The fears over the coronavirus outbreak have caused postponements of two of this year’s biggest music events. Pearl Jam has announced that they will delay their 2020 tour and there are news reports that Coachella organizers will reschedule the huge music festival until the fall.
Pearl Jam said, “it is with deep frustration and regret” that they have postponed the first leg of their Gigaton tour, and will be rescheduled for a later date.
“As residents of the city of Seattle, we’ve been hit hard and have witnessed firsthand how quickly these disastrous situations can escalate. Our kids’ schools have closed along with universities and businesses,” Pearl Jam tweeted.
Washington state has suffered the most cases of the coronavirus with 180, and they have the highest death toll in the U.S., with 22 people dead from the lethal respiratory disease. The Life Care nursing home center in Kirkland, Washington, had over 30 cases of COVID-19 and 19 deaths.
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“We’ve worked hard with all our management and business associates to find other solutions or options but the levels of risk to our audience and their communities is simply too high for our comfort level,” they wrote in a statement. “Add to that we also have a unique group of passionate fans who travel far and wide. We’ve always been humbled by this and respect their energies and devotion. However, in this case, travel is something to avoid.”
(2/10) It’s been brutal and it’s gonna get worse before it gets better.
So we are being told that being part of large gatherings is high on the list of things to avoid as this global health crisis is now beginning to affect all of our lives.
— Pearl Jam (@PearlJam) March 10, 2020
“Again, here in Seattle what we are witnessing we would not wish for anyone,” the band wrote. “What we do wish for the rest of the country is that they can avoid the harsh negative effects of this and retain their sense of community and take care of one another. Just as we look forward to our next concerts and the ability to gather together and play loud songs as energized as ever. We are so sorry… And deeply upset… If anyone out there feels the same based on this news, we share that emotion with you.”
Pearl Jam’s Gigaton tour was supposed to begin on March 18 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, and finish on April 19 at the Oakland Arena in Oakland, California. The band did not provide a timetable as to when they would reschedule those dates missed because of the COVID-19 concerns.
Pearl Jam’s website still lists numerous tour dates in the summer in Europe as not being postponed as of yet. The next Pearl Jam date is listed as Jun 23 in Frankfurt, Germany. The American rock band is scheduled to play in current coronavirus hotbeds such as Italy, London, and Paris. The next available U.S. date is on September 19, 2020, in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Then there is an unverified report that Coachella will be postponed. According to journalist Yashar Ali, who has worked for New York Magazine and Huffington Post, Coachella will be delayed until the fall.
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“Scoop: A source familiar with the arrangements tells me that the Coachella festival will be postponed due to Coronavirus concerns and moved to the weekends of October 9 and 16,” Ali wrote on Twitter. “As of now, the same lineup is confirmed to perform.”
Scoop: A source familiar with the arrangements tells me that the Coachella festival will be postponed due to Coronavirus concerns and moved to the weekends of October 9 and 16.
As of now, the same lineup is confirmed to perform.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 10, 2020
Coachella is currently scheduled for the weekends of April 10-12 and April 17-19. This year’s music festival is to be held at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. The lineup includes Rage Against the Machine, Calvin Harris, Run the Jewels, Megan Thee Stallion, Thom Yorke, DaBaby, Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey, Lil Uzi Vert, and more.
The Coachella postponement comes only days after SXSW and the Ultra Music Festival were both canceled this year because of coronavirus fears. Last week, a man who tested positive for COVID-19 went to a Tool concert in New Zealand.