The emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant has led to a spike in coronavirus infections across the U.S. at the start of 2022, with the number increasing every day — and as a result, COVID-19 continues to take its toll on the live music industry.
As announcements of cancellations and postponements roll in, we’re keeping track of the latest in this updating list. Below, find all the 2022 concerts and festivals that have been canceled or rescheduled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (These are listed in descending order of announcement, so find the latest cancellations at the very top.)
The Pretty Reckless
Taylor Momsen shared on Thursday (July 7) that she had tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, The Pretty Reckless canceled three shows, which they were set to play with Halestorm. “Despite our best efforts, COVID finally bit,” the band’s statement on Instagram read. “We could not wait to get back on the road with our friends in Halestorm, but wait we will have to.”
Chris Stapleton
The country star announced June 21 that he was rescheduling several shows after testing positive for COVID-19. “I want to sincerely thank everyone who has waited so long for these shows,” he shared in a social media post about the situation. “We are incredibly grateful for your patience, love and support.”
Rolling Stones
The iconic band announced on June 13 that it was postponing that evening’s show after frontman Mick Jagger tested positive. The rockers noted that Jagger was “experiencing symptoms of COVID” after arriving at the Johan Cruijff Arena.
Ringo Starr
The Beatle postponed the remainder of his summer tour dates on June 11 after two of his All-Star band members contracted the virus. “We are so sorry to let the fans down,” he said in a statement. “But as we all know, Covid is still here and despite being careful these things happen. I want to thank the fans for their patience, I send you all peace and love, and we can’t wait to be back in the fall.”
Doobie Brothers
The band announced June 4 that they were rescheduling several June dates for July after members of their party tested positive for coronavirus. “Several members of the Doobies touring party came down with Covid and we had no choice but to reschedule the below dates,” they said in a statement on social media. “We look forward to seeing you all very soon.”
Camilo
The Colombian star announced on June 2 that his concert that night in Mexico City would not go on as planned, as he and several members of his team had tested positive for COVID-19. “I’m extremely sad to postpone the show. Playing here filled me with excitement,” he said in a video posted to social media. “The most important thing is health, but after that the most important thing is to honor this encounter we had planned at the Mexico City Arena.”
The Strokes
The band canceled a pair of festival headlining spots — Boston Calling and Primavera Sound — due to the virus. In a statement about the Boston Calling show, the group shared that someone had tested positive for the coronavirus; in the second announcement, they simply cited the “ongoing covid situation.”
Haim
The band’s May 19 show in Cincinnati was postponed after cases in their camp. According to a statement from the venue, there was “a recent COVID-19 outbreak” on the tour, and the show was rescheduled for the end of the month.
Pearl Jam
The Seattle band announced May 18 that it was canceling the final two shows of its North American tour after bassist Jeff Ament tested positive. This came after Matt Cameron contracted the virus and sat out several shows while guest drummers filled his spot.
Eric Clapton
The singer, who has been vocal about his mistrust of the vaccines after his experience with the AstraZeneca shot, announced on May 16 that he had tested positive. “He has been told by his medical advisors that if he were to resume traveling and performing too soon, it could substantially delay his full recovery,” read a statement. “Eric is also anxious to avoid passing on any infection to any of his band, crew, promoters, their staff and of course, the fans.”
Jon Batiste
The Grammy winner announced May 6 that he had tested positive for COVID-19, and was not only sitting out from his usual gig as band leader of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, but would also postpone the premiere of American Symphony at Carnegie Hall. His diagnosis came days after he attended the Met Gala.
Avril Lavigne
The artist announced May 1 that she was postponing several of her Love Sux tour shows in Canada after someone on her team tested positive. ““To my fans and friends in Laval, QC, Moncton, NB and Halifax, NS, we are sincerely sorry to let you know that we are postponing these shows due to a positive COVID case within the tour and subsequent exposures,” Lavigne shared hours before her Laval show.
Brandi Carlile
The singer-songwriter announced on April 27 that the virus “finally got me.” She canceled her planned Stagecoach set for the weekend.
Rick Springfield and Zoot
Springfield’s homecoming reunion tour with Zoot for Australia was canceled April 13. After delays due to COVID, it was decided “rather than postpone the tour yet again, the decision has been taken to cancel the tour and refund all ticket holders,” according to a statement from the tour’s producer.
J Balvin
The Colombian artist announced April 12 that he was postponing his 25-date Jose tour, which was scheduled to kick off a week later. “COVID has caused some unforeseen production challenges, and I wouldn’t be able to keep my promise of giving you the absolute best show possible,” Balvin explained in an Instagram post. “Because I believe you deserve that, I’ve made the difficult decisions to reschedule the tour.”
Mammoth WVH
The band announced April 6 that it was canceling the last six shows of its Young Guns tour after both band and crew members came down with COVID-19. “With only 6 shows left in the tour, it breaks my heart that we unfortunately won’t be able to continue,” Wolfgang Van Halen wrote. “Mammoth WVH will do our very best to make up the dates that we missed to the fans in those markets in the future.”
Midnight Oil
The group briefly hit pause on its tour of Australia when drummer Rob Hirst tested positive in early March.
Willie Nelson
The country legend announced Feb. 15 that he was canceling several indoor concerts in an abundance of caution. “We are canceling our indoor headline shows until the COVID situation improves, as the safety of the audience and Willie and his touring personnel are of the utmost importance,” his rep said via a statement. “When we are able, we will look to make up shows when possible.”
He also canceled his May 8 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival set and postponed other shows after a member of his band tested positive.
Eddie Vedder
The Pearl Jam frontman told fans on Valentine’s Day that he was postponing two of his shows after a member of his touring team contracted COVID-19. “We have been following Covid protocols but still had a positive test in our touring party,” he shared. “The appropriate response is to postpone the next two shows. Everyone, please take care.”
Avril Lavigne
The artist shared bad news with her fans on Feb. 7, announcing that she would be postponing the European and U.K. leg of her 2022 tour to the following year. “I have to make the difficult decision to postpone this tour until 2023,” she wrote on social media. “Due to the on-going issues surrounding the pandemic, there are a series of travel and venue restrictions from country to country that have made the tour not possible to happen.”
Aerosmith
The rockers announced on Jan. 31 that they were nixing their summer European tour. “We have continued to monitor the ongoing COVID situation and with the related uncertainty around travel logistics and the continued presence of COVID restrictions and other issues, it has become clear that it will not be possible to go ahead with our summer shows in the region,” the group shared in a statement. “The health, safety and well being of our fans is our number one priority. We will be back to rock out with everyone and we hope to have some exciting news to announce soon.”
Elton John
The iconic artist announced Jan. 25 that he was postponing the Dallas dates of his farewell tour after contracting the virus. He shared in his Instagram stories: “Hi everyone, wanted to send a message to let you know that I have contracted COVID and so have had to reschedule my shows in Dallas.”
Måneskin
The rockers announced on Jan. 24, just days after their Saturday Night Live debut, that they were postponing their European tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We worked a lot for this tour and everything was set and ready to go but unfortunately in the last few days we had some bad news about the capacity of the venues,” they shared in a social media post. The group added that their decision was due to the constantly changing protocols in the various countries they had dates in, noting that it was difficult to put on a wide-scale tour with such challenges.
The Fugees
Lauryn Hill announced on Jan. 21 that the reunion tour was off. “The continued Covid pandemic has made touring conditions difficult, and we want to make sure we keep our fans and ourselves healthy and safe,” she explained on Instagram. “An idea sparked to honor and celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Score but we see now it may not currently be our time for revisiting this past work.”
Adele
The pop star shared a tearful video Jan. 20 in which she announced that she was postponing her Las Vegas residency, which was scheduled to kick off the following day. “I’m so sorry, but my show ain’t ready,” she said. “We’ve tried absolutely everything that we can to pull it together in time and for it to be good enough for you, but we’ve been absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and COVID. Half my crew, half my team are down with COVID. They still are. And it’s been impossible to finish the show.”
Rage Against the Machine
The rockers announced on Jan. 20 that it was dropping off the Boston Calling lineup and once more delaying the start of their Public Service Announcement tour. The tour will now begin July 9 instead of March 31.
Roddy Ricch
The rapper revealed on Jan. 12 that he had to drop out of his scheduled Jan. 15 Saturday Night Live performance. “Due to recent COVID-19 exposure on my team and to keep everyone safe I won’t be able to perform on SNL this weekend,” he shared on Instagram Stories. “I’m working with the SNL team to lock in a new date though! LOVE [pray emoji] STAY SAFE.”
Dirty Honey and Mammoth
The groups postponed the start date of their joint tour nearly a month, from Jan. 28 to Feb. 20. “We take the health and safety of the bands, road crews, local venue staff and especially our fans very seriously,” they shared in a joint statement. “Due to an abundance of caution regarding the recent COVID surge, we have decided to postpone the start of the Young Guns tour.”
Blossoms
The indie band announced on Jan. 12 that it was postponing its European tour dates. “We’re really gutted to have to announce that, due to the current situation with COVID, our forthcoming dates in Germany, France, Belgium and Netherlands have been postponed and will no longer be happening in January and February,” they shared on social media.
Jason Isbell
Jason Isbell tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19 on Jan. 11 and canceled and rescheduled a series of shows as a result. “Got myself a breakthrough case of COVID,” Isbell told his fans via Twitter. “Lotta sinus drainage type stuff, scratchy in my throat and some muscle aches but no cough or breathing issues fyi. Boosted and very grateful for it.” Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit shows in Asheville, N.C., slated for Jan. 11-12, have been canceled. Concerts in Louisville (Jan. 14-15), Columbus, Ohio (Jan. 16), Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (Jan. 17) and Wilmington, N.C. (Jan. 19) will be rescheduled. His next tour date will be Jan. 21 in Charlotte, N.C., with opener Adia Victoria.
The BPM Festival Costa Rica
Two days before it was scheduled to begin, organizers of The BPM Festival Costa Rica postponed the event. The festival had been scheduled to take place in the beach town of Tamarindo, Costa Rica from Jan. 12-18, 2022. Organizers have not yet published new dates. “After more than a year of planning and looking forward to welcoming you to our 15th anniversary edition, we sympathize with your sense of disappointment and frustration and are beyond heartbroken to share this news with you,” BPM organizers wrote in a statement.
Billy Joel
Billy Joel announced via Twitter that his Jan. 14 show Madison Square Garden will now be taking place on Aug. 24, making it the second postponement for the event. “Nothing is more important to me than the safety and well-being of my band, crew, and the fans; so due to unfortunate COVID-related circumstances, we made the decision to reschedule the January 14th concert at MSG,” Joel wrote.
Rina Sawayama
“Due to the ongoing restrictions resulting from the recent COVID surge, I’m having to cancel all my European dates in March this year. I was so excited to come play for you all, so this is hugely disappointing,” Sawayama shared via social media. The good news, she said, was that she promised she’ll return to the EU again “soon” with what she described as “a bigger show and new music (EEEEE).”
64th Annual Grammy Awards
The Recording Academy postponed the 64th annual Grammy Awards due to the spreading COVID-19 omicron variant, the organization announced. The event was originally set for Jan. 31 at CRYPTO.COM Arena in Los Angeles, but will now move to spring — possibly April — sources say. “After careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners, the Recording Academy and CBS have postponed the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards Show,” said a joint statement from the Recording Academy and CBS. “The health and safety of those in our music community, the live audience, and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly to produce our show remains our top priority. Given the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant, holding the show on January 31 simply contains too many risks. We look forward to celebrating Music’s Biggest Night on a future date, which will be announced soon.”
Los Temerarios
In an official press release shared on their social media channels, Los Temerarios said that due to the “critical situation,” they decided to postpone their 2022 tour — which was set to kick off Feb. 4 — and move it to 2023. “At this moment, everyone’s health is top priority, and although we want to return to the stage and reunite with our fans, we don’t want to put anyone at risk,” the band, led by brothers Gustavo and Adolfo Angel, wrote.
Carlos Vives
Carlos Vives announced that his Después de todo … Vives tour, which kicked off in December and was set to pick up Jan. 13 in Seattle, was postponed until further notice.
David Lee Roth
The 66-year-old former Van Halen singer was slated to cap his career with a string of five farewell residency shows at Las Vegas’ House of Blues at Mandalay Bay in January after canceling his planned New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day shows at the venue due to the rapid spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. The shows are now listed as “canceled” on the venue’s site, but Roth’s reps did announced on Dec. 30 that the New Year’s shows would be pushed to Feb. 11-12.
