Home Free Forced to Cancel Two European Concerts Due to Coronavirus
Country a capella group Home Free canceled one concert and had another canceled on them amid growing concerns of the coronavirus. The group's March 10 and March 12 shows in Austria and Italy (respectively) have been nixed.
Home Free canceled the date in Milan, Italy, last week, citing travel restrictions. A representative for the group shares that a swell of flight cancelations in and out of Italy left the group concerned they might not be able to resume their tour. Since their announcement, the entire country has been put under effective government quarantine, with most public gatherings banned and people told to not leave home except for work and emergencies (per CNBC).
A similar situation forced the group's cancelation of Tuesday night's show in Vienna, Austria.
"We’re sad to announce that tonight’s show in Vienna is cancelled in compliance with a government ban on concerts over 100 people," a note on Home Free's Instagram reads. "We are safe. Our crew is safe. And it’s our intention to travel to Munich, Zürich, and Paris before finishing our tour in the UK."
The three listed shows are scheduled for this weekend before four shows in the U.K. before next Friday.
"We’ve been traveling through Europe for the past few weeks, and since we arrived, our team has sent us updates every step of the way," Tim Foust of Home Free says. "With all the news coming out about the virus, we’re just trying our best to be as educated as possible when discussing how to handle dates moving forward. Our fans have been really understanding so far."
Several country artists are touring in Europe currently, including 2020 Taste of Country RISER the Cadillac Three, who will finish a long run of shows at C2C this weekend. Old Dominion were slated to play C2C but pulled out amid coronavirus concerns. However, headliners like Luke Combs, Eric Church and Darius Rucker remain committed.
In America, festivals like Tin Pan South and SXSW have been canceled for 2020. Organizers of the 2020 Stagecoach Festival are currently in discussion to move the April music festival in Indio, Calif., to October.
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