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Update - Monday, May 26:
Fans who purchased tickets for the Winnipeg concert on June 6 will be receiving refunds from the Centennial Concert Hall box office, according to Gerry McDougal, manager of entertainment and marketing at the Concert Hall told CHVN in an email.
"Patrons should look for an email coming soon from the venue regarding those instructions," McDougal said.
The Newsboys will no longer be touring Canada this spring, and both the band and the tour promoter are offering sharply different explanations for why.
Faith Live, the promoter behind the Worldwide Revival Nights Tour, announced the cancellation Saturday evening, calling it a difficult but necessary decision based on prayer, planning, and recent concerns that arose following a change in the band’s lineup.
“This is not a decision we made lightly or without heartache,” Sheena Hennink of Faith Live said in a lengthy Facebook post. “It comes after prayer, wise counsel, planning, financial sacrifice, and an unwavering desire to see lives transformed through worship and community.”
The Canadian leg of the tour was set to begin May 31 in Kelowna, B.C., with a scheduled stop in Winnipeg on June 6.
Hennink said that there was initially strong interest in the tour, but after the exit of longtime lead singer Michael Tait, she said that interest began to fade. Faith Live said it then began to receive new information that raised “serious concerns” for them as a faith-based organization.
The promoter says that since the time of Tait's departure, "additional information regarding the nature of his exit has surfaced. This information has come from sources we consider credible and trustworthy, and while we will not speculate publicly, we can say with confidence that what has come to light has raised serious concerns for us as a faith-based organization."
Faith Live also said that ticket sales and marketing became a challenge after Tait’s departure, with little public support or recognition for the new lead vocalist.
“While the new vocalist is undoubtedly talented, this was not the individual audiences had connected with over the years,” the promoter stated. “Unfortunately, our efforts to address this respectfully and collaboratively were not met in the spirit we had hoped for.”
Hennink said that "The handling of the transition lacked clarity and transparency, leaving both our team and the public in a difficult position."
She said that promoters were also instructed by the band's management "not to address any questions regarding the lineup change." Hennink said they felt that it didn't serve the best interest of fans nor the band. "The resulting confusion led to widespread speculation, and as more information came forward behind the scenes, our conviction to step away only grew stronger."
Newsboys say promoter breached contract
However, the Newsboys are pushing back, saying it was Faith Live, not the band, that failed to uphold their end of the agreement. Among other things, the band says that the entire transitional process was as transparent as possible.
In their own statement posted Sunday, the band said they are “deeply disappointed” and accuse Faith Live of materially breaching the contract.
“Despite repeated efforts to hold this tour together, Faith Live has materially breached the agreement and failed to meet core obligations necessary to responsibly execute these events,” the band wrote.
Among the breaches alleged by the Newsboys are a failure to provide required artist deposits, pay support acts, coordinate technical production, and maintain communication with venues and the band’s management. The band also claims Faith Live has admitted it cannot refund ticket holders due to prior financial commitments.
The band claims it did everything it could to provide all marketing materials and assets required of them promptly, "Yet even the most basic tasks required of the promoter were neglected or abandoned."
“To be clear,” the statement reads, “Newsboys has no access to ticket revenue, no control over ticketing systems, and no legal or financial role in ticket refunds. Those responsibilities rest solely with Faith Live Canada as the promoter of record.”
The band urges fans to contact their original ticket outlet or venue for refunds and recommends reaching out to provincial consumer protection offices if problems arise.