The Residents Cancel 50th Anniversary Dog Stab! Tour Over COVID Concerns

American art collective The Residents announced on Monday that they are canceling their 50th Anniversary Dog Stab! Tour. This tour, which was originally scheduled for 2020, has been rescheduled numerous times due to the COVID pandemic. Amidst the recent surge of cases due to the highly contagious Delta variant, the group has finally decided to pull the plug on the highly anticipated tour.

In their official statement, The Residents explain their difficult decision to fans. The group shares that though disappointment is real for both fans and themselves, so is the “Covid pandemic ravaging our culture.” The Residents state that the excitement that they once felt for the tour has been replaced by “anxiety and dread.” Alluding to the ongoing pandemic, the group reveals that pervasive apprehension created by touring in this COVID stricken environment outweighs the joy that comes from bringing live performances to crowds.

“Disappointment is a bitter pill and The Residents share in the sorrow that goes with the acrid gulp, but artists have resources to deal with frustration and failure — they create! And they are creating… please stay tuned.”

Looking towards a future with less peril, the group thanks its legion of fans for their love and support and emphatically requests that everyone get vaccinated so that a day exists in which nationwide touring is possible once again.

The 22-date 50th anniversary tour was originally scheduled to kick off on August 19th in Portland and was going to feature stops in many North American cities including Chicago, Vancouver and Austin. The group has yet to cancel its European tour scheduled for 2022 that is slated to begin January 21st in Amsterdam.

While the bulk of the tour has been canceled, The Residents will still be performing three California shows in September in what will serve as a minor consolation to American fans. They will be playing September 15th at the Regent Theater in Los Angeles, September 17th at the Castro in San Francisco and September 18th at the Rio Theater in Santa Cruz.

Founded in Shreveport, Louisiana, the group released its first studio album, Meet the Residents, in 1974. Known for their avant-garde music, diverse multimedia works and mysterious public personas, The Residents have released over 60 albums and have toured the world seven times. Last December, the group released Metal, Meat & Bone: The Songs of Dyin’ Dog. This project, which explored and reworked demos of a fictional blues musician, was considered by some to be instrumentally impressive but vocally underwhelming.

The Residents Dog Stab! Tour:
08/19 — Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
08/20 — Seattle, WA – Fremont Abbey
08/21 — Vancouver, BC – The Imperial
08/23 — Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
08/24 — Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
08/26 — Minneapolis, MN – The Cedar
08/27 — Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
08/28 — Detroit, MI – The Shelter
08/30 — Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
08/31 — Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
09/02 — New York City, NY – (le) poisson rouge
09/03 — Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry
09/04 — Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
09/05 — Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
09/06 — Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
09/09 — Dallas, TX – The Kessler
09/10 — Houston, TX – The Heights
09/11 — Austin, TX – Empire Control Room
09/14 — Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole
09/15 — Los Angeles, CA – Regent Theater
09/17 — San Francisco, CA – The Castro
09/18 — Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theater

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat