Tool has officially canceled its 2020 North American tour, after initially postponing the trek due to the global coronavirus pandemic. It called the jaunt off so that fans could get their money back in what has become an intensely challenging economic climate.
The band issued a statement in which it said in part, “When we played what would be our final show of 2020, March 11 at Portland's Moda Center, we believed we would be back on the road sometime this Fall. As we worked towards that goal we've come to realize that there is absolutely no certainty in re-scheduling dates for this Fall or 2021.”
The statement continued, “At the same time that we were working to reschedule this tour, we read your messages. Messages of job losses, illness, emotional and financial pain. We could continue to postpone or reschedule dates for some time into 2021 but ethically, we do not think this is the right course of action. In our opinion, tying up our fans' money for months, if not a full year, is unfair.”
Singer Maynard James Keenan has told us before that he's often hesitant to tour when times are tough: “I have a hard time justifying going out and trying to book a huge, long tour, or even a medium-size tour, when things are as difficult as they are. 'Cause a lot of Tool fans will find themselves having to decide between making a car payment and coming to a Tool show and I don't think that's necessarily fair to them.”
Ticketholders will receive information via email in the coming days about when they can expect their refunds. Tool finished by saying it will return to the road “when the time is right.”
Tool had been touring in support of its first LP in 13 years, 2019's Fear Inoculum.