Iconic singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks, whose upcoming appearance at BottleRock Napa Valley was likely a major draw for many ticket holders, announced Tuesday that she is bowing out of the festival and all of her remaining scheduled shows this year.
The reason, which is being cited by many performers in the last couple of weeks, is concerns over COVID-19 and the Delta variant, which continues to infect both the vaccinated and unvaccinated alike.
"These are challenging times with challenging decisions that have to be made. I want everyone to be safe and healthy and the rising Covid cases should be of concern to all of us,” Ms. Nicks said on Twitter. "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."
One of those performances was canceled for her on Monday when New Orleans Jazz Fest announced its full cancellation in October.
— Stevie Nicks (@StevieNicks) August 10, 2021
Nicks was previously part of the 2019 lineup for Jazz Fest, along with Fleetwood Mac, and so were the Rolling Stones, who were also scheduled to play this year, after both bands cancelled their 2019 appearances.
Nicks was also, of course, part of the original 2020 lineup for BottleRock last May, and has stayed on the lineup as the festival was rescheduled several times.
She added, in her announcement today, "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. I’m devastated and I know the fans are disappointed, but we will look toward a brighter 2022."
Ms. Nicks, who is now 73, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019 as a solo performer — and she was previously inducted as a member of Fleetwood Mac.
BotttleRock quickly announced a replacement headliner for Day 1 of the festival, which kicks off on Friday, September 3, and that's country music star Chris Stapleton.
Can we pour you a glass of Tennessee Whiskey? 🥃 💕
— BottleRock Napa (@BottleRockNapa) August 10, 2021
We can't wait to rock with @ChrisStapleton this Labor Day weekend 🙌 🎶 pic.twitter.com/xqGlKpl6pp
The sold-out festival in downtown Napa runs for three days this Labor Day Weekend, and it is the first major music festival to go on in the Bay Area since the start of the pandemic. The other headliners and featured performers on the bill are Guns N' Roses, Foo Fighters, Miley Cyrus, Run the Jewels, and Megan Thee Stallion.
Outside Lands, the Golden Gate Park fest that usually happens the first or second week of August, is now set to happen Halloween weekend, when, hopefully, the Delta surge will be behind us.
Related: BottleRock Still On For Labor Day Weekend, Organizers Say Proof of Vaccination Will Be Required
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame