Dierks Bentley cancels Canadian tour

• Ticketmaster issuing refunds
• New public health restrictions in place

Beers on Dierks Bentley are going to have to wait.

The country music star was originally set to perform at Prospera Place Jan. 28, 2022, but the Kelowna stop of his ‘Beers on Me’ tour has been cancelled, along with every Canadian date. However, he continues to tour in the United States.

It was set to be the largest concert to return to the Okanagan since the start of the pandemic.

The news is extra disappointing for fans who purchased tickets to his show, which, very recently, was allowed to have a full house. Those tickets had sold out in five minutes online.

Ticketmaster issued a statement saying no action is required to obtain a refund. It will be processed to the original method of payment used at the time of purchase.

The cancellation comes as the provincial government reintroduces public health measures to curb the spread of the newly discovered Omicron variant.

As part of the sweeping new rules, any performance venues are limited to a maximum 50 per cent capacity.

This also means Kelowna Rockets games must return to half the audience.

Kelowna10 previously spoke with George Fadel, the senior director of marketing for GSL Holdings, the organization that owns and operates Prospera Place.

He explained there was always a risk of the show cancelling if capacity limits were cut in half.

He also said many high-profile acts haven’t come here because it’s not profitable enough to only sell half the stadium.

“To be honest, that has been the case. There’s oftentimes where promoters are very excited to be coming back up to Canada or our part of the nation,” Fadel said in a Dec. 10 interview.

“So, it’s like, ‘we’ll look at Kelowna when things open up again.’ There are certain artists who have that minimum.”

Fadel indicated some optimism saying with holds had been put on Prospera Place by various concert promoters. Holds indicate promoters are interested in booking the arena and are just waiting to confirm.

The new COVID restrictions will be in place until at least Jan. 18, 2022.