Florida Georgia Line Cancels Fall Tour Because Of Rising COVID Cases; BTS Nixes ‘Map Of The Soul’ World Tour

Florida Georgia Line
John Davisson – Florida Georgia Line
Florida Georgia Line closes out day one of the Tortuga Music Festival in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., April 6.

The members of Florida Georgia Line may love their country, but they love their fans and crew even more. The country duo broke the news today that their fall 2021 outing, “I Love My Country Tour,” has been called off. A statement posted on the group’s social media pages didn’t mention COVID but pointed to “everyone’s continued safety.”

Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley were supposed to hit the road starting Sept. 24 at Atlanta’s Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood. The 29-stop trek is made up of amphitheatre and arena shows with stops including Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, United Center in Chicago, T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Save Mart Center in Fresno and Ball Arena in Denver. The last show on the routing is Nov. 20 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.  
The statement from FGL said: “While we’ve been able to see some of y’all at shows recently, everyone’s continued safety has been weighing heavy on us. We’re so bummed to have to cancel this tour, but we know in our hearts that we still have to make sure we’re keeping our fans and crew safe. We love y’all and can’t wait to be back out when the time is right.
“For all current ticket holders, refunds will be issued to the original method of payment used at time of purchase. No action is required to obtain a refund.”
Hubbard referenced the pandemic in a statement on his personal Instagram page: “We’ve been faced with one of the toughest decisions we’ve had to make in a while. Due to the rising COVID cases and risk of putting our family, band and crew, friends, and fans in harms way, we’ve decided it’s best to cancel the fall tour. This breaks our hearts as we were so excited to get back out and throw a party for the fans. We are so disappointed. 
“It’s been a long hard last year and a half for us. One thing I put my hope in is that even when it doesn’t make sense, when times are tough, the Lord is in control and known what He is doing. I look forward to seeing what he’s up to. 
I love you all. The support and encouragement has meant so much.”
Kelley shared FGL’s official post on his Instagram stories with the caption: “Massive bummer ya’ll!! Was looking forward to this more than anything! Sad day. LOVEYALL”
The fall tour was supposed to feature Russell Dickerson as direct support, along with Lauren Alaina and Redferrin as openers on all dates. The trek was presented by Old Camp, sponsored by T-Mobile and produced by Live Nation.
Reports submitted to Pollstar’s Boxoffice for FGL include a Sept. 27, 2019, show at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., that sold 22,112 tickets and grossed $1,528,404.
Florida Georgia Line’s cancellation follows news earlier this week that Garth Brooks was canceling the five stadium shows he had on the books, citing a surge in COVID cases. Neil Young also nixed his appearance at the sold-out 2021 Farm Aid, while Nine Inch Nails announced it was cancelling all scheduled appearances, including two shows in Cleveland, Ohio, and festival appearances at Riot Fest, Louder Than Life and Welcome To Rockville. 
Yola and Jason Isbell canceled their appearances at the Sept. 11-12 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion with each artist issuing quotes saying they were unable with the event’s lack of COVID protocols.  
Meanwhile, Korn announced it was rescheduling six shows and canceling two dates of its upcoming shows after frontman Jonathan Davis tested positive for COVID. The String Cheese Incident also had to reschedule dates after a band member tested positive for COVID. 

BTS hadn’t yet announced rescheduled dates for its “Map of the Soul” world tour that was supposed to start in April 2020 but entertainment / management company Big Hit Music has issued a statement via its Weverse fan platform saying the trek has been called off. 
“Our company has worked hard to resume preparations for the BTS Map of the Soul Tour, knowing that all fans have been waiting eagerly and long for the tour,” Big Hit Music said in a statement, Variety reported Aug. 20. “Due to changing circumstances beyond our control, it has become difficult to resume performances at the same scale and timeline as previously planned.””
The statement added, “We are working to prepare a viable schedule and performance format that can meet your expectations, and we will provide updated notices as soon as possible,” the label said.”