ANOTHER SHOW-STOPPING SURGE
Concerts, movies delayed again because of new COVID restrictions — here are the stars you’ll have to wait to see
During the spring and early summer, Americans enjoyed a brief period of live music and moviegoing before COVID cases started to spike and cancellations rolled in.
In response to the changing circumstances, promoters AEG and Live Nation have announced vaccine mandates for their concertgoers starting in October.
Music festivals such as July’s Lollapalooza in Chicago have experimented with requiring attendees to present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. About 200 fans out of 385,000 tested positive in the two weeks after the event began.
But other events that went forward this summer have led to viral outbreaks, such as Watershed Music Festival in George, Washington, which has been tied this week to more than 230 coronavirus cases in a crowd of 25,000.
With movie theaters taking a hit amid the Delta variant and positive COVID tests bringing filming delays, the release dates of many movies have been reshuffled as well.
As the nation heads indoors for the fall, the future of concerts and movies is uncertain. Here’s a list of the notable delays and cancellations.
Concerts
Stevie Nicks: The Fleetwood Mac singer has canceled all five of her performances scheduled for 2021 because of concerns about rising COVID numbers. Nicks, 73, told fans in a tweet announcing her decision that although she is vaccinated, given her age, she is being abundantly cautious.
Limp Bizkit: They played Lollapalooza, but the 1990s rap-rock band announced that they are canceling their 2021 tour dates for the health and safety of all concertgoers.
Michael Bublé: The singer/songwriter has postponed U.S. and South America tour dates in an attempt to avoid this summer’s surge of infections.
Fall Out Boy: On Aug. 4, the band pulled two shows in New York City and Boston from their Hella Mega tour with Green Day, Weezer and The Interrupters after a member of the band’s team tested positive. Yet, they rocked Wrigley Field to its core on Aug. 15.
Lynyrd Skynyrd: The American rock band canceled four shows this August after guitarist Rickey Medlocke tested positive for coronavirus. The band also postponed an Aug. 13 concert in Atlanta until Oct. 23.
Garth Brooks: On Aug. 18, the country music superstar canceled the next five shows on his stadium tour. “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.
Neil Young: The singer/songwriter has withdrawn from the sold-out Farm Aid concert, where he was set to perform alongside Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews on Sept. 25.
Movies
“Avatar 2”: The release of the sequel to the 2009 blockbuster has been pushed from December 2021 to December 2022. All aspects of production have been delayed by COVID, according to a letter released by director James Cameron.
“The Batman’’: A new take on the Dark Knight starring Robert Pattinson has been postponed from Oct. 1, 2021, to March 4, 2022, following a series of delays after cast members tested positive for COVID.
“Dune’’: The star-studded movie adaptation of the sci-fi classic was originally scheduled to premiere December 2020 but was delayed until Oct. 1, 2021, and then pushed again to Oct. 22 2021.
“Halloween Kills’’: The release of the horror reboot was pushed from October 2020 to October 2021, delaying its already scheduled sequel “Halloween Ends” a full year as well, until October 2022.
“The King’s Man’’: The sequel to the “Kingsman” series has been continuously delayed from the original February 2020 release date until September 2020 and then again until Dec. 22, 2021.
“Mission: Impossible 7’’: The film was delayed from Nov. 19, 2021, to May 27, 2022, which pushed “Mission: Impossible 8” from a Nov. 4, 2022 release to July 7, 2023.
“No Time to Die”: The 25th James Bond movie was originally scheduled for release April 2020 but has been delayed a third time until Oct. 8, 2021.
“Thor: Love and Thunder”: In a series of delays to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the fourth “Thor” movie was moved from its original Nov. 5, 2021, release to Feb. 11, 2022, and then again to May 6, 2022.
“Top Gun: Maverick”: The sequel to Tom Cruise’s 1986 classic has been pushed back twice by the pandemic and is now scheduled for Nov. 19, 2021.