John Prine postpones concerts for medical reasons
by Luke Taylor
July 24, 2019
Singer-songwriter John Prine has announced he will reschedule eight shows to undergo an operation.
In a message posted to his Instagram account, Prine's representatives wrote, "With sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused, the Prine family and Oh Boy Records regretfully announce the postponement" of the eight shows.
Explaining further, the post reads, "In consultation with his doctors, John has been advised that he has an elevated risk for a stroke. He will have surgery this week to insert a stent which will remedy the issue. He looks forward to a full and speedy recovery."
The dates span July 28 to Aug. 11, including a show at Red Rocks in Colorado that has already been rescheduled for Sept. 18. A show in Edmonton, originally set for Aug. 11, has been rescheduled for Aug. 9, 2020.
According to Nashville's The Tennessean, Prine's European tour, scheduled to begin Aug. 23 in Sweden, remains on schedule.
In 1998, Prine was diagnosed with squamous cell cancer in his neck, and underwent a successful surgery to remove it. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2013, and again had the cancer surgically removed. Following the lung cancer surgery, Prine's physical therapist designed a post-operative recovery workout specifically designed for Prine: he was to run up and down the stairs in his house, then pick up his guitar and sing two songs while still out of breath. This workout helped to restore Prine's stamina, and he returned to touring six months after the successful operation.
Prine's most recent album, The Tree of Forgiveness, was released in April 2018 and it debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Americana/Folk Albums chart. The Tree of Forgiveness is an Album Of The Year nominee for the 2019 Americana Honors & Awards, set to take place on Sept. 11 in Nashville.
External Link
John Prine - official site