Illness leads to Neil Young and Crazy Horse cancelling Ottawa Bluesfest show; The Offspring to headline

Ottawa Bluesfest has announced one of its headliners has had to cancel because of illness.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse were to be the headline act on July 11 at the Ottawa festival, but the group has cancelled upcoming tour dates.

"When a couple of us got sick after Detroit's Pine Knob, we had to stop. We are still not fully recovered, so sadly our great tour will have a big unplanned break," the group said on its website Wednesday. "We know many of you made travel plans and we apologize for the inconvenience."

Bluesfest said on social media that The Offspring will now headline the RBC Stage with supporting acts Silverstein and Cancer Bats.

Music Publicist Eric Alper told CTV News Ottawa fans who grew up with Young's music might know more about The Offspring than they realize.

"I think that the offspring are one of the most energetic rock bands around," Alper said. "I would think that if you might be disappointed in Neil Young and you haven't seen The Offspring perform, now might be a really good time to go and see them because they're excellent live."

Ian Boyd, co-owner of Compact Music, said the news of the cancellation was disappointing.

"There's no doubt that a lot of us were looking forward to the show, including myself," he said. "Anytime there are health concerns, I think that has to come first, and that's the position of Neil's management and I think nobody's going to disagree with that."

But he also said The Offspring put on a good show.

"They played the festival (in 2019) and you know what? I remember them saying, 'You do this for 10 days; we only do it for three in California,'" he said. "So get out to the festival; don't worry about missing Neil. Go get your ticket, it's going to be a lot of fun."

Refunds, free 'flex' ticket offered to concertgoers

Single-day ticketholders for July 11 are eligible for a refund.

"If you hold a single-day ticket for July 11 (including GA, VIP, Platinum, Parking Pass, and Coors Light Party Central) you are eligible for a refund if you choose. Any other ticket types in your order are not eligible for a refund," an email to ticketholders said.

"Note that ticket exchanges, upgrades, or partial refunds for your July 11th day tickets are unavailable. If no action is taken by July 2nd at 11:59 p.m., your July 11th single-day ticket(s) will remain valid, and will not be considered for a refund past this date."

The link to receive the refund was included in the email that was sent out Wednesday evening.

Pick 3 pass holders with tickets for July 11 are not eligible for a refund, but Bluesfest says they will be provided with a complimentary day ticket, to be distributed by email on or before July 2.

"This 'Flex' day ticket can be used for entry on any day of the festival, allowing you to attend all 3 days of your Pick 3 pass, plus an additional day of your choosing," Bluesfest says. "This ticket can be printed or scanned directly from your mobile device."

Bluesfest is celebrating its 30th year. Other headliners this year include Nickelback, Maroon 5, 50 Cent, Mötley Crüe, Mother Mother, Zac Brown Band, Tyler Childers, and Nas. This year, the festival added an extra day for acts Jelly Roll and Shaboozey.

The festival will run from July 4 to 14.

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Kimberley Fowler

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