Morrissey fans know that buying tickets to one of the artist’s concerts is a gamble. You may have the best night of your life, or you may end up getting a refund anywhere between months to hours before Moz is schedule to hit the stage. We’re only two weeks into 2026, less than two weeks away from the release of Morrissey’s new album, Make-Up Is a Lie,and he has already canceled 14.29 percent of the gigs he’s announced this year.
Of the 21 concerts Morrissey has booked in North America, the Caribbean, and Europe, he has postponed one (in Rancho Mirage, California) and canceled three performances, in San Diego, St. Louis, and the Dominican Republic.
The Rancho Mirage postponement was precipitated by “an adverse reaction to a prescription medication,” though details beyond that weren’t public. The St. Louis gig was canceled the day of the show; fans learned of this via radio or the sudden refreshment of funds in their bank accounts from Ticketmaster. The announcement of the Dominican Republic gig was announced by the ticketer, citing “reasons completely beyond our control,” in a statement published in Spanish.
A rep for Morrissey did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment on the cancellations.
Canceled shows have become a regular occurrence for Morrissey fans. A website, We Heart M, reports that Morrissey has missed more than 400 gigs, including his time in the Smiths, though Rolling Stone was unable to independently verify that number. Nevertheless, cancellations are frequent enough that it’s a wonder bookmakers, futures betters, and FanDuel haven’t started offering wagers on which shows he’d make it to. We Heart M reports that last year, Morrissey missed 32 out of 64 scheduled gigs. That’s 50 percent.
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But the other side of gambling, of course, is winning, and some fans who’ve gotten to see Morrissey live so far this year have gotten some treats. Fans in San Antonio got to witness a rare performance of “Paint a Vulgar Picture,” a song Morrissey first recorded as frontman for the Smiths on their final album, Strangeways, Here We Come. Before the Texas gig, he hadn’t sung it live since 1997.
Make-Up Is a Lie, which features 11 originals and a cover of Roxy Music’s “Amazona,” will come out March 6. The title track, which Morrissey has performed live twice so far, is streaming now.
