Further proof that the 2010 summer concert season is taking a beating came late Thursday afternoon when the Nettwerk Music Group announced the cancellation of 10 upcoming Lilith concerts in North America.

The cancellations include previously scheduled concerts at Usana Amphitheater in Salt Lake City (July 12); Bell Centre in Montreal (July 23); Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion in Raleigh, N.C. (Aug. 4); Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Charlotte, N.C. (Aug. 6); Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Aug. 10); 1-800 Ask-Gary Amphitheatre in Tampa, Fla. (Aug. 11); Verizon Wireless Center Birmingham in Pelham, Ala. (Aug. 12); Austin, Texas (Aug. 14); the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in the Woodlands, Texas (Aug. 15); and Superpages.com Center in Dallas (Aug. 16).

Refunds for the canceled dates are available at points of purchase, according to the news release. Some of the artists who were set to appear at the canceled Lilith shows may appear on other dates. Further information can be found at Lilith.com.

"We are in the midst of one of the most challenging summer concert seasons with many tours being cancelled outright," Lilith co-founder Terry McBride said in a statement. "Everyone involved with the tour would like to apologize to the fans and artists scheduled to play in these markets, and express appreciation for all the support for the festival's return. Lilith remains the only tour of its kind, and we are confident that fans will be amazed by what each date has to offer."

Lilith organizers previously canceled concerts set for Phoenix and Nashville.

After more than a decade, the revamped Lilith tour launched June 27, with a lineup including Sugarland, Erykah Badu, Sheryl Crow, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Colbie Caillat and Sarah McLachlan. The trek is scheduled to conclude Aug. 8 at the Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood in Atlanta. Live Nation is producing the majority of the Lilith dates.

As previously reported, a number of other artists are experiencing canceled or postponed concert dates, including U2 (due to Bono's back surgery), Christina Aguilera, Lilith Fair, Limp Bizkit, the Eagles, Country Throwdown, Rihanna, Bamboozle and the Go-Go's. Rumblings of a tough year for touring began a couple of months ago, with predictions ranging from "mediocre" to "bloodbath." Two main culprits may be at fault in what is shaping up as possibly the worst summer for touring since the mid 1990s: ticket prices and traffic.