PHILADELPHIA — Kanye West’s elaborate, multi-truck Yeezus tour, launched Oct. 19, was disrupted by a highway accident involving a truck carrying LED gear en route to a Halloween show in Vancouver, BC. The artist’s management has since reported that the tour is set to resume Nov. 16 in Philadelphia.
Of the shows that could not be presented on the original tour schedule due to the truck accident, only some — in Chicago, Toronto and Detroit — will be rescheduled.
“Due to routing logistics, the Vancouver, Denver, Columbus, Montreal, Minneapolis and St. Louis Shows have been canceled,” noted kanyewest.com.
Brian Higgins, president of Artisan Transport, declined to comment on the tour or accident, other than to confirm that there were no fatalities associated with the accident.
The company’s truck was reportedly traveling I-5 in California en route to 19,000-capacity Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Online photos show extensive front-end damage and a broken windshield.
The truck had been hauling circular LED gear and custom truss, according to reports. Tour management reportedly opted to replace, rather than try to repair, the damaged custom truss, citing possible safety risks. The custom truss is used to support heavy loads.
For fans in Vancouver, the cancellation of the Oct. 31 show was a double disappointment. That show, originally set for Oct. 20, had been postponed prior to the truck accident due to “unforeseen circumstances” involving the production.
Staging elements for the Yeezus tour, the first solo tour for Kanye West in five years, includes a towering angled rock mountain feature rising more than 30 feet from the stage.
From Philadelphia, the tour is set to travel the East Coast through December, then head back though the Midwest, Texas and West Coast before returning for the makeup dates in Chicago, Detroit and Toronto just prior to Christmas.
