Country singer Marcus King was forced to cancel his upcoming tour stops in Australia and New Zealand days ahead of scheduled dates.
Marcus King Addresses Tour Cancellation
King took to social media on Monday, March 23, to share the heartbreaking news with fans.
“Hi everyone, there’s nothing in the world we hate more than having to cancel a show, let alone an entire tour – but sometimes the business side of things just doesn’t line up with our desires / need to play for as many of you amazing folks as possible,” he began in this public statement.
“With that, we sadly must announce that due to the cancellation of Bluesfest, we won’t be able to go on with our planned Australia & New Zealand run,” he continued. “Bluesfest was the anchor for this trip and without that, it just isn’t possible. We WILL be back and we WILL get together again next get down – down under.”
King was slated to perform in Auckland, New Zealand, on April 1, followed by BluesFest in Byron Bay, New South Wales, and then shows in Adelaide, Newtown, and Melbourne, Australia.
BluesFest Was Canceled
BluesFest–which has been held over the Easter long weekend in Byron Bay since 1990—was canceled earlier this month due to poor ticket sales.
“For more than three decades, Bluesfest has brought extraordinary artists and audiences together in Byron Bay while also driving significant tourism and economic activity for the Northern Rivers and New South Wales,” Festival Director Peter Noble said at the time, according to Rolling Stone. “This makes the decision incredibly difficult. After careful consideration, we concluded we could not proceed in a way that would meet the standard our audiences, artists and partners expect.”
The festival, which was set to run from April 2 to April 5, had an incredible lineup of performers slated, including Split Enz, Earth, Wind and Fire, Sublime, 19-Twenty, The Wailers, and Erykah Badu.
According to the outlet, fans can still catch some of the festivals’ canceled acts as they move forward with their Australian tours.
Sublime, The Pogues, The Wailers, The Black Crowes, and Marcus King Band, all plan to continue with their travels down under. However, performances from Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew, Erykah Badu, and Earth, Wind & Fire have all been canceled, Rolling Stone reported.
King’s next scheduled performance, following his Australia cancellation, will be May 1 in Tunica Resorts, Kansas.
