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Coronavirus: Stormzy, Mariah Carey and other music stars who have cancelled gigs

Written by on 04/03/2020

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.

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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.

Mariah Carey has become the latest star to postpone a show, moving a performance in Hawaii that was due to take place next week.

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 the music acts who have cancelled shows so far.

Stormzy

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.

Mariah Carey

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.”

BTS

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.”

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.”

(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: Stormzy, Mariah Carey and other music stars who have cancelled gigs