• News

• All

Jul 06, 2018 Elvis Costello By Christopher Roberts

Elvis Costello has been forced the cancel all his July tour dates as he is recovering from a surgery that removed “a small but very aggressive cancerous malignancy.” Costello revealed the diagnosis in a statement on his website, where he wrote that he had hoped he’d be well enough to get back on tour, and he attempted to do so, but post-surgical guidelines have prevented him from continuing on the current tour. In better news, he says that a new Elvis Costello & The Imposters album is due out in October. And his November and December North American tour dates still seem to be on. Below is the full statement, followed by the cancelled dates and the fall U.S. ones.

Costello’s full statement:

“Six weeks ago my specialist called me and said, ‘You should start playing the Lotto.’ He had rarely, if ever, seen such a small but very aggressive cancerous malignancy that could be defeated by a single surgery.

I was elated and relieved that our European summer tour could go ahead.

Post-surgical guidelines for such surgery, recommend three weeks to four weeks recovery depending on whether you are returning to a desk job or an occupation that involves physical work or travel.

It was impossible to judge how this advisory would line up with the demands on a traveling musician, playing 90-minute to 2-hour plus performances on a nightly basis but by the time we reached the Edinburgh Playhouse, I was almost fooled into thinking that normal service had been resumed.

I have to thank our friends attending last night’s show in Amsterdam and those in Antwerp, Glynde, and at Newcastle City Hall for bearing me up. The spirit has been more than willing but I have to now accept that it is going to take longer than I would have wished for me to recover my full strength. Therefore, I must reluctantly cancel all the remaining engagements of this tour.

My apologies go to our ticket holders in Manchester, Pula, Graz, Vienna, Tysnes and Rattvik but I would rather disappoint our friends there by not appearing than in pressing on with a show that is compromised and eventually puts my health at risk.

My deep thanks go to Pete Thomas, Steve Nieve and Davey Faragher of The Imposters for all their deep friendship, love and support during this upsetting time. Thanks also to Kitten Kuroi and Briana Lee whose beautiful voices have spurred me on to do the singing that I’ve managed, whatever the cost. It goes without saying that there are many others who have worked to get us to the stage and from town to town to whom I am also deeply grateful.

To leave you with some more optimistic news, The Imposters and I - together with several of our other friends - have made a magnificent new record of which we are truly proud. It will be issued in October, I believe. We will return at the soonest opportunity to play that music and your favourite songs that still make sense to us all.

Take very good care of your loved ones but Gentleman, do talk to you friends - you’ll find you are not alone - seek your doctor’s advice if you are in doubt or when it is timely and act as swiftly as you may in these matters. It may save your life. Believe me, it is better than playing roulette.”

Yours through music. Elvis Costello”

Elvis Costello & The Imposters Cancelled Tour Dates:

07-06 Manchester, England - Castefield Bowl
07-08 Pula, Croatia - Pula Arena
07-09 Graz, Austria - Kasematten - Schlossbergbühne
07-11 Vienna, Austria - Konzerthaus
07-14 Tysnes, Norway - Tysnesfest Gjesrstad Arena
07-16 Rattvik, Sweden - Dalhalla

Elvis Costello & The Imposters Fall North American Tour Dates:

11-02 Bethlehem, PA - The Sands Bethlehem Event Center
11-04 Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall
11-06 Asbury Park, NJ - Paramount Theatre
11-07 Verona, NY - Turning Stone Resort Casino
11-09 Wallingford, CT - Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre
11-10 Boston, MA - Boch Wang Theatre
11-11 Buffalo, NY - Shea’s Performing Arts Center
11-13 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit
11-15 Minneapolis, MN - Northrop Auditorium
11-17 Grand Rapids, MI - 20 Monroe Live
11-19 Memphis, TN - Orpheum Theatre
11-21 St. Louis, MO - Peabody Opera House
11-23 Thackerville, OK - WinStar World Casino
11-25 Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
11-27 Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theatre
11-28 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues Anaheim
11-29 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
12-01 San Francisco, CA - The Masonic
12-03 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
12-04 Vancouver, British Columbia - Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Support Under the Radar on Patreon.