US rescheduled tour dates, Ticketmaster cancellation claims, and messages from venues

[The Grohl]

So I guess this is offical. That sucks that they had to cancel half of the tour, but I'm sure they'll make good on their word. I'm going to the Chicago show and I think that's a really good date. I'll just make sure that day is allll clear. Plus, I can still see Muse since they're early March...now I just have to get money to buy tickets....

[Mar]

I called the venue where the Cleveland show is and they have not received word that it is cancelled. They are still selling tickets for the show.

So either GD's management sucks at telling venues that they're severing ties with them, or major media outlets need to be more discerning in posting news releases. Sadly, it's probably the former. Fuck.

[farley drexel hatcher]

Oh, yeah, I'd call an an 11-city tour a "North American Tour." Sure. OK.

CANCELING HALF THE GODDAMN DATES? I cannot believe this is fucking happening. I just can't. I can't believe they sold that few tickets that it was worth canceling this many. I just can't. This fucking sucks.

Seriously? Sales have nothing to do with it

[Bastard of 1967]

Tour changes are now official per the band.

http://www.greenday.com/news/press-release-118186

If you had good bowl seats like I did and can somehow get your ass to Chicago for the welcome-back-to-the-road show on March 28, do it. Ticketmonster is still showing the date as "TBD" but they're selling tix, and there are still some decent 100-level bowl seats left. I feel bad for anyone who's lost pit tix in this fiasco but at least we can still get there and cheer Billie back up to where he belongs.

[LittleBoyNamedTrain]

Oh, yeah, I'd call an an 11-city tour a "North American Tour." Sure. OK.

CANCELING HALF THE GODDAMN DATES? I cannot believe this is fucking happening. I just can't. I can't believe they sold that few tickets that it was worth canceling this many. I just can't. This fucking sucks.

I don't think it's down to sales, I'd say it was just them being unable to make suitable arrangements with the venues, that's why they're apparently announcing more dates in the new year.

[Mar]

Fuck. It's official. I'm gonna go cry now.

And don't even fucking start with me by saying I'm being insensitive to Billie's problems. That's not what this is about. What this is about is stringing the venues along and, in turn, stringing people alone in thinking that their shows are happening when in fact, they were going to be fucking canceled.

[deadair]

I assume you guys have seen the half US tour has been confirmed in a press release on GreenDay.com-

http://www.greenday.com/news/press-release-118186

EDIT: Somebody posted the link, while I was posting it. Sorry for the repeat.

[Bastard of 1967]

I don't think it's down to sales, I'd say it was just them being unable to make suitable arrangements with the venues, that's why they're apparently announcing more dates in the new year.

I think that's right, also I gotta tell ya, a 2-1/2 week batch of small to mid-sized North America venues with a burst of activity, followed by an almost 2-month break before going overseas for festivals, is probably a very decent, realistic, healthy pace for Billie. The last thing you want to do with a recovering addict is push him out onto the road for two solid months right off the bat. Let him get his sea legs back first and figure out how to channel, focus, and control that manic energy of his in a healthy way for once. He'll stay clean and, I hope, happy that way, and that means more dates for all of us after the summer festivals are done.

[The Grohl]

Tour changes are now official per the band.

http://www.greenday.com/news/press-release-118186

If you had good bowl seats like I did and can somehow get your ass to Chicago for the welcome-back-to-the-road show on March 28, do it. Ticketmonster is still showing the date as "TBD" but they're selling tix, and there are still some decent 100-level bowl seats left. I feel bad for anyone who's lost pit tix in this fiasco but at least we can still get there and cheer Billie back up to where he belongs.

So if we had tix for this show, do we just keep our original seats? I'm guessing that's how it works.

[Mar]

Damn, I was relieved when Billie posted that the tour was coming. Little did I know that it was barely going to include half of the dates originally scheduled. What a fucking bummer.

[Laura!]

Well fuck. Saying I'm disappointed doesn't even cut it.

I'm so tempted to go to Chicago now. Hell, it's only four hours away.

[Juicebox]

even though the original date was supposed to be on my birthday, im happy that we finally got a rescheduled date, April 11th babbyyy

[The Grohl]

Well fuck. Saying I'm disappointed doesn't even cut it.

I'm so tempted to go to Chicago now. Hell, it's only four hours away.

DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kate_ochoxx]

uhm. it says i cant buy the tickets now,
whats happening

[Makingyourmascarableed]

What about the Brooklyn show?

EDIT: Never mind

[Mar]

OK, I'm gonna sound like such a horrible person for saying this, but I don't care right now ... why even bother with half the dates? Why didn't they just cancel the whole tour? Six states and two shows in Canada does not make a North American tour. How did we decide what shows to cancel? From all accounts, it seems like Wolstein Center was more than accommodating for the band and its schedule. So why cancel it? I guess I'm just really trying to figure out why they are even bothering with these shows and not just starting with the huge ass festival shows in Europe that are probably too big to cancel. It's obviously not a big deal to cancel half a tour, so why not cancel it all and just say fuck it? If they're worried about Billie Joe, why not give him more time, since, again, canceling shows is obviously not a big deal? They want to try him out before those big shows? That would make sense, but I don't understand why these ~precious~ shows got to stay while so many others got the ax. I'm happy (in a jealous way) of those who get to go, but I don't understand why they didn't just scrap the whole thing, maybe do an Irving Plaza-size show or two before Europe to get back in the game and just say fuck North America until 2014 or whatever.

Again, not blaming the band members. Blaming management for stringing us along for two fucking months, making it seem like the 2013 shows would be made up, when now only half of them are. Blaming myself for believing their line of shit.

[Bastard of 1967]

What this is about is stringing the venues along and, in turn, stringing people alone in thinking that their shows are happening when in fact, they were going to be fucking canceled.

The PR was absolutely abysmal and if some of the monkeys responsible for it were working for me, they'd all be getting pink-slips from me for the holidays.

That being said, some of the confusion must have had to do with when Billie, the docs who've been helping him through his recovery, his friends and family, and the rest of the band were going to say "OK we're ready to get back on the horse, and this is how many shows we feel comfortable doing in such'n'such a timeframe at such'n'such a pace." After the "go" decision was made, then it was up to the tour managers to rebook what could be rebooked and scrub what couldn't. I can't even speculate as to what kind of a juggling act this must have been. And I also have to believe that at least *some* of the cancellations are a direct result of what pace Billie feels he can and can't handle without putting his recovery at risk. The band must have decided that it'd be better to get about half the previously-planned shows in before Europe in a quick 2-1/2 week spread with a 2-month break afterwards, rather than either risk Billie's recovery by firing off a hectic 6-week schedule right off the bat or postpone all of the N.Am gigs 'til the late summer or early fall. I've got to think that they'll get more dates on the books for later this year if things turn out OK during the new March/April dates and BJ's still doing well after they're done.

Now all THAT being said....back to the impact on us. It's hard to be a dedicated fan sometimes. I remember waking up worrying about somethingorother in my own life the night the iHeart stream was going, so I figured I'd tune in for a bit and watch Green Day kick some ass, thinking it'd make me feel better. Well, we know how THAT turned out and I wasn't myself for a couple days after that. Yeah...sometimes it just fucking sucks to be a true fan. I guess all I can say is I hope to high hell that everyone who's been affected by this gets a chance to see them again *sometime* this year -- home city, remote city, whatever works. As Mike said a few months ago...pushups, prayer, & vitamins...and may that be the will of whatever it is you believe in.

So if we had tix for this show, do we just keep our original seats? I'm guessing that's how it works.

Think so!

[Requila]

accidentally pressed the post-button. this can be deleted.

[Bloody Mascara]

While I cannot even fathom the frustration you guys with cancelled dates have right now, can we calm down for half a second? Billie just said that the support during this time has not gone unnoticed; Green Day released an entire album over a month early...for us. They don't even have the west coast tour completely planned and announced...much less a second leg of the tour after they get back from Europe. Seriously, for Billie to be touring and back in the scene this quickly after treatment is an absolute miracle. None of you have any idea WHATSOEVER how this tour will pan out. Green Day has always been a band that respects and loves their fans so I'm sure they won't stand for canceling these shows and pretending like it didn't happen. Like I said, I can't imagine the frustration you're all feeling but things could end up being even better this way.

[Bastard of 1967]

It's obviously not a big deal to cancel half a tour, so why not cancel it all and just say fuck it?

...

I don't understand why they didn't just scrap the whole thing, maybe do an Irving Plaza-size show or two before Europe to get back in the game and just say fuck North America until 2014 or whatever.

Again, not blaming the band members. Blaming management for stringing us along for two fucking months, making it seem like the 2013 shows would be made up, when now only half of them are. Blaming myself for believing their line of shit.

I've alluded to this already -- Billie's successful recovery is the #1 thing in everyone's mind and as I think about it more, it's gotta be what's driven the abbreviated tour decisions. You are not an alcoholic or whatever for a few weeks/months/years and then some doc throws a switch and it's all better. Recovery demands constant vigilance and in the first few years after your "rock bottom" it is a continual struggle until eventually your new healthy habits become more automatic. Even after you get over that initial hump, your ongoing recovery takes continual work, effort, and attention, and there's no guarantee you won't fall back into old harmful habits again in the right combination of circumstances.

For the next year or two assuming the band even *wants* to be out on the road even off-and-on for that long, look for more of the same quick bursts of activity -- 2 or 3 weeks on the road -- with two months or more of downtime in between legs to allow enough time for not just Billie but everyone in the band and the tour crew to have with supportive family and friends. It's primarily Billie but also the entire band and everyone around them that needs to heal from the events of last Fall, and it seems clear they've decided that slow and steady is the right pace to try for now. So I don't think it's any accident that the dates that survived are north-central and northeast US and Canada, followed by 2 months off, followed by 3 weeks in geographically close locations in western Europe. Look for more of the same pattern to continue for the rest of the year -- maybe south central and southwest USA for 2 or 3 weeks, another 2 months off, then mid-Atlantic and Florida for the next burst, then back to Europe -- whatever pace the band feels comfortable with that balances Billie's need to force himself (and I do mean force, he's a high-energy, intense person just like I am) to take healthy time off with himself and with his family, whatever positive influences he has that breaks up the stress of being on the road and helps him avoid burning out again. If you battle anxiety like he -- and I -- do, let me tell you this: it is fucking HARD to be all alone with your thoughts, and I have a hunch that this is what he's finally learning how to do for the first time at the ripe young age of 40. I really think this has impacted the decision of where, when, and for how long the band should play live -- and if it helps keep them around and vibrant longer for all of us to (eventually) get to see -- which I think we will -- then God bless 'em and we'll deal with it.

[kate_ochoxx]

looks like moline is sold out so...there goes that.

I know

[kate_ochoxx]

this sucks pit tickets were still available when i checked yesterday.

I really wanted to go like really bad *cries* they were available this morning even

[Laura!]

I got Pittsburg tickets!

[Chewy030]

looks like moline is sold out so...there goes that.

Wow really? I bought three lower bowl seats this morning

[Mar]

I've alluded to this already -- Billie's successful recovery is the #1 thing in everyone's mind and as I think about it more, it's gotta be what's driven the abbreviated tour decisions. You are not an alcoholic or whatever for a few weeks/months/years and then some doc throws a switch and it's all better. Recovery demands constant vigilance and in the first few years after your "rock bottom" it is a continual struggle until eventually your new healthy habits become more automatic. Even after you get over that initial hump, your ongoing recovery takes continual work, effort, and attention, and there's no guarantee you won't fall back into old harmful habits again in the right combination of circumstances.

For the next year or two assuming the band even *wants* to be out on the road even off-and-on for that long, look for more of the same quick bursts of activity -- 2 or 3 weeks on the road -- with two months or more of downtime in between legs to allow enough time for not just Billie but everyone in the band and the tour crew to have with supportive family and friends. It's primarily Billie but also the entire band and everyone around them that needs to heal from the events of last Fall, and it seems clear they've decided that slow and steady is the right pace to try for now. So I don't think it's any accident that the dates that survived are north-central and northeast US and Canada, followed by 2 months off, followed by 3 weeks in geographically close locations in western Europe. Look for more of the same pattern to continue for the rest of the year -- maybe south central and southwest USA for 2 or 3 weeks, another 2 months off, then mid-Atlantic and Florida for the next burst, then back to Europe -- whatever pace the band feels comfortable with that balances Billie's need to force himself (and I do mean force, he's a high-energy, intense person just like I am) to take healthy time off with himself and with his family, whatever positive influences he has that breaks up the stress of being on the road and helps him avoid burning out again. If you battle anxiety like he -- and I -- do, let me tell you this: it is fucking HARD to be all alone with your thoughts, and I have a hunch that this is what he's finally learning how to do for the first time at the ripe young age of 40. I really think this has impacted the decision of where, when, and for how long the band should play live -- and if it helps keep them around and vibrant longer for all of us to (eventually) get to see -- which I think we will -- then God bless 'em and we'll deal with it.

And I will fully admit that, thankfully, I haven't known anyone who's had these issues (I mean, I do have some anxiety problems but comparatively, not so much), so that makes sense and I can't imagine what he's going through. It's just a bummer. Again, partially my fault that I'm such a fuckup that I rely on concerts to give me happiness. But it's just a bummer.

So, it looks like I'm going to Pittsburgh unless that gets canceled, too. I'll be paying out of my ass in hotel costs since it's a holiday weekend show. Let's hope this works out. Hopefully they'll add Ohio and Michigan again in the next round.