Tool are one of the many bands who’ve had to postpone tour dates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now they’ve made the decision to cancel the shows outright. The band explained that “tying up our fans’ money for months, if not a full year, is unfair” while announcing the decision.
The acclaimed alt-metal act was in the midst of a mini tour of the Pacific Northwest in March when the pandemic began to shut down the concert industry. Tool were only able to play two shows on that jaunt, and subsequently postponed their entire spring North American tour, which was set to run from April 16th through June 23rd.
In a new statement, the band explains their decision to cancel the tour, while expressing hope that they can return to the road “when the time is right.” The full statement reads as follows:
“As so many music lovers have come to realize over the last several weeks, there is no playbook that artists, promoters and venues can pull from in these unprecedented times.
When we played what would be our final show of 2020, March 11 at Portland’s Moda Center, we believed we would be back on the road sometime this Fall. As we worked towards that goal we’ve come to realize that there is absolutely no certainty in re-scheduling dates for this Fall or 2021. State and local ordinances vary widely and no one can predict when high capacity events will safely return.
At the same time that we were working to reschedule this tour, we read your messages. Messages of job losses, illness, emotional and financial pain. We could continue to postpone or reschedule dates for some time into 2021 but ethically, we do not think this is the right course of action. In our opinion, tying up our fans’ money for months, if not a full year, is unfair. With that in mind, we have made the very difficult decision to cancel the tour so we can help support the people who have supported us for years.
Please know, we want nothing more than to return to the road, to play these songs for you and to celebrate our shared recovery. When the time is right, we will do just that.
In the coming days you will receive an email from the ticketing service you purchased tickets through notifying you of the event cancellation and when to expect your refund.”
Tool had been touring in support of their 2019 album, Fear Inoculum, which marked their first LP in 13 years. While the band won’t be on the road anytime soon, one positive that has come out of their time in lockdown is that they are working on new music. Drummer Danny Carey suggested that the band would work on material for a new EP, while bassist Justin Chancellor recently said he’s written a number of “interesting riffs which will be reserved for Tool.”
Singer Maynard James Keenan, meanwhile, released new music from his band Puscifer sooner than expected. The song “Apocalyptical” dropped last month, with plans to release a new LP this fall.
See the full list of affected Tool dates below.
Tool Canceled 2020 North American Tour Dates:
03/12 – Eugene, OR @ Matthew Knight Center
03/14 – Boise, ID @ Ford Idaho Center Arena
03/16 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverik Center
04/16 – Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
04/17 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
04/19 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
04/21 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
04/22 – Charlottesville, VA @ John Paul Jones Arena
04/24 – Baltimore, MD @ Royal Farms Arena
04/25 – Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
04/28 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
04/29 – Quebec City, QC @ Videotron Centre
05/01 – Wilkes Barre, PA @ Mohegan Sun Arena
05/02 – Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Centre
05/04 – Toledo, OH @ Huntington Center
05/05 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
05/17 – Columbus, OH @ Sonic Temple Music Festival
05/29 – Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
05/31 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
06/02 – Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place
06/04 – Winnipeg, MB @ Bell MTS Place
06/06 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
06/07 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Denny Sanford Premier Center
06/09 – Madison, WI @ Kohl Center
06/10 – Moline, IL @ TaxSlayer Center
06/12 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Festival
06/13 – St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
06/16 – Wichita, KS @ INTRUST Bank Arena
06/17 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Chesapeake Energy Center
06/19 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Broadmoor World Arena
06/21 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
06/23 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
