It’s been five years since the COVID-19 pandemic flipped life upside down for everyone around the globe: losing loved ones, missing milestones, and grieving opportunities lost to time in lockdown. Everyone has a story about how the pandemic changed their lives. It was a universal experience, and music’s biggest stars are no exception to global disruption.

In November 2019, I’d made it a goal to see more shows in 2020. I had recently moved to the Dallas area, so I knew there would be plenty of artists coming through the metroplex. In fact, Tori Kelly’s Inspired By True Events Tour was set to stop at Irving’s Toyota Music Factory on my birthday. I took that as a sign to purchase a ticket ASAP. I also snagged a ticket to see Astrid S, the Norwegian pop star, at The House of Blues in May 2020. I received cancellation notices for the shows within weeks of both purchases.

I received full refunds and accepted that concerts, in the grand scheme of a global pandemic and mass devastation, aren’t that big of a deal. The entire world had to pivot. Still, I can’t help but be awestruck at how much the pandemic changed the music and touring industry. Most glaringly, there’s inflation and a higher demand for buying concert tickets.

But if you’re like me, you’ve been grabbing every opportunity to see your faves since the worst of the pandemic has subsided (I even finally got to see Kelly a couple of months ago) because you know what it’s like to miss out on something you’d thought was guaranteed (Astrid S still hasn’t announced another Texas show since the 2020 cancellation). Those are only two shows, however. There were so many other major acts planned - and here are a few others I would have loved to see.

8 Halsey's Manic World Tour

Uncertain Touring Future Made This Cancellation Especially Devastating

Halsey’s third album, Manic, dropped Jan. 17, 2020, spawning hits “Without Me,” “You should be sad,” and “Graveyard.” The New Jersey-born performer was ready to take the alt-pop, country and R&B project to cities around the world on the Manic Tour.

Singer-songwriter and actor Halsey, aka the unofficial ambassador of 2010s Tumblr teen culture, was set to hit the road on the North American leg in summer 2020; the dates were rescheduled for the next year, but eventually, the entire tour was axed. The few UK shows that did make the cut had a short run - Feb. 6, 2020, to March 12, 2020 - when the pandemic forced Halsey to call it.

There was a lot of uncertainty for Halsey’s fans. Before the tour was canceled, she had posted to Instagram, hinting that 2020 could be the end of her touring for a long time. No one knew when she would return to the tour stage once quarantine was over, amplifying the fear that it may be many long years before another Halsey tour.

7 Niall Horan's Nice To Meet Ya Tour

One Direction Alum Eager To Get Back To The Music

Former boybander Niall Horan recruited Lewis Capaldi, Fletcher, and Maisie Peters to open his Nice To Meet Ya Tour, named for the lead single from his sophomore album. The tour, announced in October 2019, was planned to embark on North America, Europe, and Latin America from April and December 2020 in of Heartbreak Weather, the follow-up to his 2017 debut. I love what Horan has produced as a solo artist, but I’ve also been a loyal fan since One Direction was formed in 2010, staying up late with my big sister watching The X Factor funny moments on YouTube.

All four of One Direction’s headlining tours and Horan's first solo tour came and went, and I still hadn’t seen him in concert. I was still getting money together for a ticket for the Nice To Meet Ya Tour when it was canceled, but I felt the familiar devastation of the previous years when I’d been too late to get a ticket. In this case, I knew the FOMO wouldn’t last forever. In his cancellation announcement, Horan made it clear he planned to get back on stage and perform as soon as it was safe to do so.

6 Justin Bieber's Changes Tour

A Highly Anticipated Return To The Stage Delayed

Justin Bieber earned acclaim for his magnetic stage presence as a teen idol, and he’s been dropping hit after hit since then. He was set to embark on the Changes Tour in 2020 as his first world tour since 2017. With the pandemic, however, the dates were postponed and repurposed for the Justice Tour, which kicked off in 2022 but was ultimately canceled as Bieber focused on his health.

Bieber's decisions to first, in 2020, prioritize public health and then, in 2022, prioritize his own health are commendable, considering he’s been on the go since 2009.

Bieber's decisions to first, in 2020, prioritize public health and then, in 2022, prioritize his own health are commendable, considering he’s been on the go since 2009. Still, it has to be hard for diehard Beliebers to accept it could be many years until the Grammy-winning performer returns to the tour stage. With 18 years in the industry under his belt, Bieber's more than earned a break, and to pursue his career on his own .

5 The Jonas Brothers' Vegas Residency

Reunion Celebration Cut Short

The Jonas Brothers have been wooing crowds and dropping hit albums for 20 years. There’s not a lot they haven’t done yet when it comes to touring and live shows. The planned Las Vegas residency would be a rare first for the band, who had recently returned from a six-year hiatus.

Kevin, Joe, and Nick announced the residency just days after dropping the single “What a Man Gotta Do” in January 2020. It was set to kick off on April 1st and consisted of nine dates over a couple of weeks. The New Jersey-raised former Disney stars did eventually schedule a new Vegas residency in 2022 and embarked on another tour, Five Albums. One Night., from 2023 through 2024. I saw them at the Dallas show, and while I’m sure a Vegas experience would’ve been special, I’m grateful to have seen Nick’s hometown show.

4 Tori Kelly's Inspired By True Events Tour

I Was Jumping At The Chance to Witness Tori's Most Vulnerable Project In Person

I’ve loved Tori Kelly since I was a young girl, so I was especially heartbroken when the North American leg of the Inspired By True Events Tour was canceled shortly after it was announced. The rest of the tour was subsequently axed due to the pandemic, but fans never got a clear explanation about why the North American dates were canceled prior.

The Inspired By True Events Tour was sure to be an emotional occasion. The coming-of-age album touches on the themes of loss, marriage, family, and living in the public eye - Kelly's most personal project to date. Most of the songs are acoustic guitar-driven, allowing her powerhouse vocals to take center stage in a live performance.

The Sing voice actor resumed touring life in 2023, her first since 2019. She embarked on the Purple Skies Tour in 2024, bringing fans a new experience with choreography and a return to hip-hop and R&B sounds.

3 Taylor Swift's Lover Fest

Initial Disappointment Made Way For Record-Setting Success

Taylor Swift’s planned 2020 tour run was intended to insert the global star into the festival scene in of 2019’s Lover. Ultimately, the cancellation resulted in Swift and her team returning to the drawing board and dreaming up the game-changing, 149-show Eras Tour in of all of her albums. Swifties inevitably got a larger-than-life experience, but I still wonder how things would look if Taylor had been able to follow through with her festival circuit.

The planned 16-show Lover Fest didn’t go on as scheduled, but Swift still incorporated tracks from the album into The Eras Tour setlist. The cancellation and pivot towards The Eras Tour put Swift's career on a whole new, megastar trajectory.

2 Billie Eilish's Where Do We Go? World Tour

Milestone Tour Put On Hold After Banner Year

Billie Eilish got three shows under her belt before the pandemic shuttered performance venues, and the rest of the Where Do We Go? World Tour was axed. The tour was set against a backdrop that saw Eilish win Album of The Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Song of The Year at the 2020 Grammys. It had been a banner year for the L.A. native, and this was set to be her first arena world tour.

The tour was set against a backdrop that saw Eilish win Album of The Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Song of The Year at the 2020 Grammys.

The North American dates of the planned tour were sold out, so disappointment was widespread in her fan base, but it didn’t last too long. A couple of years later, Billie embarked on the 88-show Happier Than Ever World Tour.

1 BTS' Map Of The Soul Tour

The Hype Persists Through Virtual Interaction

KPOP boy band BTS debuted in 2013 and, by 2017, had become an unstoppable global act. The band, consisting of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, isn’t a stranger to breaking records. In 2017, BTS was the first Korean group to have a track receive Gold-certified status from the Record Industry Association of America. The accolade was for “Mic Drop,” which experimented with hip-hop, EDN abd trap sounds.

BTS had plenty of hype surrounding the planned 2020 stadium tour, which was initially set for 38 dates across Asia, North America, and Europe. Although the tour couldn’t proceed due to the ongoing pandemic, BTS didn’t keep their fans waiting too long for content. In October 2020, the band held a two-day virtual concert that amassed 993,000 viewers. Many artists got creative in 2020, offering virtual experiences while in-person activities were on hold. There aren't many artists who have amassed such a large audience for their online events, though.