Pandemic woes continue to disrupt the attempts of artists to resume live performances. Months after delaying their 25th anniversary reunion tour to early this year, The Fugees announced on Friday that the tour would be canceled altogether, saying the pandemic made performing safely too difficult. On Thursday, Adele postponed her Las Vegas residency only a day before its debut.
In a post on Instagram, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel, who were promoting the anniversary of their Grammy Award-winning album The Score, said they were putting safety first.
“We want to make sure we keep our fans and ourselves healthy and safe,” the post read.
The group said that “now it may not currently be our time for revisiting this past work,” adding that it remained hopeful that “if opportunity, public safety and scheduling allow,” a future reunion tour might be possible.
The tour, which was called The Score 25th Anniversary, was first announced in September. The Fugees performed in New York in the Global Citizen Live concert that month. The next shows were scheduled to begin in late fall. But in November, the tour was pushed back to early 2022, adding more cities and dates to the lineup.
When it was released in 1996, The Score, the group’s second and final album, debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard album chart. It broke into the top five within a week, and within months became No. 1. That year, The Score earned The Fugees two Grammy Awards, as well as a nomination for album of the year.