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Updated: A round-up of all tours and events affected by coronavirus in 2021

Stay up-to-date on all cancelled and rescheduled tours, festivals and events this year.

Words: Emily Carter
Photo: Jake Owens

June 11th 2021, 9:00a.m.

While there seems to be a tiiiiiiny glimmer of a light at the end of the tunnel in some areas around the world when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic finally going away (in the UK, for example, the government have plotted a four-step roadmap out of lockdown that could see large live shows returning in June), bands, artists and events are still having to move around their schedules to accommodate the ever-changing situation.

Thankfully, unlike last year, many changes fall more under the 'rescheduling' side of things rather than being outright cancelled, but it's still making things incredibly hard to keep up with in terms of people being able to plan their future. Here, then, is a list of everything that has been (and is being) affected by the COVID-19 pandemic – with the most recent tour and event announcements starting at the top…

  • Slipknot's summer dates in Europe are getting postponed…

"Our 2021 festival dates across Russia, Ukraine and Europe have been rescheduled for 2022," say the band. "Further shows and dates will be announced soon."

  • Meshuggah have pushed back their European tour to next year.

The band will still be joined on the road by Zeal & Ardor at their new 2022 dates, which kick off in Hamburg, Germany on May 5, and finish up at London's Royal Albert Hall on June 3.

  • The Pop-Punk's Still Not Dead Tour has been rescheduled.

The huge U.S. run featuring genre heavyweights Simple Plan and New Found Glory kicks off on August 31, and finishes up on October 16…

"Rammstein are announcing today that the band's first-ever full production stadium tour in North America will be moved to autumn 2022," reads a statement. "Due to overwhelming popular demand, the tour has added a second date at the L.A. Coliseum and a third show at Foro Sol in Mexico City!"

"OK summer lovers, we’re gutted to have tell you that we are finally calling time on ATG 2021," announce Si, James and Goc. "We tried for as long as possible to stay optimistic but unfortunately, like so many other festivals and events who have already cancelled this year, we have had to take the incredibly tough decision to postpone ArcTanGent until August 17 – 20, 2022.

"We’re beyond devastated that we won’t be able to hang out with you for another year…"

Read the full statement here.

  • The U.S. leg of Parkway Drive's Viva The Underdogs tour is being moved to next year.

"We've had to make the decision to move our North American Viva The Underdogs tour to 2022," the band confirm. "All tickets will be honoured and new dates will be announced shortly. Thanks for your patience and we can’t wait to come back and play for you and warm the room up with lots of pyro!"

  • Rebellion Fest 2021 has been postponed.

"This time last year we were forced to make the heart-breaking decision to cancel Rebellion," the festival team say. "A year on and we are absolutely devastated to confirm that yet again we are not able to go ahead on our advertised dates. Despite the intention, desire and willingness of ourselves, the venue, the bands and the local businesses for this year to go ahead, it has become increasingly clear that due to circumstances beyond our control, we can’t.

"We’ve been open and transparent with you throughout this pandemic and have been humbled by the responses to our posts. We were hopeful (but cautious) about this year but require a few essential things to be confirmed for us to start putting the event on, and in all honesty, we’re just not getting the information that we need to proceed. The feeling is that music festivals are being ‘timed out’. No-one is saying we can't go ahead, but nothing is in place yet than means we can either. That is why the last few weeks have seen many many independent festivals take the tough decision to cancel and we know there are many more that will soon be making their announcements too."

  • I Prevail's UK and European tour has been rescheduled to February and March next year.

"We've rescheduled our upcoming tour to February / March 2022," the band say. "We're also excited to announce we're bringing Wage War and Dream State with us."

  • This year's Ramblin' Man Fair "will not happen".

"We thank everyone for their patience while we held our line until the last possible moment to make an informed decision," reads a statement. "The reasons are many but all – unsurprisingly – are linked to the ongoing COVID related complications that challenge events in the early summer of this year, whether its the lack of government backed insurance scheme, no support from government funds that we applied for, ongoing travel restrictions on major artists, increased costs for crowd safety and potential testing – the list goes on.

"Ramblin' Man would like to thank all the bands who did put themselves forward and we know that they all share our regret and frustration at the situation. We would also like to thank the event team at Maidstone council and Mote Park for their patience and understanding through this difficult time. But most of all RMF would like to thank the loyal ticket holders who make the event as special as it is.

"Refunds can be accessed via point of purchase on Eventbrite.co.uk and details of potential rollover and dates for 2022 will be released in due course."

The bands – who will also be touring with Miss May I and Thornhill on the bill – have moved their tour to October and November 2022.

"Due to the multiple nationalities and countries involved, the best way for us to ensure this line-up stayed together was to reschedule dates," they explain. "We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused, see you next year!"

  • Faith No More have pushed their UK and European tour back to next year.

"Hey United Kingdom," the band said in a short statement. "Let's try this one more time. Get your jabs and join us in 2022. Can't wait to see you all. All UK dates rescheduled. Tickets remain valid for all shows."

  • Denmark's Roskilde Festival has been cancelled.

"We finally received an official statement from the authorities: There will be no Roskilde Festival this summer," reads a statement. "Let’s hold on to the thought of how fantastic it’ll be to meet in 2022!"

"It breaks our hearts to bring you this news that UK Tech-Fest 2021 is cancelled," announce the organisers. "UK Tech-Fest will now take place Thursday, 30 June – Monday, 4 July 2022. We’ve been exploring all options to make the festival happen this year, but plain and simply there’s just too much stacked against us.

"We’re not the first to cancel and sadly we won’t be the last, as the main factor for us all is insurance. We really wish we had a crystal ball and could see what will happen in June. Going by the roadmap, in theory we should be fine, but the fact that the government haven’t put their money where their mouth is and cough up a government-backed insurance scheme for the festival and live events industry says it all. As a small, independent festival we can’t afford to take the financial risk without the security and protection from such a scheme.

And then there’s the bands: many of our international artists have had to cancel their shows and can’t travel to the UK. We’ve explored booking a UK line-up but – while that would be awesome – there’s still the big risk without insurance."

"Unfortunately, we’ve decided our show at Brixton with Dragged Under and Our Hollow, Our Home will just not be possible this year," say the band. "The show will now be on June 18, 2022. We know it’ll be worth the wait and can’t wait to see you all."

  • The UK and European leg of the long-awaited Hella Mega Tour has been pushed back to 2022.

A joint statement from Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Weezer reads: "Europe + UK – this past year has been chaotic to say the very least, and while we hoped we’d be able to make the Hella Mega Tour a reality for you this summer, COVID had other plans.

"With that being said, your shows will now be happening in 2022. Your tickets are good for the new dates, so make sure you hold onto them!

"And for all of you in the U.S., we’re still planning on coming to see you this summer!”

"After much thought and very careful consideration to the ongoing COVID epidemic, we have made the difficult decision to postpone all touring until 2022," they say. "We absolutely cannot wait to come back and see you around the world in 2022… stay tuned for announcements coming this week!"

  • This year's 2000trees is off; the festival will now be taking place in 2022.

“Over the last two weeks, it has become clear that, due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, bands based outside of the UK will not be able to travel to 2000trees in 2021,” the trees team say.

“We’ve had confirmation that around 20 of the biggest bands from our line up will not be coming to Upcote Farm this summer. This list, which is growing every week, includes our headliners Jimmy Eat World and Thrice, plus Knocked Loose, Young Guns, The Get Up Kids, Laura Jane Grace, Anti-Flag and Stray From The Path.

“As a result, we have been forced to take the absolutely heartbreaking decision to postpone 2000trees to July 6 – 10, 2022. Up until a week ago we were still furiously working behind the scenes to try make the festival happen. We really wanted (and needed) a party just as much as you this year. But after losing these bands, it’s clear that we are unable to give you the award-winning Trees experience that you know and love this year.”

  • Waterparks' See You In The Future tour has been pushed back a year.

The band's biggest-ever UK run will now be kicking off in Leeds on June 17, 2022, and finishing up in Birmingham on June 25. Announcing the tour, frontman Awsten Knight previously explained: "At the end of 2019 and top of 2020 we were playing shows on the FANDOM Tour that were by far the biggest we’d done yet. Getting to conceptualise and build up production ourselves made it feel more huge and personal than any tour to date. However, during this time, we’ve had the opportunity to sit with show ideas and build out the concerts in ways we’d never even imagined before so I’m ready to start making all of that come to life.

"Also to be real, I’m really so fucking tired of not playing shows. So come through! Stay safe, wear a mask, wash your hands, and we’ll see you in the future."

  • This summer's Boomtown Fair is no longer taking place.

The event will now be happening from August 10 – 14, 2022. "We are truly devastated to not be able to all come together to celebrate in the way we’d all like to this summer, and we know how hard this will be for the thousands of you who have supported us and kept the faith that we could collectively reunite in the beautiful fields this year," reads a statement.

  • Foo Fighters have pushed back their 2021 European summer tour.

The rock legends will now be crossing the pond in 2022, postponing gigs in Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal.

“We look forward to seeing you at the new dates and can’t wait to be able to play for you,” the band say. "Tickets will remain valid for all rescheduled shows. For more information on your specific show, please visit the original point of purchase.”

  • All of My Chemical Romance's 2021 reunion tour dates have been postponed for a year.

"My Chemical Romance is postponing our 2021 touring plans until 2022," reads a statement from the New Jersey emo heroes. "We are deeply sad, but those emotions are only a fraction of the depth of feeling we have all experienced watching the suffering and loss of the past year. We just want to be as sure as we can be that everyone is safe.

"Refunds will be offered to anyone who wants them. We are sorry if this is disappointing, and we really can’t wait to see you in 2022. All tickets will be honored for the new dates. If you are unable to attend, refunds are available at your point of purchase. Refunds are available for a limited time, details on refund windows and rescheduled tour dates can be found here.

"For festivals or events where the new 2022 date has yet to be announced, event organizers will be in touch directly. If you have any questions, please reach out to your point of purchase.”

  • Iron Maiden's Legacy Of The Beast tour is postponed to 2022.

"Naturally the band are hugely disappointed; a second summer without touring, especially with this very special Legacy show, is very hard to take," says manager Rod Smallwood. "They send their best wishes to you all, knowing full well you fans will feel the same. As we all know, realistically there is no alternative so we will all make the best of it and spend the time preparing for a very memorable and even more spectacular Legacy tour next year, we promise! Until then keep safe and keep smart."

The two bands will now be touring throughout the UK and Europe together in March and April 2022, with Evanescence stating, "Well guys, we have to push this back one more time. We hate to make you wait longer but we are absolutely determined to make this tour we’ve all been looking forward to happening, so check out the new dates. We will be counting the days till we finally get to celebrate all this new music together.

"In the meantime, stay safe, stay sane, and keep your headbanging to The Bitter Truth! You will have no excuse not to know every word by next spring! We love you!”

Within Temptation add: "This is definitely not what we’ve wished for, but reality tells us otherwise: we have to postpone the Worlds Collide tour. Although we can’t make the current situation better than it is, we hope to put a big smile on your faces again soon, because… We haven’t been sitting still and we have a lot of cool stuff coming up for you! Until then, stay safe. And you know what? Third time’s a charm, so see you in March or April 2022!”

The heavy metal legends are now set to hit the road in 2022 – although they have confirmed that their headline appearance at Bloodstock Open Air in 2021 is still on. Phew.

  • The Damned have rescheduled their UK tour for February next year.

The legendary Londoners will be joined by The Skids, The Wildhearts, Penetration, TV Smith & The Bored Teenagers and Smalltown Tigers at various nights on the special five-date run.

"Hey Gunners, unfortunately we need to ask for your patience one more time," the band say. "Our summer European tour dates will be rescheduled to 2022, but with the added bonus of new shows and special guest Gary Clark Jr! The tour kicks off in Lisbon, Portugal on June 4, 2022, with new dates in Norway, Czech Republic, Poland, Netherlands, and Italy.

"Tickets remain valid for all rescheduled dates, so please do hold onto them. We continue to be thankful for your understanding and support during these unprecedented times. Light is at the end of the tunnel and we are looking forward to getting back onstage later this year in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and next year in Europe and more!"

  • Pearl Jam's summer tour has been postponed to 2022.

The Seattle legends will now hit the UK and Europe in June and July next year, with a two-night stint in London for British Summer Time in Hyde Park.

  • Rammstein's already-rescheduled 2021 UK and European stadium tour has been pushed back another year.

"Due to the expected ongoing event bans and restrictions related to COVID-19, Rammstein are unfortunately forced to postpone the planned European Stadium Tour again," reads a statement. "The band and everyone involved are very disappointed about this. Given the lack of planning reliability for holding events of this size, this step is unavoidable.

"The concerts are rescheduled to 2022. Unfortunately, some minor changes had to be made and the show in Belfast will be cancelled entirely. Tickets for Belfast will be refunded, all other tickets remain valid!

“The band is using the time off to continue working on new songs. We look forward to seeing you in 2022!”

The supergroup – Joe Perry, Johnny Depp and Alice Cooper – won't be rescheduling their previously-postponed dates.

"We are beyond disappointed to announce that the Hollywood Vampires must cancel our rescheduled UK/European tour this summer," reads a statement. "We kept trying to make it happen, but unfortunately due to the uncertainty of COVID-19 travel restrictions, it is just not possible.

"Full refunds will be honoured through your original point of purchase. Thank you for understanding, and we will be back rocking with you once the world returns to normal!"

The band will now be touring this year's SUCKAPUNCH album in September, hitting Manchester, Swansea, Bristol, the Isle Of Man, Newcastle and London.

"As much as we all hoped that things would take a turn for the better this spring, it’s obvious that the Viva The Underdogs European Revolution Tour will be not be able to take place," say the band.

"With many (inter)national restrictions and guidelines in place, due to the fluid situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic it makes any kind of international touring impossible. For these obvious reasons we need to postpone this tour. Already purchased tickets will remain valid and we will be announcing the new dates in due time. In case of any questions, please contact your local promoter.

"We remain positive, happy and excited for the future and seeing you all again sometime soon."

  • Boston Manor's Welcome Back To The Neighbourhood tour has been pushed back.

The Blackpool gang will be hitting the road in November for "big rooms, even bigger tunes!" We don't doubt it.

  • The Eden Sessions 2021 has been postponed.

The event was set to host IDLES and My Chemical Romance among others – the latter being the opening show of their comeback tour.

"We’re really sorry to disappoint Sessions ticket holders," said an Eden spokesperson. "Since the Government’s new four-step regulations came in we’ve been looking long and hard at all the options. Our paramount concern is the safety of our concert goers and staff. With all the uncertainties surrounding outdoor gatherings, we’ve decided that rescheduling our brilliant line-up is the best course for everyone.”

They also added: "We so much look forward to welcoming people back to the Sessions and say 'please watch this space’ as we work to find new dates for the shows."

The band will now be touring their brilliant sixth album later this year and into 2022, announcing an extensive run of gigs as well as a few additional dates in Lincoln, Bristol, Hull, Liverpool and Leeds. Shikari will be joined by Dinosaur Pile-Up and Nova Twins across the UK stint, which kicks off at London’s huge Alexandra Palace on December 4, and finishes up with two nights at Nottingham’s Rock City on December 20 – 21.

The Scottish rock trio's intimate run has been moved back from April to October and November 2021.

"Due to the current government restrictions in place in England, The Fingers Crossed Tour will be not be able to take place in April – however, we are delighted to announce that we are rescheduling the dates for later this year in October / November," the band say.

"We can’t wait to get back out and see you all when it’s safe to do so, and until then we send everyone our love."

  • Neck Deep's All Distortions Are Intentional UK tour has been pushed back (again).

“Unfortunately, as many people might have guessed, we have no choice but to move our UK tour once again,” they say. "Hopefully this will be the last time we have to do this but it will be worth the wait. We can’t wait to get back on the road and see you all soon.”

  • Skunk Anansie's 25th anniversary tour has been rescheduled for next year.

"This might not come as a huge surprise to some of you, but we’re sad to say we have been forced to postpone our upcoming tour dates," say the band. "We are unbelievably disappointed to not be getting out to see you all this summer, but we have to prioritise everyone’s safety and these shows come just too soon. Trust us when we say this is the last thing we wanted to do.

"But!! The show must (and will) go on. We are thrilled to have rescheduled our tour dates to spring 2022, and are working hard behind the scenes to make these shows our best yet – we’ve got lots of time to make up for and lots of energy to burn off after so long away."

The festival will return in 2022 from June 10 – 12 with KISS, Iron Maiden and Biffy Clyro headlining.

"Like everyone, we were all hugely disappointed when the global pandemic forced the cancellation of Download 2020 which would have been Maiden’s seventh time headlining here,” said Bruce Dickinson. "So we are delighted to be invited back and fulfil our ambition of playing Donington Park in every decade since the 1980s!

"As most people know, this festival is hallowed ground for us – and Eddie! – and our fans’ vocal support and enthusiasm is always phenomenal and much appreciated. We can’t wait to see everyone again, and are determined to make the show one hell of a party and the greatest homecoming ever!”

  • Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting has been postponed to June next year.

"We would love nothing more than to welcome metalheads from all across the globe to Dessel this June but unfortunately that won’t be possible," reads a statement from the festival. "The safety of visitors, crew and artists is always our primary concern. And we look forward to bringing GMM back better and stronger than ever in 2022! We will do our utmost to roll over as many bands as possible from the GMM2021 line-up to our 2022 edition. The full line-up will be announced at a later time."

  • IDLES' planned 2021 headline tour has been moved to 2022.

The band's huge UK and European run – which featured an all-female support – has been rescheduled to early next year, with two additional dates in Bilbao and Barcelona on March 7 and 9.

  • The Great Escape 2021 has been cancelled.

The Brighton festival will instead be taking place virtually this year, with hopes for a proper return in 2022. "We can now confirm that The Great Escape 2021 will no longer be taking place in Brighton this year, however, we will be taking The Great Escape online for the first time," reads a statement. "On May 13 – 14, 2021 you can expect a huge snapshot of the best new artists showcasing their talents, plus The Great Escape Conference featuring the CMU conference strands, keynote speakers, panels, talks and debates as well as dedicated facilities for the industry to come together and network – just without the sea air and dashing between our beloved venues into the early hours…"

  • Creeper's Sex, Death & The Infinite Void tour has been pushed back to December 2021.

The Southampton goth-punks will joined by Holding Absence, Wargasm and Static Dress on the six-date run, which kicks off at London's O2 Forum Kentish Town and finishes up at Leeds Beckett SU.

  • Slam Dunk Festival has been moved from May 2021 to September 4 – 5 (North and South, respectively).

"Hopefully moving back to September will allow enough leeway should there be any delays to the current roadmap," write the organisers in a statement. "We are also very happy to say the vast majority of the line-up will be staying with us for September, and a line-up announcement will be coming shortly."

  • Aerosmith's UK and European live dates have been rescheduled for a second time.

The rock'n'roll legends will now be touring in June and July 2022, stopping at London's The O2, the Manchester Arena and Sheffield's FlyDSA Arena, among other venues.

"The health and safety of our entire community is always our top priority, and there was no appropriate scenario under which we could provide the Boston Calling experience you love and deserve," announce the team in a statement. "While we are sad to go another year without the festival, we have set our sights on 2022 – mark your calendar for Memorial Day weekend."

"Hopefully this will be the last time the dates are moved because we’re very excited to see you all ASAP," said the bands.

The reunited Welsh post-hardcore crew were set to play songs from their first three albums – 2003’s Casually Dressed & Deep In Conversation, 2005’s Hours and 2007’s Tales Don’t Tell Themselves – but we'll now have to wait until early next year to hear them.

"It’s with a sense of regret and inevitably that we announce that our headline shows this April and May will not be permitted to take place as scheduled," the band say. "In light of current restrictions, we have made the decision to reschedule these shows to January next year, with the hope that by then we’ll be in a place where it’s safe to do so."

"Hold that energy, let it rattle like a pan and when we’re together that lid is just gonna blow off," YUNGBLUD tells fans.

  • Hellfest in France has been cancelled.

The 2021 festival was set to take place from June 18 – 20 in Clisson, with Deftones, Faith No More and System Of A Down headlining, but the team have announced it'll no longer be happening. Next year's Hellfest has been confirmed for June 17 – 19.

"The future of Hellfest is compromised and once again it is your trust and solidarity that will get us through this storm," they said in an announcement.

The tour now kicks off in Manchester on May 30 next year, and finishes up at Copenhagen's Royal Arena on July 18.

"Under continuing Europe-wide COVID restrictions there’s no possible way the tour can go ahead as planned for this year," they say. "The prospect of again not being able to look forward to performing and getting to experience those wonderful audiences is just heartbreaking."

  • Bowling For Soup's UK coastal tour has been rescheduled from April 2021 to the following year.

"It sucks for us to have to do this," say the pop-punks. "We held onto hope as long as we could, but in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Bowling For Soup dates have been postponed. The shows have been rescheduled to the new dates below, and all original tickets remain valid. We miss you guys so much announcing this stings… However, something to look forward to and keep us all going! Stay safe and healthy. We love y'all!"

  • Nightwish have moved their UK and European headline run back to November/December 2021.

The tour was originally set to happen in November and December 2020, before being postponed to May 2021. Now, the end-of-the-year Human :II: Nature shows will feature Amorphis and Turmion Kätilöt, with Tuomas Holopainen calling the situation "a most unfortunate but necessary move in order ensure everyone’s safety and make the best out of this bizarreness that all of you and us are going through".

Organisers Michael and Emily Eavis revealed they tried to "move heaven and earth" to make the June event happen, but it's sadly not worked out this year. "We are so sorry to let you all down," they lamented, adding: "We are very confident we can deliver something really special for us all in 2022!"

"The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do," reads a statement. "Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.

"We want to thank all of the talented artists, the staff, our vendors and especially this year’s nominees for their understanding, patience and willingness to work with us as we navigate these unprecedented times."

  • California's huge Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, plus country music event Stagecoach, have been postponed again for the third time in 12 months.

Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the public health officer in charge of Riverside County, wrote in the order that cancelled the event, "This order is intended to reduce the likelihood of exposure to COVID-19, thereby slowing the spread of COVID-19 in communities worldwide. If COVID-19 were detected at these festivals, the scope and number of attendees and the nature of the venue would make it infeasable, if not impossible, to track those who may be placed at risk."

The Prince Of Darkness will hit the road with Judas Priest next year, stopping off in Germany, the Czech Republic, Prague, Switzerland, Hungary, Spain, Italy, Finland, Sweden, Ireland and the UK in January, February and March.

"I really want to thank my fans for their loyalty and for waiting for me," he says. "Believe me, I can’t wait to see you all again. Please stay safe in these uncertain times. God bless you all! Love Ozzy."

We’ll keep this list updated as more postponements and cancellations come through. Kerrang! sends their hearts out to all of those who have lost family or friends to the coronavirus.

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