Donald Glover Cancels Tour to Undergo Surgery: ‘Need Time Out to Heal’
Donald Glover is pulling the plug on his New World Tour to treat a health issue. In an X post Friday, the musician behind Childish Gambino announced that he would undergo surgery and will face treatment for an unspecified illness.
The artist explained that following his show in New Orleans on Sept. 7, he went to the hospital in Houston to review “an ailment that had become apparent.” After several tests, he understood he wouldn’t be able to perform on the rest of his U.S. tour dates. (At the time, he said he’d postpone the shows, and had kept his European dates on the calendar.)
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“As of now I have surgery scheduled and need time out to heal,” he wrote on Friday. “My path to recovery is something I need to confront seriously.”
Glover added that he’d have to cancel the rest of his North American tour and shows in Europe as well. “I want nothing more than to bring this show to the fans and perform,” Glover said. “Until then, thanks for love, privacy, and support.”
Glover kicked off his run of shows on Aug. 11 in Oklahoma City and had already stopped in cities such as Toronto, Philly, New York, and Nashville. On the road, Gambino played nearly the entirety of Bando Stone and the New World, opening his set with “H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT T0 F7￥.” He also brought back some deep cuts that he hadn’t performed in years. He had plans to perform in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Chicago, and was set to continue his shows in Europe with Amaarae as an opener starting Oct. 31.
“If this live show isn’t the best live show you’ve ever seen by the first song, you can have your money back,” Glover had told Apple Music 1 ahead of the start of the tour. “When you hear all these songs, you’ll know them. I’m going to add all these new songs. I’m going to add all this new technology, but the live event is what makes it valuable to me.”
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