The two musicians were due to perform early next month in the Hawke's Bay region, an area hardest-hit by the severe weather event
Lorde and Sting have postponed and cancelled their respective upcoming shows in New Zealand following the destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.
The Category 3 cyclone hit the northern region of New Zealand’s North Island on February 12, before gradually tracking down the east coast and leaving widespread devastation in its wake. Two days later, New Zealand declared a state of emergency – only the third in its history.
At the time of writing, the death toll of Cyclone Gabrielle stands at 11, with more than 5,000 people remaining uncontactable across New Zealand. Recovery efforts are currently underway across the country, with the worst of the cyclone subsiding on February 16.
Lorde announced the postponement of her upcoming shows in Hawke’s Bay – the hardest-hit area where 9,000 people have been displaced and 62,000 households went without power. “In line with advice from police, the venue and our promoter, I think the right thing to do is postpone our Hawke’s Bay shows,” the singer wrote on social media yesterday (February 20).
From March 1, Lorde was due to perform two back-to-back shows at Black Barn Vineyards in Havelock North, located within Hawke’s Bay. “I would love to be there with you right now, but I can also read the room,” the singer wrote to fans. “Taking precious resources away from those who need them right now is not it.”
Lorde insisted that the postponement of the shows – which formed part of her broader New Zealand tour in support of her 2021 album ‘Solar Power’ – is “not a cancellation at this stage”. She assured ticket holders that she’s “working on something, and you’ll hear from me soon”.
Sting, meanwhile, was yesterday forced to cancel his imminent show at The Mission Estate Winery within Hawke’s Bay’s wine region, out of “respect to those affected by the devastating impact of Cyclone Gabrielle”, concert organisers wrote in a press statement. The former Police frontman was due to perform at the venue on March 4, as part of his ‘My Songs’ tour throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Ticket holders were promised an automatic refund, while Sting and Live Nation pledged a donation to “the Hawke’s Bay Foundation’s Cyclone Relief Fund,” promoters said. Sting’s earlier show in Christchurch on March 1 is unaffected and will proceed as planned.
Tori Amos Returns With In Times of Dragons, A Mythic New Album About Power, Resistance, and Survival
Tori Amos has spent her career turning the personal into the political, the mythic into the immediate. With In Times of Dragons, her newly announced
The D.O.C.’s Second Act: Survival, Voice, and a New Life in Punk
The D.O.C.’s modern resurgence did not arrive via a legacy rap project or reunion tour. It came through punk.For all the mythology surrounding The D.O.C.,
Geese Make Saturday Night Live Debut With Two Songs From Getting Killed
Brooklyn rock band Geese stepped onto one of indie rock’s biggest stages over the weekend, making their debut as musical guests on Saturday Night Live
Megadeth Share “Puppet Parade,” The Final Single From Their Self-Titled Last Album
MEGADETH have always thrived on tension — between speed and precision, rage and control, spectacle and solitude. On “Puppet Parade,” the final single from their
Codefendants and the Long Conversation Between Punk and Hip-Hop
The collision between punk and hip-hop isn’t new. What’s rare is hearing it treated as a shared language instead of a novelty. That’s where Codefendants
The Funeral Portrait Capture Chaos and Communion on Live From Suffocate City
The intensity captured on Live From Suffocate City isn’t accidental. It’s the physical manifestation of everything Lee Jennings spoke about when he sat down with