Roxette cancels tour dates in North America over rising costs
Roxette’s 40th anniversary North American run is off, with refunds issued as the band cites logistics and higher touring costs.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Roxette cancels tour plans in North America just weeks before the Swedish pop act was due to begin a 40th anniversary run through U.S. and Canadian amphitheaters, Variety reported.
Ticketholders were sent notices saying refunds were being issued for the shows, according to Variety. Roxette’s own social media message described the move as a postponement, saying Live Nation US made the call because of logistics and “hugely increased touring costs.” The post was signed “Team Rox.”
The North American itinerary was scheduled to start Sept. 10 at Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan. It included an Oct. 5 stop at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles and was set to wrap Oct. 9 at White River Amphitheatre in Washington, Variety reported.
The tour had been booked as an amphitheater package led by Roxette, with Taylor Dayne and Nick Lowe also on the bill.
Why did Roxette cancel its North American tour?
Roxette’s social media statement blamed “logistics” and sharply higher touring expenses, and said Live Nation US had decided to postpone the North American dates. Variety reported that ticketholders were receiving refunds, indicating the listed dates were no longer going ahead.
The cancellation lands during a busy year of tour pullbacks across the concert business. Variety noted that some 2026 cancellations and postponements have been tied in public discussion to weak ticket sales, while other artists have cited health reasons.
Roxette did not say in its statement that ticket sales caused the North American change. Variety reported that higher costs can turn a break-even tour into a money-losing one, especially as expenses rise across the live business.
Who is in Roxette now?
Roxette is no longer the same lineup that made the band a global hit act in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Marie Fredriksson, the group’s lead singer, died in 2019 from complications tied to a brain tumor first diagnosed in the early 2000s, Variety reported.
Founder and co-frontman Per Gessle revived Roxette in 2025 with Swedish singer Lena Philipsson taking Fredriksson’s place. In a statement at that time, Gessle said he had co-written Philipsson’s first major hit in 1986 and called her one of Sweden’s brightest stars.
Variety reported that some fans on social media had said they were reluctant to buy tickets because Fredriksson was no longer part of the act. Others expressed frustration after the North American dates were pulled, including fans who said they had booked nonrefundable travel from overseas.
The North American news came in the same week Roxette’s 1987 single “It Must Have Been Love” was announced as a member of YouTube’s Billion Views Club, according to Variety.
The current Roxette lineup remains active outside North America. Variety reported that the band recently played shows in the Czech Republic and Austria, with additional dates still listed through the end of August in Germany, Denmark, Finland and Switzerland.
Live Nation previously promoted the anniversary tour by pointing to Roxette’s record of more than 80 million albums sold and four No. 1 singles on the U.S. Billboard chart, according to a tour announcement cited by Variety.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.