Three weeks after postponing his “Wonder” world tour to focus on his mental health, Shawn Mendes announced on Wednesday that he’s canceling the tour altogether.
“As you guys know, I had to postpone the past few weeks of shows since I wasn’t totally prepared for the toll that being back on the road would take on me,” he wrote in social media posts. “I started this tour excited to finally get back to playing live after a long break due to the pandemic, but the reality is I was not at all ready for how difficult touring would be after this time away. After speaking more with my team and working with an incredible group of health professionals, it has become more clear that I need to take the time I’ve never taken personally, to ground myself and come back stronger. I unfortunately have to cancel the rest of the tour dates in North America, and the UK / Europe.
“We were hopeful that I might be able to pick up with the rest of the dates after some much needed time off, but at this time I have to put my health as my first priority,” he continues. “This doesn’t mean I won’t be making new music, and I can’t wait to see you on tour in the future. I know you all have been waiting so long to see these shows, and it breaks my heart to tell you this but I promise I will be back as soon as I’ve taken the right time to heal. I love you all and thank you all so much for supporting me and sticking by me on this journey.”
The first date for the rescheduled (and now canceled) tour was this Sunday in his home base of Toronto.
pic.twitter/gq7DanGNYW
— Shawn Mendes (@ShawnMendes) July 27, 2022
A look at Ticketmaster seating charts for the canceled shows (which were still posted in the hour after his announcement) indicates a large percentage of tickets available for approximately half the dates, although others had sold well.
Earlier this month, Mendes posted, “I’ve been touring since I was 15 and to be honest it’s always been difficult to be on the road away from friends and family. After a few years off the road, I felt like I was ready to dive back in, but that decision was premature and unfortunately the toll of the road and the pressure has caught up to me and I’ve hit a breaking point.”
Mendes continued, “After speaking with my team and health professionals, I need to take some time to heal and take care of myself and my mental health, first and foremost. As soon as there are more updates I promise I will let you know.”
Mendes released his fourth studio album, “Wonder,” in December 2020. His most recent single, “It’ll Be Okay,” dropped in December 2021. He is also the star of the upcoming animated musical film “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile,” which is set to release Oct. 7.
