JP Saxe tour

A live performance from JP Saxe, who’s canceled the Make Yourself At Home Tour. Photo Credit: vagueonthehow

JP Saxe has shelved his upcoming tour – and offered a brutally honest explanation for the cancellation, which resulted from lower-than-expected ticket sales.

The Toronto-based artist confirmed the unfortunate news on social media today, after announcing the Make Yourself At Home Tour in mid-June. That 32-date concert series would have kicked off in September and wrapped in late October, taking JP Saxe through the States, his native Canada, and six Latin American countries.

But earlier this week, the 32-year-old explained in a video that he would have to nix the tour unless fans purchased a substantial number of tickets during “the next 48 hours.”

“I’m extremely embarrassed to tell you this,” JP Saxe said, “but I’m going to tell you anyway. If I don’t sell 20 or so thousand tickets to my tour in the next 48 hours, it’s going to be canceled. If we’re just not in a place yet to sell out these 2,000-, 3,000-cap venues – that’s fine. It’s always been my goal to connect deeply, not widely, and I stand by that.

“But just in case you were waiting till the week of or night of to buy a ticket – that approach just isn’t going to work, because there won’t be a show to buy a ticket to. So whether that happens or not, I’m grateful to you for caring about my songs, and I hold on to a sliver of hope that I will see you in the fall,” he concluded.

And while the sought sales burst didn’t materialize, supporters did purchase “a few thousand extra tickets” in the following days, the Make Yourself At Home act said in today’s video.

“I have an update. Over the last few days, we sold a few thousand extra tickets. And I am beyond grateful to every one of you who bought one,” said JP Saxe. “Those few thousand tickets are a reminder that being transparent in failure sometimes can be more powerful than the façade of success. A reminder of how wonderful it can be to ask for help and watch a community come together. This really was the nicest the internet has ever been to me.

“But what those few thousand tickets are not, is enough to save this tour. I’m really sorry – I’m so sorry. Every ticket purchased will be fully refunded with a small side of immense gratitude from a dorky ginger Canadian.

“I’m still a little embarrassed. I’m also feeling a lot of ambition to make sure this never happens again. And just to make the most honest music I possibly can, and the squad can grow, and we can just have these full rooms. But until then, I love you, and I’m grateful to each one of you who bought a ticket, and I’m really sorry,” he concluded.

Though candid comments like these aren’t exactly common, JP Saxe is far from alone in putting shows on ice or abstaining from touring altogether.

Riding a bit of publicity from the admission – Saxe also penned a Variety guest column – the professional may well find new followers and develop even stronger ties with existing supporters.

Furthermore, while the important subject receives little attention, playing sizable venues before huge audiences doesn’t necessarily represent a win in every sense. Are attendees on hand due to an interest in and appreciation for genuine artistry? Or are they showing up to witness a spectacle, beg for money, and/or jump on the bandwagon?

From the artist’s perspective, one can easily argue that the latter reasons and many others yet might amount to failures – or at least fall well short of victories. And to state the obvious, this brand of cheap support is inherently fickle.