They say, “It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings.” If that’s true, we’re going to be waiting quite a while to hear her. As we’re all too aware, the Covid pandemic rages on. Despite millions of Americans getting vaccinated, the Delta variant continues to spread, infecting both those who got a shot in the arm and those who didn’t — and bands are not immune.
As we recall from quarantine, one of the best ways to stay healthy is to avoid tightly packed crowds, especially indoors. Hence, the full-on return of live music might still be months away. While some bands are taking preemptive measures and canceling shows despite no one in their entourage being sick, other groups are forced to reschedule tour dates because one of the performers or crew members has fallen ill.
Here are 10 bands who have already canceled their 2021 tour dates because of the Covid Delta variant.
Cover Photo: Kevin Mazur / Contributor (Getty Images)
Covid Bands
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KISS
In late August, Kiss announced in a tweet that their End of the Road Tour stop outside Pittsburgh was canceled due to lead vocalist Paul Stanley testing positive for Covid. The band claimed all members and crew were fully vaccinated, yet a few days later, they postponed four more shows because bassist Gene Simmons also tested positive for the virus.
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Aerosmith
The rock gods were set to take a 50th anniversary tour through Europe this summer, but rescheduled to 2021, then pushed it back even further to 2022. "Due to current conditions and for the safety of our fans, the 2021 European Tour has been rescheduled to 2022," the band said in a statement.
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Incubus
Incubus sidelined a couple of its September shows because an unnamed touring member tested positive. "To our fans in Ohio and Indiana, we regret to announce that there has been a confirmed COVID-19 case within the Incubus touring party. The safety of our fans, crew, venue staff and band is our top priority, so out of an abundance of caution we are postponing our shows in Huber Heights and Fort Wayne this weekend. We appreciate your love & support throughout these unprecedented times and we’ll keep you posted with more info soon. Much love," they said in a video shared on social media.
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Korn
Singer Jonathan Davis tested positive for Covid in August, forcing the band to postpone and/or cancel several tour dates. "We really appreciate your patience as we work out the next steps for our tour," the band said in an Instagram post.
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Limp Bizkit
'90s nu-metal band canceled its Limited Last Minute Post Pandemic Popup Party Edition tour, not because of infection within the band, but because of the greater good. "We are all in this together, and we all -- individually and as a whole -- have to make our best efforts to be as responsible and proactive as possible moving forward to combat and stop spreading COVID," frontman Fred Durst told Billboard.
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Nine Inch Nails
Trent Reznor’s group announced last month that they will not play any more shows for the remainder of 2021. In a statement, NIN said, “When originally planned, these shows were intended to be a cathartic and celebratory return to live music. However, with each passing day it’s becoming more apparent we’re not at that place yet.”
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Pixies
Pixies canceled their September tour, stating, "We have determined with the current surge in COVID cases -- made worse by the Delta variant -- that this is the right decision for our fans and crew members' safety, as well as our own. We ask that our fans stay safe and healthy and we hope to see you all soon."
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Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine and Run the Jewels postponed their aptly named Public Service Announcement tour from April to spring 2022. If that isn’t a PSA for people staying home and staying safe, we don’t know what is.
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Lynyrd Skynyrd
This Florida-based rock outfit reneged on its Pro Football Hall of Fame concert appearance in August when guitarist Rickey Medlocke tested positive for Covid. It also put the kibosh on several other Southern shows.
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BTS
K-pop superstars backed out of a world tour because of the ongoing pandemic. "Due to changing circumstances beyond our control, it has become difficult to resume performances at the same scale and timeline as previously planned," the band’s label said in a statement. "Therefore we must announce the cancellation of the BTS Map of the Soul Tour."
