UPDATED: Turnpike Troubadours Cancel Show Last Minute in Chicago
This story has been updated.
UPDATE 1/25/19 2:30 p.m. CST: The Turnpike Troubadours have canceled additional shows at the Deluxe at Old National Centre in Indianapolis, Indiana on Friday, Jan. 25, The Pageant in St. Louis on Jan. 26th, as well as the makeup show for the date in Chicago scheduled for Jan. 27th. The band is saying the cancellation is due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
UPDATE 1/26/19 8:00 p.m. CST: The Turnpike Troubadours have also cancelled their appearance at Mile 0 Fest in Key West, FL Thursday, January 31st.
More information when it becomes available.
The Turnpike Troubadours canceled a show in Chicago, IL at the House of Blues on Thursday evening (1-24), citing travel delays. The show was officially canceled at roughly 7:50 p.m. local time after many attendees had already arrived at the venue. The event was a makeup show for when the Turnpike Troubadours canceled their originally scheduled appearance at the House of Blues on November 16th, 2018. It was one of numerous other appearances canceled due to personal issues.
“Due to travel delays, it is with great regret that we need to postpone tonight’s performance at the House of Blues,” the Turnpike Troubadours posted via social media Thursday night. “The show is rescheduled for this Sunday, January 27. Tonight’s tickets will be valid for the show on Sunday. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you.”
Editor’s Note: The rescheduled date on January 27th has also been canceled.
Fans who arrived at the House of Blues were told the event was canceled due to Evan Felker’s flight being delayed, and that he was still on the tarmac in Oklahoma. It had been snowing in Chicago during the day on Thursday, and numerous flights had been delayed or canceled due to the weather. According to accounts, the rest of the band had arrived in Chicago as scheduled.
Attendees said doors were supposed to open at 7:30, and shortly after receiving complimentary drink tickets for the delay, they were notified about the cancellation. Numerous fans took to social media to complain about the short notice of the cancellation, some of whom had driven from out of town, taken off work, and booked hotel rooms to attend the show, and would have benefited from an earlier notice.
This is not the first time the Turnpike Troubadours have canceled last minute. They also canceled an appearance on October 26th, 2018 in Bossier City after patrons had already been let into the venue, and right before delaying the rest of their tour. However, the band has been playing shows without issue since their re-emrgence at ACL Live in Austin, TX December 1st, 2018.
January 24, 2019 @ 8:19 pm
Even if he was stuck on the tarmac it still doesn’t look good on the band considering all their other cancellations.
January 24, 2019 @ 8:57 pm
Yeah, this was the makeup show for a previous cancellation. You might want to get there the night before since you already fucked over these fans once.
That’s like if you get a second chance for a job interview you missed, you sleep in the parking lot the night before. No excuses!
January 24, 2019 @ 8:23 pm
Something doesn’t add up. Other band members were there. The stage was set up with their equipment. A delayed/canceled flight would have been known hours prior saving fans’ valuable time and effort getting to the show. Turning off comments on this post and deleting frustrated comments on previous posts is not fan friendly.
January 24, 2019 @ 8:33 pm
These guys are too much. Left me in the lurch twice this year after booking hotels and in one case driving 200 miles. Then they raise ticket prices to the moon. I think Im done with the Troubadours. Great band but not fan friendly.
January 24, 2019 @ 8:49 pm
The band needs to participate in Ticketmaster’s Fan Guarantee. No refunds available! Not cool.
January 24, 2019 @ 9:35 pm
I would say that they are the poster child for “awful good”….too bad
January 24, 2019 @ 9:36 pm
Here come the armchair quarterbacks….
January 24, 2019 @ 9:47 pm
This is not a good look, even if it was out of their control as they said. I think the Turnpike Troubadours are one of the absolute best bands active in country/alt-country, but all these cancellations are bound to leave a sour taste in the mouths of their fanbase. Luckily, I live a short drive north of DFW, where they play seemingly once a month, so a cancellation isn’t a big deal for me, but for people that actually have to travel a good distance to see them, this is unacceptable.
January 24, 2019 @ 10:01 pm
Looks like there is a mistake in the O’Hare arrivals page. All the flights from OKC and Tulsa are listed as having arrived today, many (if not all with a little hustle) with plenty of time for him to arrive in time and still make the show.
January 25, 2019 @ 10:02 am
I went to a Beastie Boys show in DC in 2004 at a small, 1,200 capacity venue (9:30 Club). It was a big deal. The group’s flight or train (not sure) was delayed, but they kept the venue informed and the venue kept the fans informed every step of the way. The band personally bought a couple hundred pizzas and had them delivered to the venue for the fans. They finally took the stage, three hours late, but played an extended, absolutely powerhouse set. One of the best shows of my life. Some artists do make every effort possible to get to the venue, and compensate for the delay. It is entirely possible to make it work.
January 24, 2019 @ 10:40 pm
Ya know what, this really has no bearing on my life whatsoever because this over rated band does nothing for me and I once again am happy I didn’t buy tickets for tonight to “check em out” but considering I work at a major hotel literally 2 miles from O’hare airport and right across the street from Joe’s Live.(45 min from HOB) All I can tell you is the weather from 2p-6p here was light flurries but there WAS many flight cancellations I’d heard of due to a myriad of weather circumstances all over the region. Sadly at this point Evan gets no benefit of the doubt. On top of the fact they’d been advertising this show incessantly by email and social media over the last few days leading me to believe it had low advance ticket sales. Now they’re “playing” on Sunday? I’m off Monday and I just might go. Ya know why? Not much to do on Sunday around here, maybe I’ll check em out……..mainly to see if HE actually shows up coherently? I’m sure it won’t be sold out……… stay tuned I’ll go just of curiosity at this point.
January 25, 2019 @ 3:40 am
I got to HoB around 6 ish, can confirm that I saw Ryan Engleman walk through the bar to go up to the green-room/music hall. But hey, at least we got a free drink ticket!
At least I still have Billy Strings tonight
January 25, 2019 @ 5:24 am
If they actually play you won’t say overrated; and it’s a hell of party. Unfortunately, the actually playing part has become dicey.
My hope here EF is trying to stay away from the scene as much as possible and this was a legit situation. Anyone who has experienced the early stages of one day at a time knows what I mean. Time will tell.
January 25, 2019 @ 9:20 am
Well the people that drove in, got hotel rooms, flew in to spend the weekend here etc…. are tearing him apart on TT FB page and rightfully pissed off. A lot of $$$ they won’t get back. I’ll take it one day at a time and see how tonight goes in Indy and tomorrow in St.Louis before I decide to drive the hour into the city Sunday night and buy a $35 ticket at the door.
January 25, 2019 @ 6:21 am
Sad because of past cancellations Faith in the reason for canceling is low. Evan must’ve flew in separately with the crew and rest of the boys on the bus. That alone says issues are still present at some level. Especially in winter when issues with weather and flights are common. Damn shame truly a amazing live act.
January 25, 2019 @ 7:10 am
As much as I love these guys, this seems to be a reoccurring issue. They canceled Detroit during the same time as the Chicago date mentioned above in this story just 1 day before the show and never booked a make-up date. Not sure whats going on but, you’ll never get the benefit of the doubt when you miss as many shows as these guys do. I’ll make a prediction…..at some point the band will get pissed and Evan will go his own way.
January 25, 2019 @ 8:27 am
Became a fan after listening on Sirius Outlaw Country. Love their music. Only problem, you don’t seem to be able to rely on seeing them live. They cancelled show in Columbus I was set to see and now I hear it’s not isolated. Cancelling shows seems to point to something wrong. Conjecture is not my thing and it is typically destructive. Just pointing out that this is hurting the band and as another reviewer said, leaves a sour taste. Wish they could get they’re act together whatever the issue might be.
January 25, 2019 @ 9:05 am
Ole Mr Fullbright knew to hit the road solo. Leave trouble behind.
January 25, 2019 @ 9:32 am
Axl Rose Lite
January 25, 2019 @ 9:57 am
gonna play Devils advocate here. I’ve seen them at least 6-8 times over the last 5 years or so. I’ve even driven to the Caverns in Tennessee, flew to Memphis to see them play with Lucero, and drove to the Athens one time. Not to mention all of the times I’ve seen them in Atlanta. I’ve never been disappointed. some shows have sounded better than others, but every time, they showed up, played a long set, and as far as I could tell, they were all sober. Not sure how I got so lucky, but I’m not quite ready to throw the baby out with the bath water just yet.
January 25, 2019 @ 10:06 am
This has been my experience as well. I have seen them multiple times, from small bars, to big venues, to festivals, and I have never seen a hiccup in their show, never been disappointed, never been canceled on, anything. I just saw them December 1st, which was their first show back, and they were excellent.
That said, if I was a fan from Milwaukee who had taken off early from work, booked a hotel room, driven down through the snow, had already been canceled on once, and 20 minutes after doors were supposed to open, was told the show was canceled, I would probably be livid.
The last thing I wanted to do last night was write this story. You write it, and people think you’re being opportunistic. You don’t write it, and you’re shielding the band from criticism. Every indication is that weather was the issue. It just happens to be unfortunate because of all the issues here recently. Turnpike is playing at Mile 0 Fest in a week and I will be in attendance. I expect nothing but a great show.
January 25, 2019 @ 2:31 pm
They are still my favorite band but people in Texas don’t understand how hard it is to see good bands in the Midwest. This is the 3rd consecutive show we’ve had cancelled. Luckily all of ours were announced early and were close-ish shows so we weren’t out time or hotel costs.
Finding time and arranging babysitters is a hassle and it’s getting more difficult to do for a band who cancels frequently
January 25, 2019 @ 4:17 pm
Chicagoan here.
Weather wasn’t an issue yesterday. Cold, yes. But most of not all flights read of were in yesterday.
Shitty excuse
January 25, 2019 @ 11:42 am
I’d like to know why they waited so long to cancel last night. Have you guys asked about this? Also, why set the third try for during a forecast snowstorm? Seems destined to be cancelled again. These are the questions that should be asked.
January 25, 2019 @ 11:44 am
First, I must say that Turnpike has incredible studio albums. They are incredible musicians and storytellers. When you listen to a band, often their musicianship is all that is important. Fans look past aspects of peoples lives all the time.
However, when a band negatively effects their fan base consistently, you may begin to make judgments about their character. Since you do not have access to speak with them, you might make a judgement based on their actions. In my opinion they have shown a lack of respect for their fan base. It doesn’t make them terrible people, it just makes them a for profit entity that I choose not to support any longer. They can happily have my Spotify stream income and I can support their musicianship. However, merch, shows, and the true income streams are not something I am willing to support anymore.
It is not really an issue whether or not the show was cancelled. Substance abuse, weather, death in the family, sickness, depression. All of these are acceptable reasons to cancel a show. Unfortunately, how you seek to remedy a negative situation speak more about you than the situation itself.
As a unit (band members, manager, PR) their behavior shows a true lack of empathy. It promotes the perception that they are an unreliable act that only thinks about themselves. If you are delayed (and have a history of cancelling shows) it might be advantageous to let your fans know that the show may be postponed or cancelled. Who cares the reason, its basic human decency to do that. As a group, they knew something was amiss well before it was presented to their fans. I know if I was Evan, and sitting on a plane on the tarmac I would be tweeting, instagraming, facebooking, trying my best to make the fans aware of the situation. If it means we sell a few less tickets so be it. If I was the other bandmembers, and something else was amiss, I would encourage the opener to go on. Maybe come out and jam a bit. If that is not legally or safely possible I would inform or publicist/manager to make some sincere posts much sooner and much more personal than the one they did make.
Instead of sincerely addressing the situation, they are selling tickets (knowing the show will not happen) on social media (still on their insta-story as of the next afternoon). As a band, you could post a picture with a sincere apology, you could greet some of your fans at the door (perhaps its a security issue, I doubt it), you could not make your next social media post about selling more tickets. You could have a free show Sunday for ticket holders (that is refund money and then issue tickets anyway). Right or wrong, it certainly gives the perception you don’t care.
Cheers to their music, live from my living room for now on.
January 25, 2019 @ 12:11 pm
All good points. The problem with their story is, as far as I can tell (and someone correct me if I’m wrong and provide a flight #), there was no Chicago-bound plane sitting on the tarmac in OK that night / late afternoon. All flights from OK to O’hare made it that day, and all were there in time for the show. This sounds like another sloppy cover up job by the band and their management, which is complete BS, ESPECIALLY since they handled it by waiting until the last minute to hold out hope that the show would come together…instead of getting ahead of it.
If there is a deeper issue here with one of the members, it needs to be addressed with something more sincere and serious than taking a 30 day breather. That’s the real point in all of this.
January 25, 2019 @ 1:24 pm
Yeah, the way they are handling whatever the hell is going on is strange and eradicated any interest I have in seeing them live again. Unless I land ass backwards into one of their shows, I won’t be making any effort.
Will definitely buy future albums though.
January 28, 2019 @ 4:41 pm
Exactly, if they’re not going to make and effort, neither am I.
January 25, 2019 @ 12:08 pm
Done. Done. Done. 3rd time in a year equaling 3 days vacation, 3 hotels, 12 hours of driving. Sitting at indy right now and not very happy. Love the music but never again. Seeing Jamey next week for the fifth time and never had to worry about him not showing up.
January 25, 2019 @ 12:50 pm
Hey folks, it’s 1:45 p.m. Central, and it appears Turnpike has canceled their show at The Pageant in St. Louis for Saturday (1-26). I’m working to track down an explanation, as well as to confirm or deny any additional cancellations.
Also a lot of folks are bringing up the fact that there were no cancelled flights from Oklahoma to Chicago on Thursday. Understand the information about Evan Felker sitting on the tarmac came from the House of Blues, not their management. It could have been some other travel delay. I am looking into this as well.
January 25, 2019 @ 1:03 pm
And just playin’ possum
Laying low
I’ve got hundred watts of hurtin’
Coming through the speakers of my stereo
Don’t want to see nobody
Nowhere I want to go
I’m just playin’ possum
And laying low
January 25, 2019 @ 1:22 pm
Acting like a bunch of weirdos, you ask me.
January 25, 2019 @ 2:07 pm
“Due to travel delays” is what was posted on FB, so while “sitting on the tarmac” may have come from HOB it’s the same excuse.
I can see why so many people are ticked off, I would be too. I’ve seen them several times and have to travel at least 500 miles to get to a show, so if I made plans, booked hotels, flights, time off of work etc. I’d be po’d too – especially since this isn’t the first time. Fans have been patient but that is wearing really thin; I was planning on seeing them somewhere this summer but it’s not worth the risk.
Clearly, that 30-day break was not enough (big surprise). I’m not sure how much longer the band will stand behind the one person that is bringing them down, and honestly, I wouldn’t blame them for walking away. At some point, you just have to pull the plug.
January 25, 2019 @ 2:32 pm
“I’m not sure how much longer the band will stand behind the one person that is bringing them down…”
And the one person who is essential to the band’s existence. He’s not Vince Neil. He actually writes the songs and sings them.
January 25, 2019 @ 4:36 pm
No knock on Felker, but some of my favorite songs of theirs were written by RC Edwards … “Easton & Main,” “Pipe Bomb Dream,” etc.
Still I hope they get their shit together before they self destruct.
January 25, 2019 @ 1:29 pm
They just announced that they canceled their shows in Indy, St. Louis, and the make up Chicago date this weekend due to unforeseen circumstances. At this point, are they really unforeseen? Seems like there is a problem. Had tickets to the Chicago show and now I’m 0-3. Still have yet to see these guys live, but I do love their music.
January 25, 2019 @ 1:36 pm
The House of Blues calendar is showing Sunday’s show as cancelled.
January 25, 2019 @ 1:51 pm
Yes, it was canceled in a new round of cancellations that just came down. An update has been posted at the top of the story, and I’m working to run down additional information.
January 25, 2019 @ 2:16 pm
At what point do venues stop booking them?
January 25, 2019 @ 2:26 pm
Update: This ain’t “travel delays” anymore.
Me thinks the band should just fess up. The fans would respect them more for it. Admittedly, I don’t know much about these guys, but all signs point to serious internal band turmoil.
January 25, 2019 @ 2:51 pm
I don’t care what anyone says about these guys, they still have my full support. Most highly creative people aren’t exactly boy/girl scouts. They also seem to internalize a lot of issues. I don’t know exactly what’s going on in EF’s life and I don’t need or want to know. I imagine though that what I haven’t been able to avoid reading about is a life changing event for him. Not even sure if that’s the reason for the cancelations. Either way, I’m sure they don’t want to cancel shows and disappoint people. I would be extremely disappointed if was canceled on, having driven in the snow, etc. But I would try to still understand that these guys aren’t trained entertainment monkeys here only for our enjoyment… they are real people with real issues. I just hope he or they are as ok as possible. Sure they could communicate better but I’d rather let them have their privacy. Life can be tough some times. Just my 2 cents.
January 25, 2019 @ 3:13 pm
That’s great, but as said before, people are spending $, leaving work early. Musical “genius” (if anyone even wants to claim that) doesn’t make up for that for a lot of people. Especially when this is a recurring issue. They’re also still doing a shit job of engaging with their fans on this issue.
January 25, 2019 @ 3:47 pm
“Engaging” with their fans on what might be a personal life changing event that he might be ashamed of? Does he “owe” us that? I avoid TMZ and people magazine like the plague, and respect people’s privacy, personally.
As I said, I understand the disappointment. If you notice, I didn’t criticize anyone. I’m just saying how I feel, and am trying to be empathetic. These guys’ have music has gotten me through some tough days. I’ve listened to them for for countless hours, for years. I’m not going to turn around and kick them when they’re down by criticizing them on a forum that they could very well read. Furthermore, I try to imagine what I’d do if I’m his neighbor. If I read this news and I bumped into him, I think I would ask him if he’s doing ok, and offer if I can do anything. I wouldn’t lecture and criticize him. Just because it’s so easy to anonymously pass judgement on people behind the safety of our screens, doesn’t mean we have to. I’ve done enough of it, and that’s what I’m telling myself these days, anyway. Hopefully me trying to see the other side doesn’t bother you too much.
January 25, 2019 @ 4:22 pm
They don’t need to engage with anyone they don’t want to. But these repeated cancellations are unacceptable in the world of professional touring / management, and hell, as recently as today, they were announcing new shows on their FB page.
Nobody would have faulted them if they would have done the right thing and announced back in August (or whenever) that they were taking a break from touring. Simple as that. Nobody is lecturing or criticizing Evan for anything and any sane person has tons of empathy for addiction. What they are doing is getting fed up with the situation – that is, not any substance abuse problem that Evan has, but the band’s refusal to do the right thing and take a break and try to get him help. The lack of empathy here is on the part of management and the band for not more forcefully trying to help him get better. Letting this tour drag on is doing nothing but add to frustrations with fans and hurting their reputation. It makes zero sense and is quite frankly very likely dangerous from a health perspective.
January 25, 2019 @ 5:00 pm
Maybe you’re right and they should have taken more time off, but we don’t know the full story and we are being arm chair quarterbacks and back seat drivers by saying what they should do and saying it’s “unacceptable.” I can’t say what you’ve been through in life, but for me, during the toughest times I went through, I had periods that I thought I was totally fine, and I was optimistic, only to be down again. Maybe that’s what happened here? I don’t know for sure, and I think most of us don’t. They apparently put on some great shows recently, and then something came up again. Should they have seen it coming? Maybe. Maybe they fucked up. My point is 1) that we don’t know but can assume it’s something very personal, and 2) they are human and could have fucked up. Either way, what I’m saying is I support them when they are down and want to respect their privacy. Others can, and based on the majority of the comments, do feel differently. Fair enough.
January 28, 2019 @ 4:45 pm
Or…they could just show up and avoid “engaging” with the fans. Seems simple enough.
January 25, 2019 @ 3:11 pm
I mean at this point shouldn’t they make special announcements for the shows they do play?
January 25, 2019 @ 3:35 pm
Canceled? Cool, now I can go back to my regularly scheduled programming of doing nothing on a Sunday night like they’ll be doing. How about a name change to Trainwreck Troubadours? I’d love to say I feel bad for everyone that came into town and spent money on hotels, food, parking etc….. but “C’mon Man” really? At this point you’d have to know any show is 50/50 that it’s not going to happen. Way too big of a gamble if you’re not local. Btw all the local people that went Friday didn’t get reimbursed for the $20-30 parking fee I’m sure.
January 25, 2019 @ 3:52 pm
I don’t think TT should book another show outside Texas and Oklahoma. Seems like when they leave the red dirt territory this shit happens. Some speculate poor tickets sales set Evan off. I believe that was the case when I saw them in Knoxville in 2017 (terrible show). Let the fans come to them. In 2010, 2011 I thought that was the only way I’d ever see them in concert
January 25, 2019 @ 5:06 pm
Are you saying that he might have bailed due to low ticket sales? That is way worse than getting drunk and falling in the gutter.
January 25, 2019 @ 5:35 pm
Lots of comments on FB are speculating poor tickets sells have been the issue behind the cancellations (although St. Louis tonight was sold out). Whoever runs their social media and email accounts was really pushing the Chicago show all week. Indy had plenty of available seats.
They go from playing Gods in the red dirt territories, then halve to play 1/2 filled smaller venues elsewhere. I don’t think they’ve ever cancelled at Texas or Oklahoma show (but I could be wrong).
I think there is some other issues, but Evan clearly won’t push through those issues to play 1/2 full venues. Or if he does (as in my experience), it’s half hearted and totally detached from the paying attendees.
January 25, 2019 @ 6:41 pm
This is horribly gossipy and baseless bullshit, honestly. Your one concert experience is the only thing even close to evidence.
January 25, 2019 @ 7:11 pm
Two concert experiences. People’s posts from Chicago and Indianapolis on TT’s Facebook stating both shoes sold poorly.
I think it’s less gossipy than Miranda Lambert intervention.
January 26, 2019 @ 7:04 am
Well I think people would like to have more than one or two concert experiences to cite, but the damn shows keep getting cancelled. Would travel to see them, but seriously not looking to get hung out for a road trip gone wrong for a no show band.
January 25, 2019 @ 5:53 pm
FWIW: Resale tickets for Indy were listed at $8 INCLUDING fees at 2p Eastern today and NO bites. No demand here but that’s probably because of the bad taste left after November’s cancelation
January 25, 2019 @ 6:43 pm
What are you taking about? Do you have access to Pollstar Plus? They almost went to capacity at The Fillmore in Maryland. Research before you post.
January 25, 2019 @ 7:08 pm
Comments on their FB page from people in Chicago and Indianapolis and my experiences in Knoxville, TN and Beaver Dam, KY (neither show was close to sold out).
January 25, 2019 @ 4:11 pm
At least The Replacements were drunken buffoons who played.
January 25, 2019 @ 6:49 pm
Not going to rearrange my plans in Texas to try to catch them at the Rodeo. I already missed a show up here in the Midwest (what do they have against the Midwest?).
January 25, 2019 @ 9:41 pm
Not Noir enough 🙂
Seriously though, cool blog, will check it out more.
January 25, 2019 @ 6:56 pm
God! For once why don’t they just speak the truth!?! Everyone knows what’s going on. Just say it! Take the time to get help and work this out! A month was not enough time! He needs more time and help!
January 25, 2019 @ 9:12 pm
Just a theory..perhaps if they come out and state on the record that someone in the band has a recurring health issue that impacts showing up for shows, maybe their insurance rates would go up…venues and promoters wouldn’t book them…fans would be reluctant to buy tickets so they feel it’s better to show up 97% of the time and excuse away or keep on the down low the other 3% of shows they miss.
January 25, 2019 @ 9:56 pm
Well. You know, I can understand the travel flight delay issue but since yesterday’s cancellation they’ve canceled 3 more shows due to “unforeseen circumstances”. I’m all for respecting an artist’s right to privacy if they’re possibly having personal issues of any kind or band issues etc, but at some point TT or their reps will have to give a reason that’s not so vague, you know. I’m not saying have them sit down to do a tell all interview. I don’t need to know ALL their business, but they’re at the point where more details will need to be given to fans or people will continue to speculate and you know how quick that can turn negative. It’s not a good look. Whatever’s going on I wish them all the best and hope they can get back to playing shows in the near future.
January 26, 2019 @ 6:07 am
This is the second time I have been completely let down by TT canceling a show just prior to the date in St Louis. My tickets for tonight were from a show they rescheduled in November. It’s hard to get too excited about another rescheduled show. I believe I won’t make another effort to see them live. I enjoy their music but this is BS.
January 26, 2019 @ 12:22 pm
I always love reading comments or post made by Trigger when it comes to the Turnpike Troubadours. It’s as if he was beaten with a Turnpike stick from the first and last time he wrote a negative story about Evan being drunk on stage. Always optimistic. Call a spade a spade Trigger. You aren’t going to get any information we don’t already know about. Whatever the issues are, they have issues that need to be worked on. Period. Get your shit together Turnpike. Get off the road and put out something new that is on par or better than Diamonds and Gasoline
January 26, 2019 @ 3:31 pm
Since the whole beginning of this saga I have been open and honest about my struggles of how to cover this story, where the lines between the personal and the professional sit in regards to information, and what is too much, and not enough. Dedicated Turnpike fans jumped my ass Thursday (check Facebook) because I was posting clickbait and embellishing a story about a simple cancellation due to weather. Now people are accusing me of trying to run interference for them and covering up their lies or being “always optimistic.” I completely understand both points of view, and feel like both of them are valid. That said, I think I’ve handled this situation as properly as possible considering the circumstances. I ask for everyone’s understanding about the muddy nature of this subject, and the difficulties of covering it.
As for “You aren’t going to get any information we don’t already know about.” That’s not entirely true. They did not post the most recent cancellations on Twitter. Right now, the Turnpike Troubadours website is completely down. It’s the job of the media to inform the public about such cancellations, especially since I also promoted many of these canceled dates. The last thing we need is more people traveling to canceled shows.
I am committed to covering this issue objectively and honestly. The folks who’ve been inconvenienced here deserve better answers. You’re right, the information flow from their camp has completely tightened up. But it’s my job to try and do what I can to get the most info I can and share it with the public, good or bad.
January 26, 2019 @ 4:54 pm
Eric Church is playing STL tonight too but found a way to get there. I’m in the Midwest and the weather is not that bad right now (just bitter cold). I can’t speak to flights, but if he’s stuck, rent a damn car and drive! I’ve made the drive from OKC to Central IL and it’s about 10 hours. He could have easily made the 1/27 date for CHI and hit the other shows along the way. This band gets no more ‘benefit of the doubt’ from me.
January 26, 2019 @ 6:09 pm
Also I drove to CHI and back today with wife. Roads are fine.
January 26, 2019 @ 6:43 pm
No matter what you’re business is, you don’t let your website go down especially when fans are trying to get information. I know fans can be short of fanatics but people have to have compassion for those spending hard earned money for concerts when a band consistently cancels at the last minute. They make Van Morrison look good and that says a lot. They will have a hard fan base but many will move on to bands who respect their followers.
January 26, 2019 @ 3:56 pm
Seriously wondering who I’ll see March 2nd at the Houston Rodeo. Only show I paid over $100 to be down by the bulls
January 26, 2019 @ 5:38 pm
Let’s not forget that each cancelled show affects the band members, booking agents, and other industry folk. I know fans are mad, and rightfully so, but they aren’t the only ones left behind in this whole debacle—the effect ripples from the inside out. Really hope they can get the kinks worked out—for everyone’s benefit.
January 26, 2019 @ 6:05 pm
Good point.
January 26, 2019 @ 5:59 pm
At what point does band support become personal interest? It increasingly seems like the TT machine is trying to squeeze out what it can before everything dries up.
January 26, 2019 @ 7:13 pm
They just canceled their appearance at Mile 0 Fest this upcoming Thursday in Key West. Story forthcoming…
January 27, 2019 @ 6:05 pm
Okay if memory serves they were on tour with Miranda and the one guy was dating her even though he was married . Then when everyone started to realize bc his wife was letting the world know they left the tour. Miranda wasn’t dating him anymore but since then they have been a mess. I think he has trouble at home. It’s unprofessional. I don’t blame his wife bc it looked to be like saw Miranda as a come up for his life and career . He’s a liar and cheater. Which it’s up to people if they support people with that character. When it becomes an issue with you not showing up and rescheduling and then not showing up for the rescheduled show it crosses a line.
May 8, 2019 @ 11:16 am
The Trubadour’s were part of a benefit concert I went to last evening. The lead singer was so sloppy drunk he could barley stand up. At one point they even turned the stage lights off on them. CRAZY
May 8, 2019 @ 11:56 am
I’ve heard similar reports from numerous people. It’s being looked into.