Welp, Coronavirus has finally claimed its first MAJOR tour casualty.
Dan + Shay canceled the spring leg of their tour, and select artists have had to cancel a few dates here and there, but Kenny Chesney and FGL were gearing up to play football and baseball stadiums this spring. Michael Franti & Spearhead were to join him on select amphitheater dates, which have been canceled as well.
Kenny released the following statements regarding the cancellations:
“You can’t take risks without really understanding the consequences. In times of uncertainty, I won’t take chances with those I love. I can’t imagine, as much as we love being out there playing for the fans, being able to do that through the worry our nation is experiencing. So, while we wait to see how this terrible virus is going to impact our country, I think it’s only fair to move these first several dates now. We are figuring some of this out as we go, but I know people buy airline tickets, book hotel rooms – and I wanted to try to give everyone as much time to sort that out as possible.”
Starting April 18th at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, and running through May, Kenny will be canceling 11 dates initially.
“Nobody wants to get out there for these shows more than I do. We’ve started rehearsals; everything is loaded in – and the band sounds great. Music is medicine when your soul or your heart need healing, but I don’t want my music to put anyone at risk. So, I promise: we are going to work as quickly as we can to sort out what we can and can’t do in terms of these dates. We’re going to cross our fingers this pandemic will resolve as some of the experts have suggested, and we hope to kick off the tour May 30th at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, a venue we’ve played since 2005. But mostly, I hope this virus is contained, and the suffering and deaths are kept to the fewest possible people.”
Stay tuned for more updates.
I think it’s safe to say we’re going to see a lot more of these…
POSTPONED DATES:
April 18 – AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
April 25 – Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wis.
May 2 – U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minn.
May 7 – iThink Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, Fla.
May 9 – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
May 13 – BankPlus Amphitheater, Southaven, Miss.
May 14 – Brandon Amphitheater, Brandon, Miss.
May 16 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
May 22 – Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas
May 23 – Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
May 28 – Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
