10 Craziest Reasons Musicians Cancelled Gigs

Pigeon defecation and... just being sick of it all.

Iggy azalea
Universal

Musicians cancel gigs all the time, but it's usually for a good reason.

Maybe someone is sick, they've lost the ability to perform for a bit, or someone in the band passed away. It's sad, but it happens, and when things like this occur, the fans are often disappointed, but they're usually understanding.

Then, there are the musicians who cancel a performance for reasons beyond anyone's comprehension. They might be feeling strange, have done something weird, or just be weird people themselves. Whatever their reason, it doesn't often fit in the ones described above.

Canceled gigs have been going on for about as long as people have performed in front of crowds, and while most of these are relatively benign stories without much interest, every once in a while, someone cancels a performance and the fans are left scratching their heads.

These may not be the worst reasons a band or performer has sidelined their careers to cancel a performance, but they certainly stand out - and not for the best reasons.

10. Neil Young's 1997 European Tour Was Upended By A Ham Sandwich

Iggy azalea
Wikipedia Commons

Neil Young isn't typically one to let down his fans, but back in 1997, he had to cancel an entire European tour, and his reason was one of the strangest on record.

Young sliced into his finger while he was preparing a ham sandwich. It may sound like a weird reason to cancel an entire tour, but this wasn't a guy who could bandage his finger and move on, he needed to be able to play the guitar.

When it became apparent that he wouldn't be able to play, Young made the decision to cancel the remaining gigs, leaving thousands of fans holding tickets to nothing.

Young spoke about the incident, which has clearly changed his dietary habits in the intervening years:

"I'd have eaten the thing in one piece if I'd known that cutting it in half would jeopardize the tour... It's macaroni and cheese from now on."

Young's European tour was set to run for five weeks across sixteen European nations, including Luxembourg. Dates included concerts in Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Norway, Finland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, and France.

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Jonathan is a graphic artist, illustrator, writer, and game designer. Jonathan retired from the U.S. Army in 2017 and enjoys researching and writing about history, science, theology, and many other subjects. He writes for ScreenRant, CBR, NerdBastards, Listverse, Ranker, WhatCulture, and many other sites online. You can check out his latest on Twitter: @TalkingBull or on his blog: jonathanhkantor.com