My Chemical Romance Download Festival Australia 2020
Mar
13
9.35am

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL AUSTRALIA // Cancels Festival As Headliners My Chemical Romance Pull Out


Download Festival Australia organisers have decided to cancel the two-day, two-state event in response to headliners My Chemical Romance postponing their tours amid global fears surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

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Festival organisers issued a statement this morning, saying that headliners My Chemical Romance have pulled out of the festival, leaving organisers unable to find a replacement. The band’s statement reads:

“To our dearest friends –It is with heavy hearts that we have decided to postpone our performances in Australia and New Zealand. We felt this was the right decision for our fans, our band, our crew, and our families given the current global situation. We apologize to our fans, but please know that we didn’t come to this decision lightly. Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to being with you all again as soon as we can.  In the meantime, please be good to each other.”
[MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE]


code orange hysteria


Festival organisers issued a statement, saying:

“Given that this announcement has come barely seven days prior to Download Australia we will not be able to secure an alternative headliner as there is insufficient time to secure visas and arrange the other relevant logistics that are required prior to the festival. As we are unable to deliver a complete line-up to meet the standard that Download fans both expect and deserve, we have very reluctantly made the decision to cancel Download Australia 2020.

“The Download team has been working around the clock to create an unforgettable experience for heavy music fans and we are devastated not to be able to deliver this show to Australian Downloaders as planned.

“We are currently working with both My Chemical Romance and Deftones to schedule separate headline shows in Australia in 2020 and will update you all as soon as we have these.

“We are also working with a number of artists who have official Download side shows scheduled, to add headline shows in Sydney and Melbourne next week, stay tuned for these dates. All ticket purchasers to the Download Melbourne and Sydney 2020 events will receive a full refund including booking and payment processing fees.

“We appreciate that the decision to cancel Download Australia will cause huge disappointment and may create major difficulty for ticket holders, for which we sincerely apologise.”

The cancellation follows the news that a patron at Golden Plains Festival, held over 7-9 March in Melbourne’s south-west, is believed to have contracted the virus according to ABC News.

Headliners of the Festival, The Pixies, postponed their tour in response.

Fan anxiety was raised after news circulated of an alleged email by headliners My Chemical Romance announcing a postponement of their shows in Japan, including Download Festival Japan on 29th of March. This was confirmed via their Twitter yesterday.

Goth metal act Lacuna Coil cancelled their appearance at Download Festival Australia last week due to their home province of Lombardy, Italy, contracting a high concentration of cases. American punk rock act The Bronx were scheduled to appear instead.

Evelyn Richardson, Chief Executive of Live Performance Australia, the peak industry body for music festivals in Australia, issued a statement on 11 March saying “at this stage, that there is no material risk associated with attending a public gathering.”

“Obviously, people who have been in COVID-19 affected countries, or have had contact with a confirmed case or are unwell should stay away from public gatherings, but otherwise it should be safe to attend [festivals].”

Ms. Richardson also stated “the health and well-being of patrons and performers at live performance events remains the top priority for producers, promoters, venue operators and event organisers.”

On 11 March, the United Nations World Health Organisation officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak that began in Wuhan, China last December, as a global pandemic.

Moshtix will contact ticket holders via email from 16th of March with refund information. More information is available here.

STATEMENT FROM MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE



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