With the coronavirus pandemic causing countless cancellations of tours and festivals, the music world is hurting right now. For road crews, the pandemic is especially tough, as they depend on the concert industry as a primary source of income.
Deftones were forced to cancel their Australian and New Zealand tour due to COVID-19, but the merchandise was already printed, so they’re offering up the items online to benefit their out-of-work crew.
“Our touring crew is essential for us to go out and do what we do for all of you,” the band stated on social media. “We were crushed that we had to cancel our Australia and New Zealand run this month, and our road crew was hit hard.”
“If you are able to buy a shirt, we, and they, really appreciate the support,” the band added, explaining that all of the profits will go to the crew. “Please note all merchandise will be shipping from AU, and prices reflect AUD. We will see you all soon. Stay safe.”
The merchandise is available for sale at this location. As of now, Deftones are still scheduled to kick off a North American tour in late July with support from Gojira and Poppy. Pick up tickets here.
In related news, musician and tour manager Frank Fanelli recently launched a general GoFundMe campaign to help road crew members who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fanelli explained as follows:
“Hundreds of tours have been canceled, venue & crew personnel are out of jobs, clubs are shutting down and most of us don’t know where to turn. As I strongly encourage fans to continue buying new merch from your favorite artists due to cancelations, I’m also giving you an option to help out the crew members and roadies that help bring the shows you love to every city you see these bands in.”
So far, that campaign has raised nearly $25,000.
Deftones Selling Merch to Benefit Road Crew Following Tour Cancellation
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