Garth Brooks Cancels Five Upcoming Tour Dates Due to Rising COVID Cases

Country icon Garth Brooks has canceled his five upcoming 2021 tour dates due to the rising COVID-19 cases, he revealed on Wednesday (8/18). The affected shows include Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, scheduled for September 18th; Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, scheduled for September 25th; M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, scheduled for October 2nd; Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, scheduled for October 9th; and Nissan Stadium in Nashville which has not been rescheduled yet.

While rescheduling the concerts in 2022 is a priority for the team, they revealed that all 350,000 of the tickets for the upcoming shows will be refunded to the ticketholders.

“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. I have asked the wonderful cities of Cincinnati and Charlotte to wait too long and I don’t want to now do that same thing to the great folks in Boston and Baltimore. As far as Nashville, we are looking for a make up date from the July rain out and though this is not COVID related, to make them wait makes me sad, as well. So, it is with a heavy heart we announce the decision to cancel all 5 shows but with a hopeful heart, we will reschedule and start over when this wave seems to be behind us,” said Garth Brooks in a statement.

“The joy I have seen in everyone’s faces as live music returns has been more than worth our constant diligence to maintain safety protocols not only for the fans, but for our band, the crew and the hard working staff in these stadiums. Their dedication to safety for the people who fill those seats has been a miracle to watch and a blessing to receive. I am truly grateful.

“I’m sincerely hoping we are back on tour before the year’s end,” he continued. “With that said, the most important thing to me is fulfilling my end of the Stadium Tour by making sure every show is doable before putting tickets on sale (that is why we pulled the Seattle on sale) and making sure the environment these people are trading their time and money to put themselves into is not only the best experience ever, but also the safest one we can provide.”

Ticketholders for Cincinnati, Charlotte, Baltimore, Foxborough and Nashville will not have to take any action for a refund as Ticketmaster will automatically process it to the original method of payment. A spokesperson for Brooks’ tour revealed that they will continue to monitor COVID-19’s impact and how other entities handle the pandemic.