Amanda Palmer Calls Off 2013 Dates

All of Amanda Palmer’s scheduled 2013 gigs have been either canceled or postponed. The musician announced that she’s putting her tour on hold to spend time with her best friend who is battling cancer. Some of the dates will be rescheduled for later in the year.

In a lengthy blog post, titled “Cancer. Canceling, Postponing. Waiting. Growing.,” Palmer said that she needs to stay with her friend Anthony “while he faces cancer treatment and whatever else is about to happen.” She explained that “in a nutshell: He’s one of my biggest relationships, my life-long mentor, my best friend.”

She will still make it to one more show this year – the New Year’s Eve gig at New York City’s Terminal 5 is still on.

The 2013 tour included shows in Australia and Europe. The Australian dates, which were scheduled in January and February, are being rescheduled and are expected to be announced in the next few weeks. Palmer says her team is planning on possibly rescheduling for September or October 2013.

As for the Europe dates, originally scheduled in March, Palmer says that she’s “not certain when these shows will be rescheduled. I DO plan to make up the tour, hopefully within a year.”

Fans can hold onto the tickets and wait for the rescheduled dates or contact their ticketing agency directly for refunds. Tickets purchased through AmandaPalmer.net will be automatically refunded.

Photo: AP Photo / dapd

Roter Salon, Berlin, Germany

Palmer’s blog post started off by saying that it was really hard for Palmer to make the announcement because she’s almost never canceled a show in the past 13 years of touring and feels like she’s letting a lot of people down.

“I take my professional commitments really seriously. Even if I’m sick, I play. But I also take my friendships really seriously. This situation calls for no other solution.
My best friend is really sick and his future is uncertain. So I am going to stay with him while he goes through this.

“I know it’s going to affect so many people – my band, my crew, all of you, especially those of you who have already made travel plans, booked hotels, bought plane tickets. All i can do is ask for your forgiveness and understanding… and ask you to wait. I will come.

“This was an agonizing decision to make, but it was also…an easy decision, if you know what i mean. He’s my best friend. It’s not enough, when this happens, to be “on call” to be a flight away at any moment. It is only enough to stay close, to join the story in real time.”

Palmer compared the situation to Fiona Apple’s recent decision to postpone her South American tour so the singer could be with her dying 14-year-old pit bull.

Towards the end of the post Palmer added that on second thought, she doesn’t feel like her decision is actually letting a lot of people down.

“I believe that you know me. I believe that you trust me. And I believe that actually, I’d be letting you down if I decided to leave my best friend hanging and leave on tour anyway. Because that’s not who you’d want me to be.”

For more information and to read the complete blog post visit AmandaPalmer.net.