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Coronavirus: Garth Brooks cancels concerts in 5 cities amid COVID-19 surge

Garth Brooks confirmed Wednesday afternoon that he is canceling the next five shows on his upcoming stadium tour.

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Replacement dates will be sought in 2022, and Ticketmaster will issue automatic refunds to the original payment methods used when tickets were originally purchased, the tour stated in a news release.

The country music superstar said in a prepared statement that he had been hopeful earlier in the summer that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic had passed, but the current nationwide surge in new COVID-19 infections means he must use his platform to keep fans safe.

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“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,” Brooks stated.

The five canceled shows include:

  • Sept. 18 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati
  • Sept. 25 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Oct. 2 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore
  • Oct. 9 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts
  • TBD at Nissan Stadium in Nashville

Brooks, one of the biggest selling entertainers in music, resumed touring in July and regularly performs in front of as many as 70,000 people per stadium, The Associated Press reported.

A spokesperson for the tour said that the team will continue to monitor the virus’ impact and watch how schools, sports and other entertainment entities handle the ongoing pandemic.

“I’m sincerely hoping we are back on tour before the year’s end,” Brooks stated. “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.”

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