December 28, 2024
Coronavirus: Madonna becomes latest star to cancel gigs
Madonna has become the latest star to cancel gigs due to coronavirus.
Shows due to take place in Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday have been called off, promoter Live Nation said, citing restrictions imposed over the outbreak
It comes after France on Sunday banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people.
As coronavirus continues to spread, restrictions on travel and large public events in some parts of the world mean more and more music stars are cancelling gigs.
Fears over the outbreak have already prompted the cancellation of festivals and concerts across Asia, and some shows in Europe have also been called off.
Last week, major US festival SXSW was cancelled for the first time in 34 years.
Organisers said they were “devastated to share this news”, and added that they are now “working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation”.
The statement added: “‘The show must go on’ is in our DNA, and this is the first time in 34 years that the March event will not take place.
“We are committed to do our part to help protect our staff, attendees, and fellow Austinites.
“We are exploring options to reschedule the event and are working to provide a virtual SXSW online experience as soon as possible for 2020 participants.”
Mariah Carey and Slipknot are also among the stars who have postponed shows.
As the number of worldwide cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, continues to rise, there are fears there could be more to come as efforts are made to contain the spread.
Here are other music acts who have cancelled gigs so far.
The rapper is currently in the middle of his Heavy Is The Head tour, his biggest to date. In February, he announced that gigs in Asia scheduled for this month would not be going ahead.
Writing on Twitter, he said: “I was seriously looking forward to bringing the #HITH World tour to Asia and playing some epic sold out shows but due to the ongoing health and travel concerns surrounding the coronavirus, I’m regrettably having to reschedule this leg of the tour.”
“I promise I’ll be back,” he added.
The affected shows are in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea.
A gig planned for 5 March in Zurich, Switzerland – where the government has put a ban on any events with more than 1,000 people in attendance – has also been called off.
The chart-topping singer has blamed “international travel restrictions” for pushing a concert in Hawaii due to take place on 10 March back to November.
Writing on Instagram, Carey, 49, said: “Aloha Hawaii!! I’m so so sad to have to announce that I’m postponing my show to November.
“I was so excited to come back to Hawaii on my ‘anniversary month’ but evolving international travel restrictions force us to consider everyone’s safety and well being.”
The star said she is “super excited” to appear in Honolulu for a Christmas-themed performance in November, adding: “I can’t wait to see you! Stay safe!!”
Avril Lavigne
The US singer announced on Friday that she had called off a show due to be held in Zurich on 13 March.
The following day, she announced the cancellation of several shows in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines, which were scheduled for May, saying she was “completely bummed out” at having to make the decision.
“I am so sad to announce that we are unable to tour the Asian markets due to the continuous outbreak of the coronavirus,” she wrote on social media. “My band, crew and I have been working so hard to bring this tour worldwide and are completely bummed out.
“Please everybody take care of yourselves and stay healthy. You’re in my thoughts and prayers and we are hoping to announce rescheduled shows soon.”
In South Korea, which has the largest outbreak outside mainland China, K-Pop stars BTS have cancelled concerts due to take place in Seoul in April.
The seven-piece South Korean boyband are promoting their new album, Map Of The Soul: 7, but at a press conference last week, fans were urged to stay away.
Band member Jimin said: “Health is always on our minds these days, and our messages of facing your inner self and loving yourself are ultimately only possible when you’re healthy.
“Especially since it is very risky outside these days. I hope you take care of yourself.”
The band’s management, Big Hit Entertainment, put out a statement saying: “We have decided to fully co-operate with the government’s policy to refrain from holding events with a massive number of participants in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.”
Green Day
The punk band called off March shows due to take place in Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Taipei, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan, announcing the news at the end of February.
Posting on social media, they said: “We have unfortunately made the difficult decision to postpone our upcoming shows in Asia due to the health + travel concerns with coronavirus.
“We know it sucks, as we were looking forward to seeing you all, but hold on to your tickets we’ll be announcing the new dates very soon.”
Slipknot
The heavy-metal band have pushed back all their gigs in Asia which were due to take place at the end of March. That includes the Knotfest festival, which they set up in 2012.
Posting on Twitter on 5 March, the band said: “In light of global health concerns, Slipknot have decided to postpone their upcoming Asian tour, including Knotfest Japan. While decisions like this are not easy, the safety and wellbeing of the band’s fans always comes first.
“Furthermore in this case, the bands and artists, crew and local employees are also equally effected, and as such, this was the only responsible decision that could be made.
“Slipknot and Knotfest will both return to Asia very soon, and at such time that everyone can be ensured of the best experience possible.”
A separate statement about Knotfest, which was due to be held in Japan on 20 and 21 March, and is also due to take place in the UK later in the year, said the decision had been made “due to the current situation with the coronavirus mandates in Japan”.
Mabel
The Brit Award-winner cancelled a show planned for Milan, Italy, on 24 February. The country has seen a high number of cases of the disease.
“Due to recent events concerning the coronavirus in Italy, we’ve been advised by the minister of health and the president of the Lombardy region not to go ahead with [the] show in Milan,” she posted on social media.
“So sad to have to write this, but safety is the absolute priority here! Hoping to reschedule soon. Love M x.”
Foals
The band had been due to play three dates in Japan starting on 3 March. In a statement, they said they realised many fans would no longer be able to attend due to the outbreak, and wanted to make sure all their fans who bought tickets get to see them play live.
“Due to the uncertainty around the Covid 19 virus we have taken the difficult decision to postpone our Japanese tour dates to later this year. We hope to announce the new dates very soon,” the band said.
“We are so sorry that we won’t be there next week. We want everyone who has purchased a ticket to be able to attend & it has been clear through the messages we are receiving that many of you were not going to be able to be at the shows as scheduled.
“We will be back to honour these engagements, so will just be seeing you a little later than expected. In the meantime, please hang on to your tickets.
“Big big love, Foals.”
The National
The band were due to play two shows in Tokyo on 17 and 18 March but say they have had to cancel in the interest of public safety.
“Much to our disappointment, in the interest of public safety our March 17+18 dates in Tokyo have been cancelled,” they said in a statement. Refunds will be available at the point of purchase from March 3 to March 31, 2020.
“We look forward to returning in the future and performing for our friends in Japan.”
Sam Fender
The Brit nominee’s show in Zurich, set for 1 March, has been rescheduled for September due to the country’s national cancellation of 1,000+ events.
“The Swiss government have cancelled all events over 1,000 capacity due to the Corona Virus!,” the singer tweeted on Saturday.
“Tomorrow’s Zurich show will now take place in September, all tickets remain valid x.”
The Pixies
The band cancelled several concerts in Japan and China due to the outbreak and are due to resume their current tour in New Zealand on 6 March.
No details about rescheduling the shows have been released.
New Order
The band announced at the end of February that they were postponing gigs in Tokyo and Osaka, but have promised to “be back as soon as we can”.
“We always love our time in Japan, however we are going to put our upcoming shows in Tokyo and Osaka on hold for the time being,” a statement posted on Twitter said.
“With the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak, we are concerned about the potential quarantine we may face affecting further shows and appearances.
“We would also hate to risk our fan’s health or the of risk spreading the virus on our return. We promise we will be back as soon as we can.” – skynews.com
