A Tribe Called Quest Offers Apology To Fans After Canceling Their Shows At Outside Lands

A Tribe Called Quest penned an open letter published in the Los Angeles Times regarding their cancellations at Outside Lands over the weekend.

On Saturday (Aug. 11), fans were disheartened after the storied hip-hop group unexpectedly pulled out from their performance. Things only got worse the following day when ATCQ cancelled their show again. According to the group, they were still paralyzed by the loss of their founding member, Phife Dawg -- a former Bay Area resident -- who passed away in March 2016. For them, the thought of performing in his old stomping grounds would have been too much to overcome emotionally.

“We want to sincerely apologize to you for our absence at the Outside Lands Music Festival. Your love, dedication and support of our music is important to us. Our performance at the festival has been months in the making and in those months we have been fraught with an emotional and eager excitement to touch the stage in the place where Phife Dawg made his home,” they penned.

They continued on by saying, "In show business there is a notion that the 'show must go on' no matter what. Sometimes though, when you have lost someone close, you are riddled with the notion that there is no going on. That Friday morning upon traveling to San Francisco, a wave of grief was still on us and in that moment we could not see the “on” to go on to. Eventually though in face of loss you find that glimmer of light to bring you to your center and you find the “on.”"

After seemingly finding their "on," the group thought they ready to perform on Sunday (Aug. 12), but their plans were derailed. "We wanted to play for you and we wanted to honor Phife's wife in their hometown," they wrote. "Unfortunately, everything did not come together before the closing curfew."

While fans were shattered by the recent string of events, ATCQ promised that they would right their wrongs as soon as possible. "we are deeply sorry. We will correct this and regain your confidence."

Last month, ATCQ performed admirably at New York's Panorama festival. The group dubbed their performance their final NYC show.

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