Bruce Springsteen cancels European shows over ‘vocal issues’ — months after he battled peptic ulcer disease
The Boss has been sidelined again.
Bruce Springsteen postponed at least four shows on the E Street Band’s European tour this week due to “vocal issues” — just months after nixing US dates as he battled peptic ulcer disease.
“Under doctor’s direction, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s concert this evening at the Orange Vélodrome in Marseille has been postponed to a later date,” the legendary rocker announced Saturday, just before the show was slated to start.
“We thank you for your understanding and will keep you informed of the new date very soon. Show tickets will be valid for the new date and, for those who want, they will be eligible for reimbursement at point of purchase.”
On Sunday, however, “further examination and consulting has led doctors to determine that Bruce should not perform for the next ten days,” according to a statement Springsteen, 74, shared on social media.
Also postponed were Tuesday’s show at the Airport Letnany in Prague and two shows at the San Siro Stadium in Milan on June 1 and June 3.
“Bruce is recuperating comfortably, and he and the E Street Band look forward to resuming their hugely successful European stadium tour on June 12 in Madrid at the magnificent Civitas Metropolitan,” the statement added.
Springsteen’s vocal issues come just two months after the “Glory Days” singer resumed the US leg of the tour after canceling all dates in September, when he revealed he was diagnosed with peptic ulcer disease.
The rocker — who is known for performing marathon shows that run up to three hours — worried that the disease would affect his voice.
“When I had the stomach problem, one of the big problems was I couldn’t sing,” Springsteen said in March on SiriusXM’s “E Street Radio With Jim Rotolo.”
“Before people told me, ‘Oh no, it’s gonna go away, and you’re gonna be OK.’ [But] you’re thinking like, ‘Hey, am I gonna sing again?’” the “Born to Run” singer admitted. “And you know, this is one of the things I love to do the best, the most, and right now I can’t do it.”
Springsteen said it took a while for doctors to say he’d be able to bounce back from the health scare.
“At first, nobody was quite saying that, which made me nervous, you know? And at the end of the day, I found some great doctors, and they straightened me out, and I can’t do anything but thank them all.”