Garth Brooks cancels tour dates due to Delta variant : ‘I must do my part’

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN

Garth Brooks is putting his live music party on hold.

The country superstar on Wednesday said he’s canceling the next five stops on his tour, the last of which was supposed to take place on October 9.

“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,” Brooks said in a statement.

Brooks restarted his tour in July and, according to a release, had been set to perform in the cities of Cincinnati (Sept. 18), Charlotte (Sept. 25), Baltimore (Oct. 2), Foxborough (Oct. 9) and Nashville (which had not been rescheduled after being canceled due to inclement weather).

Brooks wrote that he is “hopeful” that he can find new dates “and start over when this wave seems to be behind us.” This could happen as soon as year’s end, he added.

“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,” he said.

The roughly 350,000 tickets for the five shows affected will be refunded.

“The joy I have seen in everyone’s faces as live music returns has been more than worth our constant diligence to maintain safety protocols not only for the fans, but for our band, the crew and the hard working staff in these stadiums,” Brooks added. “Their dedication to safety for the people who fill those seats has been a miracle to watch and a blessing to receive. I am truly grateful.”

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