New Order, BTS, Green Day Among Artists Cancelling Shows Over Coronavirus Fears

Major tours and events around the world are being shut down due to the encroaching pandemic.
New Order, BTS, Green Day Among Artists Cancelling Shows Over Coronavirus Fears

Major tours and events around the world are being shut down due to the encroaching pandemic.

Words: Scott T. Sterling

photo by Nick Wilson

February 28, 2020

As fears over the coronavirus outpace the actual pandemic currently spreading around the globe, a growing number of artists and concert events are being cancelled.

“We have unfortunately made the difficult decision to postpone our upcoming shows in Asia due to the health + travel concerns with coronavirus,” Green Day shared on Twitter yesterday. “We know it sucks, as we were looking forward to seeing you all, but hold on to your tickets we’ll be announcing the new dates very soon.”

“We always love our time in Japan, however we are going to put our upcoming shows in Tokyo and Osaka on hold for the time being,” New Order wrote on Twitter earlier this week. “With the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak, we are concerned about the potential quarantine we may face affecting further shows and appearances… We would also hate to risk our fan’s health or the of risk spreading the virus on our return. We promise we will be back as soon as we can.”

K-Pop mega-stars BTS also cancelled a series of shows in Korea over the coronavirus scare: “It is unavoidable that the concert must be canceled without further delay,” the group announced on Twitter in their native language, as translated by Variety. “Please understand that this decision was made after extensive and careful consideration.” 

Another big postponement on the K-Pop front is the Hollywood Bowl’s Korean Times Music Festival, which was scheduled to happen on April 25.

“It is with deepest regret that we announce the postponement of the 18th KTMF scheduled on April 25th, 2020, due to current travel restrictions in Asia,” reads an announcement on the Hollywood Bowl website, with information on ticket refunds. “We truly apologize for the inconvenience to those who have been looking forward to this event and ask for your kind understanding.”

Stormzy, Khalid, and metal acts Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel are additionally among the roster of artists changing plans due to the virus outbreak. See the continually updating list of show cancellations on Billboard.