduled to continue their tour in 2022.
15.Korn
The nu-metal band canceled a performance scheduled on August 14 in Pennsylvania hours before it was set to take place after an unidentified person "within the Korn camp" tested positive for the virus. The band later announced on Instagram that the individual was frontman Jonathan Davis, prompting the group to reschedule its next set of dates. "As always, our primary goal is to ensure the safety of everyone involved, so this is something that has to be done. Jonathan’s spirits are high, and he’s resting and recovering now. We’re as disappointed as you are about the circumstances, but we’ll get through it though, and we can’t wait to see you once we’re back, firing on all cylinders once again," the announcement read. Currently, the Pennsylvania show is set for September 25, and the band has yet to announce new dates for postponed shows in Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
16.Fall Out Boy
On Aug. 4, the emo favorite band Fall Out Boy pulled two shows in New York City and Boston from their Hella Mega Tour with Green Day, Weezer, and The Interrupters after a member of the band's team got COVID-19. The band confirmed on Instagram that "everyone on the entire tour, both band and crew, are fully vaccinated" and that "each band and their crew have operated in a bubble independently to safeguard everyone as much as possible." As of now, the band is still set to resume their schedule in late August with a show in Minneapolis.
