Obviously, Bono’s bad back has nothing to do with the bad economy and the struggling music industry. But the U2 lead singer’s injury and subsequent emergency surgery led the Irish rock band to postpone their North American 360° tour dates until 2011. Bono is under a doctor’s orders to start a rehabilitation program and to recuperate for at least eight weeks. Ticketholders should keep their tickets and visit U2.com for updates on the rescheduled shows. From a May 25 Heard Mentality post.
OTHER FESTIVAL CANCELLATIONS
Soon after the U2 announcement, word of other concert cancellations trickled in. The Bamboozle Roadshow—featuring Good Charlotte, Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, Cobra Starship and 11 other acts—was moved from the Honda Center to the Hollywood Palladium and rescheduled for June 6 “due to unexpected scheduling issues.” Could it have anything to do with poor ticket sales? The festival, after all, has also canceled stops in Phoenix and San Diego. Refunds are available at the point of purchase, and all Honda Center tickets will be honored at the Palladium.
The Country Throwdown Tour canceled four Southwest dates because of “low ticket sales and too many shows competing with one another,” according to tour producer Kevin Lyman. That’s a better explanation than the one we got from Christina Aguilera, who canceled her tour because she needed “more rehearsal time.” No Christina Aguilera at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on Aug. 18? Who’ll fill the gaping hole in our summer concert calendar now? From a May 27 post.
ZACK DE LA ROCHA BOYCOTTS ARIZONA
There’d be more concert cancellations in Arizona if it were up to Zack de la Rocha. The Rage Against the Machine lead singer gathered up some friends—including Cypress Hill, Kanye West, Massive Attack, Spank Rock and Sonic Youth—to protest Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070, which legalizes and sanctions racial profiling, via Thesoundstrike.net. De la Rocha asked artists to boycott Arizona by “not allow[ing] our collective economic power to be used to aid and abet civil and human-rights violations that will be caused by Arizona’s odious law.” From a May 27 post.
MINUS THE BEAR + SHOUT OUT LOUDS AND MORE AT FOX THEATER
It was a bummer when Minus the Bear postponed their May 21 show at the Glass House in Pomona due to a family emergency. The payoff, however, was pretty sweet. The Seattle math-rockers ended up performing at the Fox Pomona Theater three days later, with their original supporting acts Young the Giant and Everest. Also on the bill? Swedish popsters Shout Out Louds, who were originally set to play that night at the Glass House. From a May 25 post by Danielle Bacher.
This column appeared in print as “All Is Quiet.”
