To think concert cancelling has become far too prevalent

[MXVIT]

and I think its a terrible precedent to have been set

I am probably just an unfeeling wench but I think it is dreadful how easy this has become to do, Lewis Capaldi taking three weeks off to be "Lewis from Glasgow" again bascially saying "I know you've forked out on hotels and travel, and thanks, but sorry"

For me it just shows a huge disrespect to fans. When you're a rich and famous star (all from the hard earned money from your fans) and all of the luxury that that life affords - you don't get to turn it on and off, and I'm sorry, but you don't get to put yourself first 100% of the time. Thats the trade off.

I would never buy tickets to concerts again after the spate of this happening. Adele, Sam Smith, Lewis etc.

AIBU ?

I'd probably have agreed before watching the documentary which became painful to watch. Dealing with a tourettes diagnosis, managing the tics etc just looked horrendous and he did show a lot of traits that made me wonder if he was ND.

There still seems to be such little care for performers from the team around them.

Hard disagree. I’m not so entitled as to think someone should risk their mental health just for someone else’s enjoyment. Booking tickets to anything is always a risk to the buyer, and they are still people beyond the entertainment side of it.

You don’t recall? Lol. How far back does your frame of reference go, because all of those people you mentioned have cancelled gigs in the last few years. Rod Stewart and Tom Jones due to ill health too, Simply Red didn’t bother giving a reason. And no, I’m not referring to gigs postponed during Covid.

TBF, calling people 'snowflakes' when you've never been in their shoes is laughable.

I see this in the same way as people taking time off work because of stress. Yes, stress is horrible, but going sick adds to the stress of everyone else doing the same (already stressful) job. Someone cancelling a gig is putting their welfare ahead of those who have bought tickets, booked hotels, arranged travel, taken time off work etc.

It's not a binary choice between cancelling and being drugged up so you can perform until an early death, just as it's not a choice between taking a salary while off sick and running yourself into the ground. In both cases there is a third option - in the first case book fewer dates on the tour, and in the second get a less stressful job even if it doesn't pay as well.

As everybody has said, he's not well. I am not a fan and even I know that. He shouldn't be touring at all.

I do feel for people who have lost money.

Rather than dismissing health concerns as being a snowflake maybe we should be congratulating the (mitten) younger generation for having a more sensible approach to work life balance and giving their physical and mental health more if a priority in their life.

He's 26 mate.

I think it is fine, I would rather people took the time they needed to recover than end up dead. In the past performers were flogged to keep going and going because of the penalties (both financail and reputational) involved in cancellation.

You can see the state Amy Winehouse got in towards the end of her career, flogged round the touring circuit by her management, there is terrible footage of a gig in Serbia where she is so drunk she can barely stand.

It is pretty widely acknowledged that Michael Jackson's death was in part caused by the preessure of the long series of concerts he had signed up to that his fragile physical health could just not cope with.

I actually went to see some of the dates Prince did at the O2 and feel bad now I know he got hooked on ever stronger opiates to deal with the pain performing left him in - this obviously eventually led to his death.

I think many “stars” know they have a very limited shelf life, they realise they won’t be touring and recording into their 70s and 80s like the Toms and Micks Madonnas and Tinas(RIP) so they have to pull in the big money while they can, and stadium shows are huge money makers with ticket sales and merchandise. So they push themselves hard for a few years and for some it is too hard mentally and probably physically too, though admittedly Louis isn’t leaping around the stage night after night doing amazing choreography!

It think it’s just vicissitudes of life. Calling people snowflakes because they might be feeling burnt out or are struggling with mental health difficulties is just thick. As others have said, performers’ record companies probably set up gruelling touring commitments, perhaps with insufficient regard for their artists’ well-being. They do refund ticket-holders and try to arrange new dates. A bit of compassion might be in order. I don’t think artist threw concerts lightly.

I sort of agree. Think it's partly due to the current revenue model, as gigging is the only thing that brings in money. Artists used to make LOADS off CDs (remember singles that came in three versions with three different B sides... god they leeched teenage me dry). Even mid level artists had enough of an income to live and didn't necessarily have to perform if they really didn't want to for whatever reason, or could do limited tours. Now it's pretty much a must though, and particularly young artists are put through the touring wringer while they're hot. (Although I suppose it's not that new and what made the excellent Elastica and god knows how many other it-acts break up.)

But if you've booked a hotel (maybe a flight), got time off work, not to mention paid upwards of £100 for the ticket, maybe arranged the whole thing with one or more other people... it's no fun, is it. The last person to cancel on me was Madonna because of her gammy knee, she was too stubborn to cancel outright when she started having issues so it felt like a lucky draw that whole tour whether or not she'd perform on the night. Some people found out in the queue... I haven't bought tickets for her upcoming tour.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. If only Lewis could go back in time and not agree/be pushed into doing so many tour dates then problem solved!

I don’t want to see another young talented artist overdose or take their own life, it’s a shame for him and his fans that he’s not well enough but I think he’s right to do it. Work isn’t everything.

When people here say people should just be able to take time off when they like for physical or mental health reasons does this include all professions? Or is it just entertainers/office type workers? Because I can guarantee you that no one would say "oh it's OK he says he just needs some time off to find himself" if your surgeon cancelled your operation on the day. The amount of threads you see on here when people's appointments get cancelled and they're raging! And they're often not even important ones. I work in dentistry and had a miscarriage last year. People were so annoyed and complaining that I dared take a week off. That's what happens in real life when something you want is cancelled. Whether it's an appointment or a concert. Unless there's a very good reason (and often not even then) people don't like it as it causes them an inconvenience.

The tours they schedule are too big. Too many dates, too many locations. They should do shorter ones, with less travel and longer breaks in between.

One of our favourite bands (myself and my 3 teenagers) literally lost a member a few weeks ago when he tragically died.

The remaining members are fulfilling every gig

Maybe it didn't happen enough in the past rather than happening too much now?

I was a Manic Street Preachers and Nirvana fan in my teens, Richey and Kurt could have done with more care for their mental health issues.

@PaperSheet When people here say people should just be able to take time off when they like for physical or mental health reasons does this include all professions?
Or is it just entertainers/office type workers? Because I can guarantee you that no one would say "oh it's OK he says he just needs some time off to find himself" if your surgeon cancelled your operation on the day.

Are you serious? Of course surgeons are entitled to time off for physical or mental health reasons. What world do you live in where you don’t realise this is actually the case?

Usually there is more than one surgeon in the whole world who can perform operations. It's not like there is another Lewis Capaldi who can cover.

Of course doctors, surgeons, fire fighters, police etc do all also suffer from burn out and many take time off with stress. In fact I'd say more probably should but the institution they're in puts excessive pressure on them to not to do that and guilts them into taking personal responsibility for anyone who has suffered because of that.

Lewis is an entertainer. People aren't going to die from not seeing him perform this time.

I'd also have to check this, but I'm fairly certain, buried in the T&C's there will be something about cancellations when buying tickets.

Well yes, but that's not what I meant, really. I was talking more generally than this particular gig. People commit themselves to more than they can manage, then back out, rather than looking at what they are capable of before agreeing.

In LC's case comes down to a duty of care from his management, who should have known whether or not he was up to it, and in more 'normal' workplaces is comes down to a combination of employers not overloading people and employees not taking the salary for roles they can't handle, then passing the stress to others.

If you watch his documentary and see how painful his tics are, he says when they get out of control he can barely move and can’t breathe, in addition to him struggling with his mental health. Hindsight is wonderful but he’s young and will have been told what to do by his management. I have tickets to see him in August, if it’s cancelled so be it. I go sick off work when I’m not well and he should be able to too.

But in the real world unless its something very serious meaning they actually physically can't do their job then no they can't. They can't cancel 3 weeks worth of operations so they can go and take a mental health day (weeks). There often isn't another surgeon who can just cover at the drop of the hat either.
I live in the world where if I dare to take a day off to have an operation for a missed miscarriage I get written complaints from patients that they have had to rearrange work and they expect a deduction in price for their next visit as they lost a days annual leave because of me etc. Years ago I was off for a couple of weeks when my mother was dying. And a patient said it was my fault he probably had worse teeth than normal because I'd rearranged his appt twice. When you take a day /week off it inconveniences someone else. Sometimes in a serious way (cancelled operation) and sometimes not (loss of money for concert travel/hotel). And unless you're the one being inconvenienced everyone always says its fine. Until its them. Then they get annoyed and complain. Its just human nature. Everyone wants to be kind and understanding until its their appointment/ concert/ holiday cancelled.

To all of those saying this is the younger generation that just do this I remember years ago going to see Michael Jackson and he called if off while everyone was in the stadium and post support act.

It was still v annoying though at the time.

Which may or may not be a good thing. Time will tell.
Pressure to keep performing may be sky high, or they may feel they are best sticking together and using what they know best as a way of remembering them and getting through it.

Everyone reacts to pressure, stress, health concerns and grief in different ways. What is right for one may not be right for others.