SANTA CRUZ cancel remainder of U.S. tour dates and band calls it quits
Finnish rockers SANTA CRUZ appear to have imploded in the middle of their tour of the United States of America as the support act for FOZZY. The quartet kicked off its first U.S. tour in support of the "Bad Blood Rising" album earlier in the month in Houston and was scheduled to perform two dozen shows alongside FOZZY, THROUGH FIRE and DARK SKY CHOIR. However, those plans have now been derailed, with SANTA CRUZ announcing over the weekend that it was canceling the remaining dates on the trek.
In an Instagram post explaining why the rest of the tour was called off, SANTA CRUZ frontman Arttu "Archie Cruz" Kuosmanen claimed that his bandmates — guitarist Joonas "Johnny Cruz" Parkkonen, bassist Mitja "Middy Cruz" Toivonen and drummer Tapani "Tazzy Cruz" Fagerström — kicked him "out of the bus on the street like a pariah" and told him they were no longer members of the group. "I would've loved to do [the rest of the tour], but what can you do," he wrote.
For his part, Parkkonen said that he, Toivonen and Fagerström were "leaving SANTA CRUZ" after facing "issues that they could not "solve even though we tried everything that we could to make this tour and band happen." He added: "I can't stay in a situation anymore where I have to be scared if somebody does irreversible harm to themselves or somebody else. That's why I'm leaving. I never thought I'd be in this situation, but I have no more options to use. I'm sorry."In a separate social media post, Toivonen confirmed his exit from the band, saying that "it is impossible for me to continue as a member of SANTA CRUZ.
Posted yesterday on the bands Facebook page was the following message: Santa Cruz fans, we regret to inform you that we had to cancel our remaining shows on the U.S. Tour. If you purchased tickets for our headline shows (March 20th, 22nd, 23rd or 24th), please contact the appropriate venue for information on refunds.
