ADELE, Rage Against The Machine, and now the Fugees. Three huge Covid cancellations in a week have rocked the music world and reminded fans that their concert plans are far from safe this year.
Hip-hop group the Fugees, made up of Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michael, have outright cancelled the tour that celebrated the 25th anniversary of iconic album The Score due to ongoing challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Making the announcement via their Instagram, the group said: “We anticipate and understand disappointment but our anniversary tour will not be able to happen. The continued Covid pandemic has made touring conditions difficult, and we want to make sure we keep our fans and ourselves healthy and safe.
“An idea sparked to honour and celebrate this 25th anniversary of The Score,” the post continued, “but we see now it may not currently be our time for revisiting this past work. If opportunity, public safety, and scheduling allow, we hope to be able to revisit this again sometime soon.
“THANK YOU for all your love and support throughout the years,” the post concluded.
The Fugees managed to put on a single show in New York in September last year for the Global Citizen Live event, with the full tour initially expected to begin in November. But Covid-related problems pushed it back to 2022 just three days before it was expected to begin. Three months later, the group decided to cancel the tour in its entirety.
The Score, released to critical acclaim in 1996, won two Grammys and made the Fugees the first hip-hop group to be nominated for album of the year. The album contains legendary hip-hop anthems such as Ready or Not and Killing Me Softly, and was the last album the Fugees made as a group.
Fans are unhappy with the lack of refund information their Instagram post has given, with many expressing their doubts in the comments section.
One fan said: “I’m sooooo upset…. this was my dream concert. Also, On Ticketmaster it says we are not able to receive refund if not selected by a specific date. Which mine would have been Nov. 28, 2021. The concert already been rescheduled….so best believe I’m emailing somebody for my $300!”
Another pointed out that this is not the first time Lauryn Hill has left her fans hanging in the balance: “There’s a better chance of a new variant showing up than Lauren.”
But many showed their support for the group, with one saying: “Forever grateful to be upfront at that show in September, it was worth all the waiting for one of the most amazing concerts I’ve ever been to. Hope you guys come back one day, we all miss you❤️❤️🙏🙏”
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