The rock band has cancelled several European dates to allow lead singer Josh Homme to return to US for “emergency surgery.”
American rock band Queens of the Stone Age has been forced to cancel several upcoming European dates on their 2024 tour, a sudden and unexpected annulment that has disappointed their fans.
However, there’s a good excuse: band founder and frontman Josh Homme is returning to the US for “emergency surgery”.
“Every effort was made to push through and play for you, but it is no longer an option to continue,” the band wrote in a statement.
The band canceled eight shows from today (10 July) to 27 July, including festival appearances, in France, Slovakia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Romania, Hungary, and Greece.
“Queens are gutted we aren’t able to play for you,” the band posted. “We apologize for any inconvenience and share in your frustration and disappointment.”
As of now, Queens of the Stone Age’s next scheduled live performance is set for 8 August at the Way Out West Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Details on Homme’s medical condition and the nature of the surgery are not known at this point, but Homme, 51, revealed in 2023 that he had successfully undergone treatment for cancer.
“I’m extremely thankful that I’ll get through this,” he told Revolver last year, “and I’ll look back at this as something that’s fucked up – but will have made me better. I’m cool with that. There’s a lot of stuff I want to do. And there’s a lot of people I want to do that with.”
“I’m good. I’m all clear,” he told ITV News in 2023, adding that he felt “the best I’ve felt all year”.
The announcement of the cancellation of the eight European dates comes four days after the band said it could no longer perform at the AMA festival outside of Venice, Italy, “due to illness”.
Additional sources • Revolver, ITV News