“After lengthy discussions,” Gray explains in a statement, “it has been decided with regret that the only sensible option is to reschedule the entire White Ladder Anniversary Tour and move all the dates to 2022.”
When the tour does get underway, Gray will perform the much-loved album in its entirety.
“It is hugely disappointing to have to do so,” says Gray of the latest postponement, “but the key word to keep in mind here is interconnectedness.” He adds, “It’s not enough that some of the dates might be able to happen this year, all of the dates need to happen in order that the tour as a whole makes sense.”
Gray’s fourth studio album dropped in 1998, and steadily climbed the chart ladder in the U.K., where it finally went to No. 1 in May 2000. To date, the album has logged 176 weeks on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, and has racked-up more than 7 million sales worldwide.
Gray is confident it’ll be third time lucky with his international arena tour. “This is the third time I’ve had to make one of these announcements, but if I’m being honest,” he says, “it’s the first time that I feel, with a strong degree of certainty, that these rescheduled shows will actually take place.”
As it stands, the White Ladder tour will start May 17, 2022 at SSE Arena, Belfast and wrap-up Nov. 26, 2022 at Spark Arena, Auckland.