The Mission postpone their European tour again, explain reasons in a detailed statement

The Mission have postponed their European tour for the third time:

“It is with crushing disappointment that we have to let you know our upcoming Deja Vu European tour has had to be postponed yet again. We’re assuming we don’t need to explain why. […] Our Deja Vu European tour will now take place in April-May 2023 […] Again, all tickets remain valid for the new dates. […] We do apologise for all the postponements and changes and any and all inconveniences caused and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your understanding and co-operation.”– The Mission

Apparently, the initial statement of the latest postponement has not been met with understanding from all fans, prompting frontman Wayne Hussey to release another, more detailed statement on The Mission‘s facebook profile. In that statement, Wayne Hussey does not only cite the ongoing pandemic and pandemic-related consequences as reasons for the postponement of the European tour, but also explains how the ongoing inflation has affected certain considerations:

“The amount of logistical work it takes to put a tour of this length together is massive and our agent, Steve Backman at Runway Artists, has now had to do this for a third year running without earning a bean. He only earns when we play a show. […] each time a tour gets postponed our costs go up. To rent a tour bus in 2022 is now more expensive than it was in 2020 but we still only earn the fee originally agreed for 2020. All kinds of cost have gone up – petrol, food, flights, hotels – and all that eats into our budget. I know that is not your concern but it is ours and just as many of you have found it difficult on many different fronts to get through these last couple of years, so have we. […] I have read online that there are some of you that can’t make the rescheduled dates or have just plain lost patience with us and all the postponements and wish to obtain a refund on the tickets you have previously purchased. I can understand that and sympathise. Let me explain why we postpone and not cancel. If we cancelled and didn’t give you a new date then ALL tickets would need to be refunded, which is a logistical nightmare for the promoters and a bit of a bother for you. By postponing we give you the option. Financially for us it’s not as good as we are committed to playing for the original fee, as explained previously, but with escalating costs. If we’d cancelled we could’ve rebooked the tour, put our fees up to reflect inflation which in turn would’ve been reflected in a more expensive ticket for you. And, if you wanted to still come and see The Mission, you would have to go to the trouble of applying for your refund on tickets purchased previously and then have to buy newly priced tickets. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not claiming we’re doing this solely for your benefit. It is essentially what the promoters prefer to do and is common practice within the business.”– Wayne Hussey

Speaking of common practice within the business, the former guitarist of The Sisters of Mercy also points out that getting refunds on tickets one can no longer use should not be a problem:

“[…] I have unfortunately also read online of a few cases where some of you have found it difficult to get refunds on tickets you can no longer use. I have spoken with Steve Backman about this and this was his reply: ‘There is absolutely no reason why venues should be refusing refunds and I would want to know of any cases and will follow these up immediately. That’s totally not fair to them (you, the fans) and I would be very unhappy and will sort it out with the promoters (not always the same people as the venues).’ So, please, if you are having a problem securing a refund then let us know and we will look into it for you. Please email us at: tickets@themissionukband.com”

– Wayne Hussey

The new dates for the “Deja Vu Tour” can be seen below. In some cities, The Mission will play two concerts, each with a different setlist that will not be revealed in advance. The original tour schedule from 2020 also included two shows in Finland’s capital Helsinki (21 April 2020 and 22 April 2020). Now, there is only one date in Helsinki, and fans who have purchased a ticket for two concerts back in 2020 can now bring a second person with them to the concert on 22 May 2023. Alternatively, it is possible to return tickets by 3 April 2022.