Canceled: Railroad Revival Tour Featuring Willie Nelson, Band of Horses

It sounded like a cool idea: take a few of Americana’s marquee names — Willie Nelson, Band of Horses and actor-turned-singer John C. Reilly — on a coast-to-coast train tour, stopping to perform in a variety of open-air venues like parks, fields and lots around the railroad tracks.

But only two weeks before the trek was due to kick off on Oct. 20, organizers canceled the entire outing, issuing a statement that read: 

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“It is with extreme regret that we announce the cancellation of the 2012 Railroad Revival Tour. The decision to do so was a difficult one, but it was determined that certain complications would not permit us to host the shows in the manner intended, and that the bands and fans deserved. Additional information regarding refund procedures will be forthcoming, and we hope fans will take the opportunity to see these acts in other venues. Thank you.”

Originally scheduled to travel from Duluth, GA to Oakland, CA with 16 vintage, 1940’s railcars, the tour featured eight performance days and it cancelation caught many off guard, especially since last year’s inaugural trek, featuring Mumford & Sons and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, went off without a hitch. Wrote one ticket holder on Facebook: “Great, so I just loaned them $60 for two months interest free? And all I get is a vague ‘my bad?’ What a load of crap.”

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Other attendees seem to speculate as to the health of Nelson, who’s 79 years old.

In light of this news, Band of Horses has announced replacement shows for canceled Railroad Revival dates. Conveniently, they’ve booked stops near the initial tour routing. See BOH’s itinerary below:

10/21 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
10/22 – Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall
10/23 – Tulsa, OK  – Cain’s  Ballroom
10/24 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
10/26 – Phoenix, AZ – Marquee Theater
10/27 – San Pedro, CA – Warner Grand 
10/28 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater

Twitter: @THRMusic