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 ?

He's a lovely guy who needs some time, what's wrong with that?

Tickets are way too expensive to start with, I don't know why people pay that amount of money just to see someone singing the same songs they've heard before.

Exactly - this is it!
I mean, I get that it's 2023 and everyone is all over mental health. But since mental illness is a real illness then saying you're ill covers it, surely?
He's not exactly hiding having made an entire documentary about his struggle with Tourette's, which would have a big impact on his mental health too.

Most of us do not have that luxury.

Nothing, but perhaps he should have planned that and not agreed to the tours, rather than letting poor sods pay for travel & accommodation for gigs he's cancelled! He's let this go on far too long before deciding to pull the plug.

@Thechameleonsshadow I was there. Watched Kriss Kross, waited patiently. then somebody came on stage to say MJ wasn't coming. Nobody moved.

Had to come back again before it sunk in a little.

Completely agree

Iv been watching Taylor Swift and her recent concerts in America - that's how its done! Puts many to shame

"taxguru
Indeed, Olivia Newton John did a performance on the day she heard her young GodDaughter died of cancer. It was one of the few times she mimed on stage - there's youtube footage of her performance and she was clearly emotional and struggling on stage, at one point close to collapse, but as she wrote in her book, she could hear her mother telling her "the show must go on" and she didn't want to disappoint her fans.

Later in her life, when her cancer had returned and left her in severe pain, she used to lie down crying in pain in her dressing room after her show, before she'd get up and go and do the meet and greet with fans, etc. She retired before things got too bad and before she was running the risk of having to cancel appearances.

She was definitely of the "stiff upper lip" generation who didn't want to let people down.

See, I read this in horror that she felt under that much pressure(be it from herself or others to do this) not in admiration for her carrying on."

I agree. I think it's awful that someone could be under so much pressure to perform on the day their god daughter had died. And leaving aside the incredibly sad circumstances, it is odd that a mimed performance is seen as the better alternative to postponing and rescheduling a live performance.

This is the cautionary tale, not the standard we should be holding up as the one to meet.

As a working musician I’ve always been taught, and lived by the mantra that you never pull out of aa gig unless you’re dying, and only if you’re dying to the extent that you can’t stand up and play. You can drop dead afterwards, but the show must go on.

No-one made him become a singer. He could go and get a normal job if he wanted to. Or just busk in the street for money, whenever he feels up to it. But if you're selling tickets to concerts, you need to show up and sing. Even if you'd rather be doing something else. Do you think all the people who bought the tickets don't have jobs that they don't feel like doing sometime? But they still show up to work.

No one made him become a singer. What a silly thing to say. And you sound so chippy. Like he doesn’t know he’s born because he has a career as a performer. Whereas poor you, working your fingers to the bone.

This. One of my favourite singers died by suicide a few years ago & the band folded. No suggestion that they should continue or fulfil commitments, and rightly so.

A lot of people on this thread are rather lacking in compassion

Pre-social media there were these things called newspapers, and the radio - maybe you've not heard of them but they are actually still around today, and still announcing cancelled concerts.

Some of the comments on this thread are beyond shameful, and so fucking ignorant.

artists filled with drugs to try to prop them up. Artists pushed over the edge and end up dead because of the pressure.

I bet the same people making these ridiculous “snowflake” comments would want sympathy for their illnesses or if they needed support when going through a hard time. 😡P

I agree with this. All the sympathy here is for LC, but what about the huge number of other people who are involved in putting on a tour? Suddenly part of their job ends, does anyone care about them? If you are a performer then you have a duty towards the people who are paying your livelihood, and if you are struggling and not up to the job then maybe it's time to retire gracefully. However, most don't, and I wonder why that could be!! The third option you mention doesn't seem palatable to most.

Like Lewis, my son has Tourettes. There are times when my son’s tics are mild and if you met him you would not realise that he has Tourettes. Then there are times when they are constant, exhausting and extremely debilitating and he pushes through. I admire Lewis greatly. He’s open about his struggles and I honestly don’t know how he copes. Excitement and tiredness fuel tics. Maybe his team needs to try and space out his commitments more, but to be honest he still wouldn’t be able to tell when his tics were going to flare up in advance.

Comfortably Numb, whilst a beautiful song, always horrifies me when you listen to the lyrics.

do you go to many gigs?
Some (like me) go to a lot and tbh for me if i had Capaldi tickets I'd shrug, think "fucker" (re the Glasto statement) and send mine back for a refund and not bother.

Some go to very few, have to arrange holiday, travel, hotels etc etc. It may be their one big treat ever. They would be justified in feeling well slapped in the face even without the statement.

What this all says to me? Performers need to be a) realistic and b) more professional about their comms.

so just to recap so the outraged don't point their judgy pants at me:
Yes i feel bad for him and anyone with mh issues
Yes he should cancel gigs if he can't perform
Yes he should consider a different job if he can't perform (recording artist is a legit job)
Yes he should have a better comms team
Yes he needs to make a better apology and acknowledge that people may be seriously out of pocket and have the right to be angry about that.

As someone who on a "good" bad day can't leave the house and on a "bad" bad day hopes to get hit by a lorry on the way to work, I have nothing but support and sympathy for anyone who feels they have no choice but to let people down. Because the alternative is much, much worse.

how do you feel about people who are out hundreds of pounds who are waved away with a blithe "well i need to be better for gigs later that aren't yours"

presumably in your situation you don't take a job singing on stage day after day for a few weeks?

Me? I don't think anyone else's money is worth my life. When someone tells you their mental health is suffering, it is only the tip of the iceberg.

I'm not saying i don't think it's a problem to have mh issues.

I do think it's a problem to have a schedule like that when you already know you are fragile. I think it's a problem to have managers and tour managers pushing people into doing these tours, knowing that it is likely that some will be cancelled. People aren't allowed to be pushed like that in "regular" jobs (am aware that some people are pushed to hard in regular jobs)

But this isn't a regular job and people invest a lot of their hard earned cash to get tickets etc. The industry needs to take a long hard look at itself.

But just saying "well my health is most important" - sure that is correct. But this is more than that. Singers need their punters.

No one knows how they are going to feel on any future date. Every person has at least once in their life made a plan then regretted it when the time came. Some can still do it, others just can't. The fact that Lewis has mental health issues doesn't mean he can't or shouldn't make plans for the future. He isn't going to know how he is going to feel until the time comes. But he will likely be more weary going forward now that he knows how this has affected him. But it doesn't mean it won't happen again. Thankfully, there are plenty of people who do understand.

People aren't allowed to be pushed like that in "regular" jobs

Allowed? Regular jobs are full of people teetering on the edge of suicide because they feel they have no choice but to continue working. They're not working because they're well enough to be working.

@Brefugee I'm glad that it says that to you, chuffed for you