Helmet Axes U.S. Tour Over “Financial Concerns And Lower-Than-Expected Ticket Sales”

It’s hard out there for a band to make a buck on the road. Unfortunately in the years since the COVID pandemic shutdowns, we’ve all seen the repercussions of that reality with bands having to pull out of previously announced tours due to soaring costs. It happened again earlier today, as Helmet announced that their planned run with Local H was donezo.

According to a post on Facebook, the run of dates was canceled due to “a mix of significant financial concerns and lower-than-expected ticket sales.” The full statement is as follows:

“Helmet regrets to announce we are having to cancel the upcoming US tour with Local H. The cancellation is caused by a mix of significant financial concerns and lower than expected ticket sales which is a common problem for many artists this year. We look forward to getting back out on the road in 2025. In the meantime, our European Tour this November goes ahead as planned.”

Along with the band’s statement, Helmet frontman Page Hamilton commented on the cancellation.

“As much as we’d love to be getting back out on the road and playing, this one was not lining up well for us. We’re excited about our upcoming November/December European tour which is looking great and we will reconvene in 2025 for more U.S. dates.”

It’s interesting that their European tour is still on, since that’s also an expensive endeavor. Maybe ticket sales are significantly better out there. Still, it’s a loss for many here in the states, since it impacts more than just the bands — roadies, merch sales people, venues, bartenders… everyone loses some money when tours get canceled.

This also isn’t the first time the band’s had to cancel dates. Back in 2022, Helmet was forced to cancel previously postponed dates due to logistical problems.