Chris Stapleton Reschedules Four March All-American Road Show Dates
In light of the growing concerns surrounding the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Chris Stapleton has announced that four March stops on his All-American Road Show tour will be rescheduled. The affected shows are in Austin, Texas; Arlington, Texas; Biloxi, Miss. and Birmingham, Ala.
Stapleton kicked off his 2020 All-American Road Show dates on Wednesday (March 11), with the run set to continue through October. As of now, the next official date on the tour is an April 22 stop in Toledo, Ohio.
"We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience this will undoubtedly cause," the singer wrote on social media. "Please know that these decisions are not made lightly, and we are working diligently to find new dates for these shows & will announce that information as soon as it becomes available to us."
The news comes amid a sea of cancellations of country tours, festivals and concerts. Dan + Shay and Kenny Chesney have both postponed the entire spring legs of upcoming tours on Thursday (March 12), and later that day, Billboard reported that Live Nation was suspending all of its tours in light of the virus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday (March 11) officially declared coronavirus a pandemic. According to the WHO, more than 125,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported in more than 110 countries and territories. A total of 4,615 deaths have been reported worldwide as of Wednesday night.
On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a travel ban that will go into effect on Friday (March 13) at midnight. The ban only applies for foreign nationals, NBC News explains, not U.S. citizens, green card holders or the families of U.S. citizens. Additionally, Ireland and the U.K. are exempt from the travel ban, which applies only to people, not foreign goods or trade.
During his Wednesday night address, Trump also urged Americans to be cautious with their health: to wash their hands and stay home if they're feeling ill, and to get tested for coronavirus if they think they may have it.
Within country music, artists are doing their part by either postponing or canceling both concerts and entire tours, while festival organizers are both rescheduling and canceling springtime events. Among others, the annual Stagecoach festival, usually held in April, will now take place in October, while Zac Brown Band have chosen to delay the remainder of their springtime tour dates.
Coronavirus Pandemic: What Country Music Events Are Postponed or Canceled (or Not)?