logo

Coronavirus: Summer NAMM, Glastonbury and all the affected gigs, festivals, tours and trade shows

Everything you need to know about the gigs, tours, festivals and trade shows that have been cancelled or postponed.

Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters performs onstage at DIRECTV Super Saturday Night 2019 at Atlantic Station on 2 February, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. Image: Theo Wargo / Getty Images for DIRECTV

When you purchase through affiliate links on Guitar.com, you may contribute to our site through commissions. Learn more.

As the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread across the globe, the music industry has experienced a tremendous impact. City lockdowns and mass gathering bans mean gigs, festivals,  tours and trade shows all around the world have been postponed or cancelled. Already, major events such as SXSW and Coachella have been pushed back or canned altogether.

As announcements by artists, management teams and event organisers continue to roll in daily, here’s a definitive list to all gig, festivals, tours and trade shows that have been affected by COVID-19.

What are the latest updates?

Cancelled gigs, festivals, tours and trade shows

David Crosby

David Crosby has announced the postponement of his tour with the Sky Trails Band due to COVID-19. The summer-long trek was planned to kick off 14 May at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, California; ending with a show at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center in New York on 21 June.

In a Tweet, Crosby acknowledged the welfare of fans as a priority amid his disappointment at having to postpone the tour, writing: “It is with great regret that we have to postpone our upcoming tour. The safety and wellbeing of the fans is our paramount concern.”

Pitchfork Music Festival 2020

Pitchfork Music festival is no longer happening this year. Organisers expressed its disappointment at having to cancel the event, writing: “We’re heartbroken to announce the cancellation of Pitchfork Music Festival 2020, due to COVID-19. The company has stated that ticket purchasers would be contacted via email regarding refund options for the now-cancelled event.

Newport’s Jazz and Folk Festivals

Two of Newport’s most prestigious annual music festivals – the Newport Jazz Festival, and the Newport Folk Festival – were cancelled for 2020. The sister events were to feature a stacked lineup including EOB, Big Thief, Randy Newman, Phoebe Bridgers, Norah Jones, Hiromi, and Robert Glasper, among numerous other. A statement from Jay Sweet, executive director of the Newport festivals foundation shared that both festivals have been in talks to bring its star-studded lineup back for next years events.

Lamb of God’s self-titled album

Lamb of God have announced that their upcoming self-titled record will have its release pushed back by five weeks, now arriving on 19 June. In a statement about the delay, the band said: “We’re in extraordinary times due to the current global reality and the delay of shipments of all-but essential goods needed in the fight against COVID-19. After talks with our labels, there is no other option than to delay the release so that fans who pre-ordered the album can receive the record they paid for.”

Germany: Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, Wacken Open Air

Germany’s heavy metal summer festivals have been cancelled following an event ban extension issued by the German government which stated that major events “remain prohibited at least until 31 August 31 2020”. Joint events Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park were scheduled happen 5-7 June, Wacken Open Air was to take place 31 July – 1 August.

Summer NAMM 2020

The annual musical instruments trade show has been called off this year. In a statement on the official website, NAMM Chair C.F. Martin said, “The current circumstances make it impossible to hold the show or to undertake the many months of careful planning and preparation that are required to create a secure and organised event.” The show had been scheduled to take place from 9-11 July.

The Chats

The Chats’ UK and Europe tour has been rescheduled, along with their upcoming US dates. The band have also confirmed that they won’t be playing Australia’s Splendour in the Grass festival, as their new rescheduled dates clash with the postponed festival’s.

Boston Calling

This year’s Boston Calling festival has been cancelled in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The third edition of the festival was to feature headliners Foo Fighters, Rage Against The Machine and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers who recently reunited with John Frusciante.

Primavera Sound

Originally due to take place in June, this Barcelona festival has been rescheduled to 26-30 August 2020 due to what organisers have called “reasons of force majeure known to us all”. Beck, The Strokes, Iggy Pop, Bauhaus, and the reunited Pavement were due to perform.

All Points East

All Points East has been cancelled. It was due to take place over two consecutive May weekends in London. Its impressive line up included Tame Impala, Kraftwerk, The Kooks, Iggy PopJohnny Marr, Massive Attack, Thom Yorke, Jehnny Beth, Bombay Bicycle Club and more.

Isle of Wight Festival

The Isle of Wight festival has been cancelled. The Isle of Wight festival was due to take place between 11 and 14 June, with headline sets from Lionel Richie, Lewis Capaldi, Snow Patrol, The Chemical Brothers and Duran Duran. Like Download, fans can retain their tickets for next year – or get a full refund.

Eagles

Eagles have postponed the rest of their Hotel California tour. The band announced the news via Facebook, writing: “This is complicated, so we ask for your patience and understanding. Meanwhile, stay safe.”

The rest of the tour will now take place across September and October.

Download Festival UK

Download Festival, the UK’s biggest rock and metal event, has been cancelled. Fans were worried after a period of radio silence for the festival, and of course, the many other cancellations surrounding its intended date didn’t assuage any fears. Now, Download joins its Australian counterpart in being cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic.

Joe Satriani

Joe Satriani is postponing the first leg of his Shapeshifting Tour due to COVID-19. It was first announced in November last year, and was set to kick off on 22 May at Bexhill-on-Sea in England. New dates have been announced for spring 2021.

Lindsey Buckingham

Lindsey Buckingham has announced that he will be postponing his 12-date tour. The tour was set to kick off on 25 April in Las Vegas and would have been the former Fleetwood Mac guitarist’s first since recovering from open-heart surgery from a heart attack in February 2019. He shares this statement on twitter:

“It is with great sadness that we are having to postpone my tour dates in April and May due to the [COVID-19] pandemic. We are in the process of rescheduling the dates. Please contact your venue for further information. Full rescheduled dates will be announced as soon as possible.”

Haim

Haim have announced that the pandemic has led them to delay their upcoming record, Women In Music Part III. The band shared the news via Twitter, writing: “we’re on day 11 of quarantine, which has given us a lot of time to think. We’ve been talking every day for hours about our upcoming album and how we want to present it to you guys. Due to everything that is going on with COVID-19 and the changing nature of travel policies and quarantines across the world, we’ve decided it best to postpone the release of Women in Music Part III to later this summer.

“We can’t wait to reschedule everything we had in mind for you all, and we can’t wait to see all of you on the road when it’s 100 percent safe to do so.”

They concluded by sharing that “In the meantime, we are gonna be dropping some new tunes.” The LP was originally to be released on 24 April.

Kent State Shootings 50th Anniversary

An upcoming commemorative concert marking the 50th anniversary of the Kent State shootings has been cancelled. The performance was due to take place on 2 May at the university’s Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center. But, due to overall increases in social distancing measures, a virtual memorial will now instead be held.

David Crosby and Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh were due to headline, both of whom had a connection to the tragedy. At the time, Joe Walsh was attending Kent State as an English major and music minor. He spoke to the San Diego Tribune in 2012 about his experience “After that, I didn’t look at college the same,” he told the San Diego Tribune. “Being at the shootings really affected me profoundly. I decided that maybe I don’t need a degree that bad.” David Crosby also performed on the notable Crosby, Stills and Nash protest song Ohio, written in response to the shootings.

Metallica

Metallica have announced that their spring appearances at US festivals have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Their South American tour with Greta Van Fleet has also been postponed.

They wrote on their website: “As many of you know, in our nearly 40 years of touring, we’ve had a few mishaps along the way: broken bones, trashed appendixes, a pyro mishap, backs thrown out, crazy weather, food poisoning (beware of the oysters!), and even one way-next-level anxiety attack! None of it has ever stopped us, but this is obviously a very different time, and leaving the house now literally means taking your life in your hands. Unfortunately, in these surreal times, that means we have to stay away from each other for the foreseeable future before we can start thinking about ‘Tallica Family reunions around the world.”

Alkaline Trio

In lieu of touring, Alkaline Trio have instead released the three track E.P., following the postponement of their tour with Bad Religion. In a Facebook post announcing the EP, the Chicago rockers said they hoped “some new music will help people transcend the uncertainty and possible fear they might be feeling, if even for a few minutes.

“Music has always had a way of helping us all cope with unpleasant times. We can only hope that ours can do the same for our fans on some level.”

Devin Townsend

Devin Townsend has shared his new Quarantine project. Social distancing guidelines meant Townsend was forced to suspend his current touring cycle, however, to recoup the huge financial impact of this disruption he started a GoFundMe campaign. It was beyond successful – raising over $50,000 in a day.

The UK Bass Guitar Show

The UK Bass Guitar Show has been delayed. The event was due to take place on 28 and 29 March, but will now take place at a later date, yet to be announced.

In a Facebook statement about the rescheduling of the show, organisers Gold Media and Events said: “Ladies & Gentleman, it is with great regret that we have to announce that The UK Bass Guitar Show will be postponed to a later date.

“With the ongoing and present concerns of COVID-19, we have to put our guests, exhibitors, artists and team’s health and safety first following further announcements this evening. New dates for The UK Bass Guitar Show are presently being discussed and will be announced shortly.”

Artists that were due to make an appearance at the show include Billy Sheehan, Laurence Cottle, Yolanda Charles, Peter Hook and more.

Tool

Tool have announced the postponement of their North American shows that were set to take place from 16 April to 6 May. Tickets will be honoured at rescheduled dates, yet to be announced. The second leg of their tour is still scheduled to take place.

TOOL’s April 16 to May 5 North American tour dates have been postponed.TOOL regrets to confirm that the first leg of…

Posted by Tool on Wednesday, March 18, 2020

The 1975

The 1975’s North American tour, due to start in April, has been postponed. Tickets will still be valid for the newly announced dates.

Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones have postponed their No Filter tour. It was due to begin on 8 May. Ticket holders have been told to sit tight for updated dates.

Glastonbury

Organisers Michael and Emily Eavis shared the news that Glastonbury will not happen this year on 18 March. In a statement released online, they cited the huge challenge of putting the festival together while social distancing measures are in effect.

Neil Young

While we may have to revert to ‘not expecting anything‘ from Young in 2020, he’s announced he’ll make the most of things with some cosy fireside streamed gigs.

White Denim

Making the most out of a bad situation, White Denim announced that they will use the time they would have been on the road to instead write, record, mix and deliver a new LP entitled World as a Waiting Room.

Rage Against The Machine

The much-anticipated reunion tour of RATM has been postponed. The band wrote in a statement: “Due to the current outbreak and ban on public gatherings we are postponing the first part of our tour (March 26th-May 20th) with Run The Jewels. The safety and health of all those who come to our shows is of utmost importance to us.” New dates have yet to be announced.

Foo Fighters

Last month, the Foos announced they were ready to embark on a 25 anniversary tour, setting off on the same trek they made in their 1995 US tour. Those plans have screeched to a halt in light of COVID-19 risks. Dave Grohl said in a statement: “Hi, this is Dave. Remember me? The guy who wouldn’t even postpone a show when my goddamn leg was falling off? Well…playing a gig with a sock full of broken bones is one thing, but playing a show when YOUR health and safety is in jeopardy is another. We fuckin’ love you guys. So let’s do this right and rain check shit”. Read the full announcement below:

Download Festival Australia

Download Festival Australia, which My Chemical Romance, Deftones and Jimmy Eat World were due to headline, has been cancelled. News of the cancellation was preceded by MCR pulling out of the line-up late last week.

“To our dearest friends – It is with heavy hearts that we have decided to postpone our performances in Australia and New Zealand”, the band said in a statement at the time. “We felt this was the right decision for our fans, our band, our crew, and our families given the current global situation. We apologise to our fans, but please know that we didn’t come to this decision lightly. Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to being with you all again as soon as we can. In the meantime, please be good to each other.”

The Who

The Who’s latest tour, due to start this week, has been postponed. Roger Daltrey said to fans that the shows will “definitely happen and it may be the last time we do a tour of this type, so keep those tickets, as the shows will be fantastic.” Pete Townshend added: “If one fan caught Coronavirus at a Who concert it would be one too many.”

Pearl Jam

The first leg of Pearl Jam’s much anticipated Gigaton tour has been delayed. It was originally set to kick off on 18 March in Toronto. “As residents of the city of Seattle, we’ve been hit hard and have witnessed firsthand how quickly these disastrous situations can escalate,” Eddie Vedder wrote in a statement regarding the spread of COVID-19. “It’s been brutal and it’s gonna get worse before it gets better.” The statement did not touch on the second leg of the tour, which kicks off in Frankfurt, Germany on 23 June.

Experience PRS 2020

PRS’ 35th anniversary event, Experience PRS 2020, has been cancelled. “We are extremely sorry to not be able to celebrate our 35th Anniversary with this event”, the brand announced in a statement. “At this time, we do not have an alternative date for the next Experience PRS event. We will be discussing that over the coming months and will communicate about any future events as soon as possible. We do have some exciting gear announcements planned in coordination with this event, and we continue to look forward to sharing those with you in the coming months.” The event was also meant to showcase numerous new guitars, including new special Custom 24s and signature models, among the extensive anniversary editions.

Bikini Kill

American punk rockers Bikini Kill have postponed the March leg of their tour. In a statement on Twitter the band wrote: the band wrote: “We take the health and safety of our supporters, crew and opening bands very seriously, and given the situation in Seattle as well as the lack of information about the actual infection rate of the surrounding areas, it doesn’t make sense for us to go forward with any of the shows in the region.”

Courtney Love and Melissa Auf der Maur

Former Hole bandmates Courtney Love and Melissa Aud de Maur’s Planned Parenthood benefit concert on 14 March had to be cancelled. Organised by the Feminist Institute, the event was originally meant to take place at New York’s Town Hall.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9j0pKQFu1F/?utm_source=ig_embed

Coachella and Stagecoach

Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and its sister event Stagecoach have been postponed to October. The former will now take place on 9 to 11 and 16 to 18 October, and Stagecoach will take place the weekend after, from 23 to 25 October. Both events were originally slated for April. See the announcement by organisers Goldenvoice below:

Santana

All European dates of Carlos Santana‘s Miraculous World Tour have been postponed. “It is with great disappointment that I have to inform our fans that we are cancelling our upcoming Europe Tour”, Michael Vrionis, President of Universal Tone Management said. “Many countries have made the decision to restrict public gatherings in excess of 1,000 people to curb the potential spread of coronavirus. While we deeply regret this unfortunate circumstance, the safety of our fans is the main priority for the Santana Organization.” Santana’s US tour dates remain unchanged.

SXSW 2020

Originally scheduled to run from 13 to 22 March across multiple locations in Austin, Texas, SXSW has now been cancelled. It’s the first time in its 34-year history that the music and film festival/conference will not take place as planned. SXSW has announced that registrants will be able to defer their badges to 2021, 2022, or 2023 and “get 50% off the walk-up rate in an alternate year of your choosing between 2021 and 2023”. Read the full statement here.

Knotfest Japan

Slipknot have decided to postpone Knotfest Japan, originally set to take place on 20 and 21 March in the Chiba prefecture, just outside of Tokyo. “In light of global health concerns, Slipknot have decided to postpone their upcoming Asian tour including Knotfest Japan,” the band said in a statement. “While decisions like this are not easy, the safety and well-being of the band’s fans always come first.”

Musikmesse

The largest music instruments trade show in Europe, Musikmesse, has been postponed. It was originally slate for 1 to 4 April. Organisers said in a statement: “The health of exhibitors, visitors, contractors and employees has top priority for Messe Frankfurt. The new dates will be announced in the near future”. However, it is understood that two smaller fringe events, the Musikmesse Plaza pop-up market (3 and 4 April) and the Musikmesse Festival (31 March to 4 April 2020), will go on.

North East Guitar Show 2020

In a statement on its website, Northern Guitar Shows announced that the North East Guitar Show 2020 will be postponed until 14 June. Organisers chose to delay the show to protect both its exhibitors and punters alike.

Posted by Northern Guitar Shows on Saturday, March 14, 2020

More guitar-related news here.

Related Tags

logo

The world’s leading authority and resource for all things guitar.

© 2024 Guitar.com is part of NME Networks.