Pop stars Miley Cyrus and Madonna and rock band Pearl Jam have called off concerts as the impact of coronavirus begins to hit live music.
Cyrus has called off a trip to Australia, where she was due to headline a bushfire benefit concert.
Two Madonna shows in Paris have been cancelled after French authorities banned large gatherings.
And Pearl Jam have postponed their US and Canada tour, saying the risk “is simply too high for our comfort level”.
Meanwhile, reports say the Coachella music festival in California will be put back to October. The most high-profile festival in the US, it was due to take place in April and be headlined by Rage Against the Machine, Travis Scott and Frank Ocean.
Madonna Show Called off
The Queen of Pop’s shows at the 2,800-capacity Grand Rex in Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday were due to have been the last of her Madame X world tour.
But on Sunday, the French government banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people.
“It is with profound regret that we are announcing the cancellation of the last two Madame X shows,” the venue said.
Pearl Jam calls off tour
The grunge veterans said they were “deeply upset” to call off their 17-date North American tour, which was due to begin in Toronto on 18 March.
“We are being told that being part of large gatherings is high on the list of things to avoid as this global health crisis is now beginning to affect all of our lives,” they wrote on their website.
They also criticised the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak in the US, where 26 people have died so far. “Having no examples of our national health department’s ability to get ahead of this, we have no reason to believe that it will be under control in the coming weeks ahead,” they said.
