In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, The Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney talked about their canceled 2024 tour and named the real responsible people for it.
“We kept having to move shit around for a Manchester show because there was a venue that our management company co-owned and wanted us to play, and it wasn’t ready,” Carney explained. “There’s a concentration of connectivity that eliminates competition… Our tour, we had about 10 [arena] shows that were not doing great. They were just in rooms that they shouldn’t have been in.”
“So in any situation like this tour, we might’ve had to take one on the chin and find new venues to play in certain cities, but instead we were advised to cancel the whole tour,” the drummer admitted. “We were told… there were other venues being booked, and it was all going to get into more intimate rooms, and it would be great. But that wasn’t accurate. That didn’t exist.”
“The thing that most people don’t understand is that when you control ticketing, promotion, and all this stuff, and then you get into owning the venues and then having shared interests with management, it just becomes harder and harder [for artists] to do business,” he added.
This is the first time Carney has spoken about the tour in full detail after being forced to cancel it.
Last year, the band had planned a 31-date tour from September 17 to November 12 but canceled it four months before it was set to begin. Later, they reassured fans that both members were fine and that the cancellation was due to changes in their U.S. tour plans.
After canceling their tour, The Black Keys played just a few shows. This sparked rumors about low ticket sales. In June 2024, they parted ways with their management team, and Carney later posted a statement on social media. “We got f*cked. I’ll let you all know how so it doesn’t happen to you. Stay tuned,” he wrote.
Months after the bad news, the band announced new US tour dates for 2025. The tour starts on May 23 in Durant, Oklahoma, and wraps up on June 14 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. This 13-show tour will take place at smaller venues compared to last year’s tour.
