Phew!

It has, however, been quite heart-warming to see how many businesses have been accommodating, rather than seeking to make a quick buck. Advance bookings and deposits for buses, trucks, hotels, flights were all successfully moved to this year. The insurance industry did not initially cover itself in glory (it certainly had no intention of paying money out, and at one time was seeking premiums for non-existent postponed shows, which it had no intention of covering). But that too was successfully resolved.

Which just left the problem of rescheduling the dates. Our concert agents have certainly earned the healthy commission I trust they will be earning. The quarantine rules in each State and each venue seem to have changed on an almost daily basis through the year. So, as fast you think you know where you are going, you are suddenly going somewhere else. And each time, our long-suffering tour manager has to plan a new itinerary to make sure the travel is feasible – only to tear it up and start again each time.

All of the above, interestingly, without any governmental business support of any kind. The film industry, I understand, initially struggled in the pandemic, as they could get no insurance to cover possible delays/closures. So the government stepped in with fallback insurance. The music industry is in an identical position. Everyone insures tours, so that they can recover their costs in the event that a tour or show is cancelled. Otherwise musicians risk losing vast sums of money in paying out the costs of a tour without any income. And, just like the film industry, no-one can get insurance that will cover the one thing that is most likely to disrupt a tour – Covid. And yet the government continues with its complete blindspot over the value of the music industry, and has offered no help despite requests.

But hey! We have all got there. We now have the dates. The last piece of the puzzle is to actually get the UK-based members of the band into the USA. There is currently a prohibition on anyone flying to the USA who has been in the UK for the last 14 days. There is a special “national interest” exemption for sports stars and actors (you may notice a theme here)…which thankfully (hail hallelujah) we understand is now also being extended to musicians and their crew. So, all things being equal, crossing fingers and any other number of limbs, we look forward to seeing you all there.

The dates have now been widely posted. But for anyone who has missed them:

July 22, 2021 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
July 23, 2021 - Delray Beach, FL - Old School Square
July 24, 2021 - St. Augustine, FL - St Augustine Ampitheater
July 26, 2021 - Orlando, FL - Dr. Phillips Walt Disney Theater
July 27, 2021 - Atlanta, GA - The Fox
July 28, 2021 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
July 30, 2021 - Fort Worth, TX - Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium
July 31, 2021 - Cedar Park, TX - H-E-B Center
August 2, 2021 - Greenwood Village, CO - Fiddlers Green Amiptheater
August 3, 2021 - Sandy, UT - Sandy Ampitheater
August 5, 2021- Concord, CA - Concord Pavilion
August 6, 2021 - Los Angeles - The Greek
August 7, 2021 - Scottsdale, AZ - Talking Stick Ballroom
August 23, 2021 - Saratoga Springs, NY - SPAC
August 24, 2021 - Northampton, MA - The Pines Theater
August 26, 2021 - Canandaigua, NY - CMAC
August 27, 2021 - Lewiston, NY - Artpark Ampitheater
August 28, 2021 - Rochester Hills, MI - Meadow Brook Ampitheater
August 29, 2021 - Highland Park, IL - Ravinia
August 31, 2021 - Milwaukee, WI - Miller High Life Theatre
September 1, 2021 - Cleveland, OH - Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
September 2, 2021 - Huber Heights, OH - Rose Music Center @ The Heights
September 4, 2021 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
September 5, 2021 - New Haven, CT - Westville Music Bowl
September 7, 2021 - Philadelphia, PA - The Mann Center
September 9, 2021 - Forest Hills, NY - Forest Hills Stadium
September 10, 2021 - Boston, MA - Leader Bank Pavilion
September 11, 2021 - Washington, DC - The Anthem