Elvis Costello has revealed he’s recovering from cancer surgery.
According to the BBC, the 63-year-old musician underwent surgery in May to remove a “small but very aggressive” tumor. “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…,” Costello said in an official statement posted to his website.
Costello initially chose not to go public with the diagnosis and surgery news, and also decided to forge on with a number of his June concerts. However, the toll of the procedure eventually made Costello reconsider the rest of his summer tour plans.
“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,” Costello explained. “It was impossible to judge how this advisory would line up with the demands on a travelling musician, playing 90-minute to two-hour plus performances on a nightly basis but by the time we reached the Edinburgh Playhouse [on 24 June], I was almost fooled into thinking that normal service had been resumed.”
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“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,” he added. “Therefore, I must reluctantly cancel all the remaining engagements of this tour.”
July shows in Croatia, Austria, and Sweden have been affected. As of now, it appears his Riot Fest appearance and North American tour, which kicks off in early November, will still go on as planned. That trek lines up with Costello’s 31st studio album — and first with The Imposters since 2008’s Momofuku — that’s slated for release in October, per the BBC.
Check out his updated itinerary below, followed by a pair of tracks off Momofuku.
Elvis Costello 2018 Tour Dates:
07/06 – Manchester, UK @ Castlefield Bowl
07/08 – Pula, HR @ Pula Arena
07/09 – Graz, AT @ Kasematten
07/11 – Vienna, AT @ Konzerthaus
07/14 – Tysnes, NO @ Tysnesfest
07/16 – Rattvik, DE @ Dalhalla
09/14-16 – Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest
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 Center 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, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre