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. “In short, the system is still very flawed,” lead singer Fred Durst told Billboard. “Even if the performers, crews, staff and promoters do their best to ensure safety on and behind the stage, that doesn’t ensure the safety of the audience as a whole.”
Singer/songwriter Michael Buble performs at T-Mobile Arena on March 30, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.Getty Images
Michael Buble
The singer/songwriter has postponed U.S. and South America tour dates in an attempt to avoid this summer’s surge of infections. “It is better for me to reschedule these shows to a time when all of us are confident that we can relax and enjoy the show,” the singer announced on Aug. 10.
Korn
On Aug. 14, Korn announced that singer Jonathan Davis had tested positive right before the band’s Scranton show, which they pushed to Sept. 25. Other tour dates in Northeast cities were postponed until October and shows in Darien and Syracuse, New York, were canceled.
Fall Out Boy
On Aug. 4, Fall Out Boy 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.
“Each band and their crew have operated in a bubble independently to safeguard everyone as much as possible at each show and in between shows,” Fall Out Boy wrote on Instagram.
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. Brooks’ wife, singer Trisha Yearwood contracted COVID in February.
Neil Young performs at Painted Turtle Camp on September 14, 2019 in Lake Hughes, California.Getty Images
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.
“My soul tells me it would be wrong to risk having anyone die because they wanted to hear music,” he wrote in a message posted to the Neil Young Archives site. “All you people who can’t go to a concert because you still don’t feel safe, I stand with you. I don’t want you to see me playing and think it’s safe now.”
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.
“As many of you are aware, due to COVID-19, we were forced into an unexpected lengthy delay in starting the live action filming we are currently doing in New Zealand,” he wrote. “What most of you likely do not know is that the pandemic is still preventing us from being allowed to recommence most of our virtual production work on stages in Los Angeles.”
‘The Batman’
“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.
‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’
The family-friendly live action adaptation was set for release Sept. 17 but has been delayed to an as-yet undetermined date.
‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’
In a domino effect of Marvel delays, the premiere of the “Doctor Strange” sequel has been pushed from November 2021 to March 25, 2022. It was originally set for release in May 2021.
Timothee Chalamet in “Dune.”Warner Bros.
‘Dune’
“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.
‘Jurassic World: Dominion’
“Jurassic World: Dominion,” the sixth installment of the blockbuster franchise, was postponed from June 11, 2021, until June 10, 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.
‘Minions: Rise of Gru’
The release of “Minions: Rise of Gru” has been delayed a full two years from its original July 3, 2020, release date, to July 1, 2022.
‘Mission: Impossible 7’
“Mission: Impossible 7” 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.
‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’
The “Shazam!” sequel will now premiere on June 2, 2023, a year after its original June 3, 2022, release date.
‘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.
‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’
The “Venom” sequel will now come out on Oct. 15 instead of Sept. 24. This is the third delay to the release, which was initially scheduled for Oct. 2, 2020.
Festivals
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which was scheduled to run Oct. 8-10 and Oct. 15-17, has been canceled in response to the overwhelming rise in Louisiana’s COVID cases. The festival, which had already been postponed from spring, will offer ticketholders refunds and rollovers to next year’s event, which is scheduled for May.
“In the meantime, we urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials, so that we can all soon experience together the joy that is Jazz Fest,” the announcement read.
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has canceled all its 2021 events and entertainment options, including the rodeo competitions, after already being delayed until May to accommodate the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
President and CEO Chris Boleman announced on Feb. 3: “While we were optimistic that moving our Rodeo to May would provide a better opportunity to host our annual community event that Rodeo fans have come to love and expect, unfortunately, it has become evident that the current health situation has not improved to the degree necessary to host our event.”
Gulf Coast Jam
The Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam music festival, which successfully hosted country music lovers in Panama City Beach, Florida, this June, has postponed its Labor Day event until June 3-5, 2022.
In the release announcing the delay, organizers cited Bay County, Florida’s surge in cases this summer and promised ticketholders rollovers and refunds.
Coachella and Stagecoach
In January, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach country music festival, which were scheduled for April, were canceled.
The announcement marked the third time the Coachella festival was canceled because of the pandemic. “We look forward to when the events may return,” Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser wrote.
Electric Forest
The outdoor music festival in Rothbury, Michigan, was canceled for the second year in a row this April and postponed until 2022.
“We must balance our optimism with realism – and we must respect the process in place, the efforts underway, and the sacrifices we’ve all made over the last year in an effort to keep each other safe,” the announcement read.
