For the first time in my life, I’m relieved that my next concert isn’t until the summer. Concerts are being canceled left and right all over the world because of the coronavirus. While I completely understand that this is for health and safety reasons, I know how heartbreaking it can be. I had tickets to see a Broadway show in New York City over spring break and I was devastated when I found out all Broadway performances were canceled for the next month. 

It’s been a rough couple weeks for fans and artists alike. Many of the singers that I’m a fan of constantly talk about how much they love touring and how playing their music onstage to a crowd is one of their favorite things. Obviously fans are upset because of these cancellations, but I’m sure the artists are heartbroken as well. 

One positive aspect is that most of these tours or concerts are being postponed and not canceled. However, it is unsure how long this pandemic will last so most artists are not explicitly stating what the new dates will be.

The safety and health of everyone comes first. Unfortunately the upcoming shows in Japan, Manila, Australia & New Zealand are being rescheduled for later dates 💔💔 please hang on to your tickets (except Bluesfest in Byron Bay), details to come soon for the rescheduled shows🙏🏼🙏🏼

— Alanis Morissette (@Alanis) March 16, 2020

Ticketmaster seems to be doing a good job trying to help people who have questions. If you go to their homepage there is a banner at the top where you can find the status of your event or information about canceled/rescheduled events. If an event was rescheduled, the tickets will be valid on the new date. If an event was canceled, the Ticketmaster website says it will automatically refund the full cost of the ticket to the credit card used to purchase them. I imagine this may take a while because of the huge number of cancellations. I bought my Broadway tickets on Ticketmaster and the email I received said 7-10 business days, so hopefully that is true!

In light of these cancellations, some artists took a different route and have livestreamed or are planning to livestream a concert for fans. I think this is very cool, and while it is obviously not the same as being at a concert in person, it really shows how much these artists care about their fans. Also, it provides people with a source of entertainment while they are (hopefully) staying home.  

I have had tickets to a couple concerts in the past that were canceled and it can be very upsetting. A concert is something to look forward to; it’s something people probably know about for months in advance. Sometimes unexpected things happen, though. My heart goes out to everyone who was looking forward to something, whether it was a concert or simply finishing your last semester of college in person. Keep washing your hands and staying home (if you’re able to) and remember, this too shall pass.