Stevie Nicks Cancels Upcoming Festival Appearances: ‘These Are Challenging Times’

Stevie Nicks has withdrawn from her upcoming festival appearances due to the spread of the Delta variant.

Nicks was slated to headline the Jazz Aspen Festival and BottleRock Napa Valley early next month; Chris Stapleton will be replacing her for the latter. She was scheduled to perform both weekends at Austin City Limits in October, but the Texas festival has yet to announce a replacement. (Nicks was also on the bill for the New Orleans Jazz Fest, but the event was canceled just the other day.)

“These are challenging times with challenging decisions that have to be made,” Nicks tells Rolling Stone. “I want everyone to be safe and healthy, and the rising Covid-19 cases should be of concern to all of us. While I’m vaccinated, at my age, I am still being extremely cautious and for that reason have decided to skip the five performances I had planned for 2021.”

“Because singing and performing have been my whole life, my primary goal is to keep healthy so I can continue singing for the next decade or longer,” she continued. “I’m devastated and I know the fans are disappointed, but we will look toward a brighter 2022.”

As the Delta variant spreads across the U.S., many acts and festivals have either canceled or postponed their plans. Some events will require proof of vaccine or a negative Covid-19 test, like Bonnaroo and the Eagles’ upcoming Seattle concert.