Guitarist Alex Lifeson shared the “sad announcement” in a video on the band’s Facebook page, revealing Lee woke up with laryngitis and bronchitis on Tuesday morning and could “barely speak, let alone sing” at sound check.
The ‘best performance’ wasn’t going to happen
The rock band, which also includes drummer Anika Nilles who replaced Neil Peart following his death in 2020, shared further details on their website and social media pages, revealing that the shows at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas., would be pushed to dates later this month.
“We are deeply sorry to share that we must postpone our June 30 and July 2 shows,” the band wrote to its fans.
Rush acknowledged the “incredibly disappointing” turn of events for all their fans, particularly those who made travel plans to see them in the Longhorn state.
“Please know this decision was not made lightly,” they continued. “After more than 50 years of touring, we’ve always believed that if we’re going to step on stage, we owe you the very best performance we can give — and right now, that simply isn’t possible.”
The band confirmed that the June 30 show has been bumped to July 11, while their July 2 concert was shifted to July 13.
“We’re grateful to everyone involved for helping us quickly find new dates to celebrate together,” they added.
“All previously purchased tickets will be honoured for the rescheduled date. If you are unable to attend, refund information will be available from your original point of purchase,” they detailed before thanking fans for “your patience, your understanding, and for always standing with us.”
The statement concluded: “We look forward to seeing you in just a couple of weeks and appreciate your continued support while Geddy makes a full recovery.”
Second set of rescheduled tour dates
The July 2nd show was already serving as a rescheduled date, after the band needed to move their June 24 show to July 2 “due to unforeseen travel and border-related delays” following their Mexico City tour dates.
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding given this circumstance out of our control,” they wrote in a Facebook statement at the time.
Rush kicked off the North American leg of their Fifty Something tour on June 7 at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum and will continue through December.
The band is set to play four shows in Toronto next month, at the Scotiabank Arena on Aug. 7, 9, 11 and 13.
Other Canadian stops include Edmonton and Vancouver in December.
The international leg of the tour kicks off in the new year.