IT’S COME TO THIS: Steve Miller Band Cancels All Tour Dates Due to Recent Weather Disasters.
The calamitous weather of recent years has taken many lives, caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage and is changing the climate and economies of countries all over the globe. But the Steve Miller Band’s 2025 North American tour may be the first to be canceled due to the ongoing trend of climate change-inducted weather disasters, rather than any single event.
The band has canceled all 31 scheduled dates of its American tour, which was slated to begin Aug. 15 in Bethel, NY and traverse the entire country before concluding in Anaheim, Calif. on Nov. 8.
As Joel Engel tweets, “Also, climate-change-induced tepid ticket sales.” But if that’s Miller’s excuse, does he have any guilt over how his nearly 60 years of playing stadiums and hockey arenas and the massive amount of equipment his band tours with has impacted the environment?
Flashback to 2019: David Gilmour’s Guitar Auction Nets $21m For Climate Change Charity.
As I noted at the time: Pink Floyd’s last North American tour, in 1994, played in many of America’s largest outdoor stadiums. According to the “Pink Floyd North American 1994 Production manual and contract,” the Floyd’s tour involved 28 semis, each with a 48-foot long trailer, plus eight crew buses, five rental cars, runner vans and cars, and five vans for the band itself from the hotel to the stadium, along with up to seven golf carts at the arena. The promoter at each venue was required to provide nine forklifts, one cherry picker, one 35-ton mobile crane and one 60-ton mobile crane. “A supply of fuel for all of the above machinery must be kept onsite and topped up as required.” The production manual noted that “The band party will comprise approximately forty (40) persons who will arrive either on board their private, charter aircraft, or via commercial airlines. Either a fifty (50) seat luxury coach or four (4) twelve (12) seat mini-vans will be required to meet the plane and transport the band party to and from their hotel. A small truck will also be required with driver to transport the band party’s luggage to and from the hotel and airport. Should the size of the band party increase, Pink Floyd reserve the right to increase the quantity of the aforementioned transportation accordingly.” The band carried its own generator to power its massive lighting, laser, and amplification rig. The tour’s production manual demanded that the promoter have access to a 24-hour emergency 800-KVA generator.
I really don’t want to hear another word about Glenn Reynolds’ carbon footprint.