Humphreys Concerts by the Bay cancels 2020 season because of coronavirus pandemic

Humphreys Concerts by the Bay will be unfortunately concert-free this year.

The Shelter Island venue, which was scheduled to kick off its 39th season in early April but has yet to stage any shows, announced Friday morning that its entire 2020 season has been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The move follows the postponement or cancellation of all the 1,450-seat venue’s April, May and June concerts.

More than two dozen concerts were on sale for this year’s Humphreys season, beginning with rapper Lupe Fiasco on April 3 and concluding with The Cult on Oct. 22. The announcement of the full lineup was scheduled for March 29, pushed back to April 12, then pushed back again once the state of California announced in mid-March that concerts and all live events were being shut down to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.

“Sadly, we are announcing the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” a Humphreys representative said in a statement Friday.

“Safety must come first right now — for our guests, artists, staff and the community. Most tours have been postponed to 2021 and we will continue to post updates on our website regarding the rescheduled dates or cancellations. We look forward to returning next year to celebrate our 40th anniversary, bigger and better than ever.”

Humphreys is booked exclusively by AEG Presents/Goldenvoice, which owns a controlling interest in Pechanga Arena San Diego and produces the annual Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals in Indio.

Both festivals were canceled on Wednesday because of the pandemic. On Monday, AEG — the parent company of AEG Presents and Goldenvoice — informed its employees that layoffs, furloughs and salary reductions will take place July 1.

According to Humphreys Vice President Bobbi Brieske said there is no cause-and-effect between the decision to cancel the 2020 Humphreys season and the AEG Presents/Goldenvoice setbacks.

“There is no connection at all,” Brieske told the Union-Tribune via email Thursday afternoon.

“We held out hope for some late season shows, but as things progressed, we realized that is not an option. Nothing specific led to this timing (of the season cancellation), but we’ve been working with the acts on rescheduling their dates for 2021 and wanted to have some solid information when announcing (the cancellation).”

For canceled concerts at Humphreys, all tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will be refunded, including service charges.

So far, three of this season’s previously announced concerts — by Judy Collins, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, and the annual “Lost ‘80s Live” package tour, respectively — have been rescheduled. It is unclear how many more concerts will be rescheduled and how many will be cancelled outright.

Ticket-holders for rescheduled concerts at Humphreys will receive email notification advising them refunds will be available for a 30-day window, once a new date is set. If no refund is requested during that window, the original tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled dates.

Refunds for postponed events for which new dates have yet to be confirmed will be available once the new date is determined. If the show is not rescheduled within 60 days from the announcement of the postponement, the 30-day window for refunds will open at that time. Ticket-holders can request refunds by accessing their Ticketmaster account.