The initial wave of euphoria which accompanied the return of live music in the past month has, perhaps inevitably, become tempered somewhat in the past week as the realities of tour protocols, health and safety restrictions and the still-present dangers posed by variant strains of the Covid-19 virus coalesce to force further cancellations and postponements on a live music circuit only newly adjusting to an uncertain and unpredictable environment.
Along with familiar names such as Foo Fighters, Bruce Dickinson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Limp Bizkit have been forced to make changes to a tour schedule announced just weeks ago.
The quirky branding of the nu-metal act’s summer tour as the Limited Last Minute Post Pandemic Popup Party Edition tour, largely booked into venues Durst’s band have long since outgrown, was presumably intended as a light-hearted reflection upon an insanely challenging period for artists, agents, promoters and fans alike, offering the quintet’s fans a much-needed and much-anticipated opportunity to block out real world problems for a couple of hours. But the reality of trying to pull off such undertaking ultimately proved too much for the band to contend with.
Just one hour before the band’s scheduled gig at Asbury Park's Stone Pony Summer Stage on August 6, the show was pulled. A statement from the venue read, "Unfortunately tonight’s Limp Bizkit show at Stone Pony Summer Stage has been postponed. Please look for information regarding a new date to be announced shortly at www.stoneponyonline.com and an email from Ticketmaster will be sent to all purchasers who purchased online. We are sorry for your inconvenience."
After the weekend, the band pulled all the remaining club shows on their itinerary.
“Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the band, crew and most of all the fans, the Limp Bizkit show this Monday and the remaining August tour is being cancelled,” the band said in a statement.
“Refunds are available at their points of purchase. All tickets purchased online will be automatically refunded.”
Fred Durst later denied rumours that the cancellations were a consequence of guitarist Wes Borland testing positive for Covid-19. Writing on Instagram, Durst said.
“1. Wes Boland does not have Covid. 2. The system is serious flawed. 3. We don’t care much about the BS.”
"In short, the system is still very flawed," Durst told Billboard when asked to expand upon his post. "Even if the performers, crews, staff, and promoters do their best to ensure safety on and behind the stage, that doesn’t ensure the safety of the audience as a whole. We are all in this together, and we all - individually and as a whole - have to make our best efforts to be as responsible and proactive as possible moving forward to combat and stop spreading COVID."
"It’s one for all and all for one, or it's just not going to work," Durst said. "I’m willing to do my part. Are you?"
