Dire Straits Legacy cancels Friday’s concert at Tampa Theatre

Talk about a bad week to cancel a concert.

Dire Straits Legacy, a supergroup composed of former members of Dire Straits and other bands, has canceled its concert Friday at Tampa Theatre.

But the cancellation has nothing to do with coronavirus.

A statement about the concert cancellation blamed vague “unforeseen circumstances,” but Tampa Theatre spokeswoman Jill Witecki said it was the promoter’s decision to call off the show due to low ticket sales.

“Our audiences just weren’t looking for this show right now,” she said. “It was a business decision to cancel the show.”

Witecki stressed that the cancellation had nothing to do with the global outbreak of coronavirus, known technically as COVID-19. Four people have tested positive for coronavirus in Florida, three in the Tampa Bay area.

Coronavirus fears have begun to wreak some havoc in the concert industry, though. The city of Miami has reportedly called off the 2020 edition of the Ultra Music Festival, one of the largest electronic gatherings in the world, due to coronavirus fears. Artists like Green Day, Slipknot and BTS have canceled Asian tour dates in the wake of the disease’s global spread.

Closer to home, this weekend’s Wild Splash and Gasparilla Music Festival are still scheduled to take place in Clearwater and Tampa, respectively. Wild Splash will add additional hand-washing and sanitizer stations around Coachman Park for its show, featuring DaBaby, Roddy Ricch and more.

For the Dire Straits Legacy show, ticket refunds are available at point of purchase. Click here for details.