Yahoo Finance Travis Tritt Cancels Tour Dates in Venues with COVID Safety Protocols
Jason Kempin/Getty Images Travis Tritt
Travis Tritt has canceled four of his upcoming tour dates as a means of protesting the COVID-19 safety protocols the venues have in place for attendees.
The country singer, 58, said Monday that he has put the kibosh on shows at any venue with a COVID policy in place, including mask mandates and vaccination or negative testing requirements.
"I'm putting my money where my mouth is and announcing that any venue or promoter mandating masks, requiring vaccinations, or pushing COVID testing protocols on my fans will not be tolerated," he said in a statement. "Any show I have booked that discriminates against concert-goers by requiring proof of vaccination, a COVID test, or a mask is being canceled immediately."
Tritt continued his statement by noting that he "wholeheartedly supports" people "taking a firm stand" against such mandates, something he said he has been "extremely vocal against…since the beginning."
RELATED VIDEO: Unvaccinated TikToker Who Died of COVID, Spent Last Days Urging Followers to Get the Vaccine
"This is a sacrifice that I'm willing to make to stand up for the freedoms that generations of Americans have enjoyed for their entire lifetimes," he wrote. "There are plenty of promoters and venues around the country that appreciate fans and the freedom of choice in this great country, and those are the promoters and venues that I will be supporting."
COVID-19 has killed more than 700,000 people in the United States, making it the deadliest pandemic in American history.
The "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" singer's canceled shows include dates at the Emens Auditorium in Muncie, Indiana, the Pearl River Resort in Philadelphia, Mississippi, the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois, and the Louisville Palace in Louisville, Kentucky.
The first three venues require concertgoers to wear masks, while Louisville Palace requires attendees to provide proof of a negative COVID test or proof of vaccine.
Tritt told Billboard that he and his team did not know about the venue restrictions when they booked the shows, and canceled them when they found out. He added that he does not require his touring staff to be vaccinated.
RELATED: Michael Jordan Praises NBA's Handling of COVID-19 Protocols, Says He's 'Believer in Science'
He said he was moved to make his "sacrifice" after he received negative comments about the COVID-19 safety protocols put in place during the shows he performed on the Brooks & Dunn Reboot Tour.
"I got literally hundreds of comments and direct messages from people on all social media platforms, which basically told me how disappointed they were," he said. "They were heartbreaking."
Tritt told Billboard that the large number of tickets still available for purchase to the tour dates that were later canceled had nothing to do with his decision.
"What we're seeing is people are waiting until the very last minute to buy their tickets, to just make sure that the show is actually going to play and not be canceled or postponed the way the shows were last year," he said.
RELATED: Evander Kane Suspended from 21 Games for Violating NHL's COVID Protocol: 'I Made a Mistake'
Tritt's decision echoes that of rocker Eric Clapton and comedian Jim Breuer, who both issued public statements declaring they would not perform in venues with COVID-19 safety protocols in place.
Both used language similar to Tritt's, with Clapton saying he did not want to perform on any stage "where there is a discriminated audience present," and Breuer citing "the segregation of [venues] forcing people to show up with vaccinations" as his reason for doing so.
