Photo Credit: Katty Keigan / CC by 2.0About one week following the start of his Sob Rock Tour, John Mayer has postponed four stops after testing positive for COVID-19.
John Mayer kicked off the North American leg of the tour on Thursday, February 17th, and the concert series had originally been scheduled to run into late April. But the 44-year-old took to social media this past Monday to inform fans that his drummer had come down with COVID-19.
“This afternoon, our drummer tested positive for COVID-19,” wrote the seven-time Grammy winner (and 19-time nominee) Mayer. “Tonight’s concert @TheGarden will go on as scheduled, with a very special presentation. We all wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing you all at the show.”
Then, Mayer disclosed yesterday evening that he and additional bandmembers yet had returned positive tests. “Whelp. More members of the band tested positive for Covid today, and I was one of them. This means we have to reschedule the next four shows, which we’ve already rescheduled and posted above. I’m so sorry to make you change your plans.”
Stops in Pittsburgh, Belmont Park, and Boston have been pushed back until May as a result of the positive tests, and the Bridgeport, Connecticut, native is tentatively set to play Las Vegas’s Grand Garden Arena on Friday, March 11th. Regarding the latter, Mayer said on Instagram that his latest bout with COVID-19 has “got the better of me.”
“This is a bummer for everyone in the band and crew, to say nothing of the question hanging over everyone’s head – mine included – as to how I tested positive on PCR twice in two months,” penned Mayer. “(The first was extremely mild, but this one’s got the better of me.) We’ll give you everything we’ve got at these upcoming shows, just as soon as we rest up and regroup.”
On Monday, Justin Bieber’s team announced that the 27-year-old had tested positive for COVID-19 – and, in turn, postponed several of his own tour’s stops. Bieber waited until February 23rd to delay a scheduled February 24th performance in Inglewood, seemingly suggesting a desire to hit the road as soon as possible. The London, Ontario, native is still booked to play in Tacoma, Washington, tomorrow night, per his website.
More broadly, it’s worth bearing in mind the potential scheduling-related impact of concerts that are being pushed back until summer due to COVID-19. Many artists are preparing to initiate tours during June or July – including concert series from OneRepublic, Def Leppard (along with Mötley Crüe, Joan Jett, and Poison), Train, and Cheap Trick and Rod Stewart.
Of course, festivals including EDC Las Vegas (set to begin on May 20th), Bonnaroo (June 16th), and Lollapalooza (July 28th) are likewise booked for summer, with an abundance of other tours expected to begin before and run through the season.
