Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst said his rock band canceled the rest of its U.S. tour dates because it became apparent that fans would not be safe attending at this point in the coronavirus pandemic.
The “Break Stuff” and “Nookie” singer explained his group’s recent decision to abruptly call off a dozen scheduled concerts in a message to Billboard, the music industry publication reported Tuesday.
“In short, the system is still very flawed,” said Mr. Durst, Billboard reported.
“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,” said Mr. Durst, Billboard reported. “We are all in this together, and we all — individually and as a whole — have to make our best efforts to be as responsible and proactive as possible moving forward to combat and stop spreading COVID.”
Limp Bizkit, a Grammy-nominated group formed in 1994 in Jacksonville, Florida, performed at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago last month and had planned to play a series of shows around the U.S. after.
The band performed two shows last week in Clive, Iowa, and Wallingford, Connecticut, before cancelling the rest of the group’s “Limited Last Minute Post Pandemic Popup Party Edition” tour, however.
Several hours before Limp Bizkit was scheduled to perform Friday at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, the venue announced that the concert was being postponed and a new date would be announced.
Then in a statement Monday, Limp Bizkit said it was canceling the remainder of its August tour, out of “an abundance of caution and concern” for the safety of the members of the band, their crew and their fans.
Limp Bizkit is currently slated to perform at several festivals in September, including Rocklahoma in Pryor, Oklahoma, the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Danville, Virginia and Rebel Rock in Orlando, Florida.
Over a year after the coronavirus pandemic caused most every touring act to abandon large in-person concerts, a number of popular artists have recently hit the road for the first time since 2019 or longer.
But an ongoing nationwide spike in cases of COVID-19, the contagious disease caused by the coronavirus, has recently caused some performers besides Limp Bizkit to reconsider their summer touring plans.
Stevie Nicks announced Tuesday that she would no longer perform at four music festivals scheduled over the coming months, for example, saying that “rising COVID cases should be of concern to all of us.
Indeed, the organizers of one of those festivals – the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in Louisiana – had already canceled this year’s event on Monday this week because of the spike in cases.
Most adults in the U.S. are vaccinated against COVID-19, meaning they are protected against becoming severely ill or dying from the disease, but it remains possible for them to catch and share the virus.
Live Nation, the largest concert promotion company in the U.S., has said it will let performers decide whether to limit attendance to fans who show proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test.
I.M.P, a local rival that hosts shows around Washington, D.C., has since announced that it will require all patrons soon to show proof of vaccination or negative results obtained within the past 72 hours.
