Rising COVID cases are to blame
Dead & Company has canceled the 2022 edition of Playing in the Sand due to a spike in COVID cases. The shows were set to take place January 7-10 and 13-16 in Riviera Cancun, but will no longer being moving ahead as planned.
“With much sadness and after great consideration of every possible scenario, the Playing in the Sand shows in Riviera Cancun on January 7-10 and January 13-16 have now been canceled by CID Presents due to the spiking COVID-19 cases,” a statement reads on the band’s Instagram page. “Dead & Company and CID Presents tried everything possible to bring normalcy and to deliver a great experience and amazing music, but with each day it became increasingly clear that canceling is the correct thing to do for the fans and for our crew. Please refer to the Playing in the Sand email that will be sent shortly with all details about refunds. See you soon, hug your loved ones, stay safe and be kind.”
The all-star group was already down two members going into this weekend’s performance. Earlier this month, drummer Bill Kreutzmann was advised by doctors not to attend due to health concerns. Late last night (Wed, Jan 5th), John Mayer was diagnosed with COVID-19 and was forced to bow out.
CID clarified the cancelation in an email to ticket holders Thursday night. “It is with very heavy hearts that we must cancel both Dead & Company Playing in the Sand 2022 event weekends, due to additional COVID-19 cases amongst multiple artists and staff. Despite strict Health & Safety protocols, these unprecedented times have forced us to make a difficult decision, and we fully understand the inconvenience and disappointment it may cause.”
Fans who were already at the resort were offered a full refund even if they stayed for the entire weekend. Those who were planning to attend next weekend have been offered a full refund to stay home or be charged a flat rate of $600 per night for resort accommodations no matter the size of their party.
Last week, the band and CID also offered a limited window to obtain refunds for those who were uneasy about trekking to the Cancún resort.
“Dead & Company is the ONLY artist giving blanket refunds at this time for CID events,” band reps share in an email sent to ticketholders. “As you know, Dead & Company has always had strict COVID protocols and those will not only continue in Mexico but even more safety measures have been put into place.”
The two weekend excursion was set to feature three unforgettable nights of Dead & Company performing three unique, intimate concerts on a private stretch of white sand beach just feet from the Caribbean Sea. All six shows were to be livestreamed at nugs.net.
