NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — AJR canceled their Norfolk show set to take place Tuesday at Scope Arena as the kickoff to their U.S. The Maybe Man Tour.
The band made the announcement on their social media platforms, saying “the scale of the show we want to give you guys just doesn’t fit in the venue.”
They made the announcement shortly after midnight Tuesday, the day of the opening night of their tour.
Jack Met, guitarist and singer for the band, explained the decision. Watch the full video below.
In the video, Met said they touched down in Norfolk and thought everything was fine. After reaching the venue at Scope Arena, they realized the issue.
“And, we didn’t know this, but this venue can’t accommodate the show that we wanted to do size-wise,” Met said. “Something was lost in communication. I truly don’t know what happened. We’re still trying to figure it out.”
Met said they would not be able to do about 80% of the show they had planned.
AJR is a popular American Indie band, made up of three brothers, Adam, Jack and Ryan Met. Popular songs include, “World’s Smallest Violin”, “Bang!”, “Yes, I’m a Mess” and “Burn the House Down.”
In the video, Met said the band would reschedule the Norfolk show as soon as they can. Tuesday’s show has been removed from the tour schedule on the band’s website.
At publication Tuesday, Ticketmaster was still actively selling tickets to the canceled show. The show has been removed from the band’s website.
At 1:40 p.m., ticket holders received an email from Ticketmaster confirming that the event was postponed, with instructions to “hold on to your tickets.” Since the band is working to reschedule the show, Ticketmaster is not currently allowing refunds. That could change if no rescheduled date is announced within 60 days of the show was postponed. You can check your Ticketmaster Account for the most updated status of your event.
The city of Norfolk released a statement about the AJR Tour on Tuesday afternoon.
The city of Norfolk is disappointed by the decision of the AJR tour to postpone this evening’s show which was booked with Scope Arena a year ago. The 11,000-seat Scope Arena has hosted many elaborate music and entertainment productions, including Kevin Hart, Cirque du Soleil, Patriotic Festival, and internationally recognized entertainers, showcasing the venue’s capabilities to provide awe-inspiring and memorable experiences.
More information will be provided to the roughly 5,875 ticketholders who purchased tickets for tonight’s concert, including a rescheduled show date, when it becomes available. We look forward to hosting AJR and their loyal fans very soon.
— Statement from city of Norfolk on AJR show cancellation
The band posted on its Instagram story Wednesday that they are close to having a rescheduled date.
Here’s a screenshot of that post:
Fan reaction
The owner of an X page called @AJRTour said fans came from around North America to enjoy the tour opener.
Chey Speer from Chicago said the album release “The Maybe Man” album release was big for them. They went out to New York City for the release week for the band.
“We thought it would be really cool to come out and see, like, the first show of this tour together, which didn’t turn out the way we planned,” Speer said.
Katrina Mclean lives in Toronto and worked hard at her minimum wage job to be able to afford the trip to Norfolk. Mclean said she’s been to 30 shows and works to do these trips.
“Nothing has compared to what I’ve seen them do, what they put on a production and it’s not just a concert, it’s a full-fledged, like it’s like a Broadway show,” she said. “It tells a story from song to song. They have different transitions. Last tour, they had a whole treadmill interactive thing. The walls would slide in and out. It’s nothing compared to their shows, which is why I am always willing to travel for them.”
Ashlee Thompson from Harrisonburg was excited to hear that the first tour date was in the Commonwealth.
“It kind of meant a lot to me that the opening night was in Virginia, like, it’s where I live,” Thompson said. “So it was really personal to me and plus, like with all my friends, it was really nice.”
Emily Bundy from New York said she’s been a fan since middle school and was ready for another concert.
The friend group all learned around midnight the show was not going to happen.
“It was a bummer that it was canceled and like, the show isn’t happening anymore,” Thompson said. “Naturally, I’m a little upset.”
The sadness wore away and the group realized it wasn’t just them who traveled to see the band.
“We’re not the only people that flew here for this,” Bundy said.
They took to X and posted a fan meet up in Towne Point Park.
“Let’s do balloons, get a speaker, get snacks, and make this the most fun that we can,” Mclean said.
A dozen people came to the local park. People were singing and playing instruments to their favorite AJR songs.
The @AJRTour squad made a decision to go to the show on Wednesday in Philadelphia.
“I know tomorrow they’re going to put on the absolute best show that I will ever see, and I’m excited to see it multiple times on this tour and we’re doing our best to get there,” Mclean said. “We’re taking the same train together, figuring out hotels tomorrow, all like, it’s just kind of winging it.”
The tickets were a Christmas present for the DeBord family’s daughter and a birthday present for their oldest.
“I was quite looking forward to it, definitely disappointed it’s not tonight,” Riley DeBord said.
Mike Debord said he wished AJR just put on some kind of show in Norfolk for the fans.
“I thought there would be a little more homework done on their end,” Mike Debord said. “As an artist, I would have liked them to say, ‘Hey, we can’t give the fans what they wanted, but we will do an hour-and-a-half acoustic set. Y’all come out. We will give your money back. We are here for the music. It sounds like they just are like we tried and gave up. I wish they met us halfway.”
The family has no hard feelings for the band. They even snagged tickets to the Baltimore show Sunday and hope they can catch them in Norfolk if and when it is rescheduled.
WAVY has reached out to SevenVenues for a statement on this last-minute cancellation.
Keep updated with WAVY-TV 10 for the latest.
