Arlo Parks Cancels U.S. Dates, Citing Deteriorating Mental Health

Arlo Parks is the latest artist to call off tour dates in order to take time to focus on their mental health. With a statement posted on Twitter explaining that she finds herself “in a very dark place, exhausted and dangerously low,” the British singer/songwriter canceled eight U.S. shows scheduled Sept. 14-24 including Tuesday’s show at Minneapolis’ First Avenue.

Parks has promised to resume her tour next week, starting with a Sept. 26 performance at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Ore.

The canceled dates are as follows:
SEP 14, 2022 – Roadrunner – Boston, MA
SEP 16, 2022 – The Majestic Theatre – Detroit, MI
SEP 17, 2022 – Agora Theatre and Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
SEP 18, 2022 – Riviera Theatre – Chicago, IL
SEP 20, 2022 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
SEP 21, 2022 – The Pabst Theater – Milwaukee, WI
SEP 23, 2022 – The Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
SEP 24, 2022 – Rockwell at The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT

The fall 2022 North American leg of Parks’ “Collapsed In Sunbeams Tour” kicked off with two shows supporting Florence + The Machine: Sept. 2 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec and Sept. 3 at Budweiser Stage in Toronto, followed by a Sept. 6 headline show at New York’s Webster hall and Sept. 12 at Wasington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club.

She also played a handful of U.S.gigs in April, including supporting Clairo at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre and performing at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California.

Parks had a busy summer with European headline dates booked in June and July, along with a supporting Billie Eilish at London’s The O2 and Harry Styles at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. In August she headed to Australia, followed by a handful of additional European festival appearances. Parks cited her packed touring schedule as contributing to her declining mental health.

Her full statement she posted on Twitter is listed below:

“I’ve been on the road on and off for the last 18 months, filling every spare second in between and working myself to the bone. It was exciting and I was eager to grind and show everyone what I was capable of, how grateful I was to be where I am today. The people around me started to get worried but I was anxious to deliver and afraid to disappoint my fans and myself.”

“I pushed myself unhealthily, further and harder than I should’ve. I find myself now in a very dark place, exhausted and dangerously low – it’s painful to admit that my mental health has deteriorated to a debilitating place, that I’m not okay, that I’m a human being with limits.

“With that in mind I’m having to cancel the shows from Boston to Salt Lake City and recommence the tour in Portland. I don’t take decisions like this lightly but I am broken and I really need to step out, go home and take care of myself. I will do everything I can to make this up to you – for now you can get refunds at your point of purchase.

I’m forever thankful to everyone who continues to show up for me, what a dream to have fans like you guys – I’ll be back. Love AP.”

Parks has been supporting her debut studio album, Collapsed in Sunbeams. The album earned her high praise including Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album. She won the Brit Award for Best New Artist, along with being nominated for Best British Female Solo Artist and Album of the Year.

The album features sensitive lyrics that are filled with vivid imagery including “Black Dog,” in which Parks desperately tries to cheer up a friend with depression: “I’d lick the grief right off your lips / You do your eyes like Robert Smith.”

Other artists who have recently canceled dates citing their mental health include Shawn Mendes, Sam Fender and Russ. Justin Bieber also postponed his “Justice World Tour” with a statement saying he needed to prioritize his health.

Box office reports submitted to Pollstar for Parks include an Oct. 12, 2021, show at San Francisco’s The Independent that sold 550 tickets and grossed $8,820.

READ MORE:
On The Need To Keep Talking About Mental Health & Provide Support To ‘Anyone Who Has A Hand In Making The Music Happen’

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Superstar In The Making: Arlo Parks Shines In ‘Sunbeams’