Features
Cat Power Problems?
Cat Power warned fans yesterday that she might have to call off her upcoming European tour. The indie rock singer/songwriter posted a photo on Instagram with a caption that explained the dates could be canceled “due to bankruptcy & my health struggle with angioedema.”
Before we get any further into this, some of you might like to know what the heck angioedema is. We’ll save you the trouble of Googling it. According to WebMD, “Angioedema is characterized by deep swelling around the eyes and lips and sometimes of the genitals, hands, and feet. … Occasionally, severe, prolonged tissue swelling can be disfiguring. Rarely, angioedema of the throat, tongue, or lungs can block the airways, causing difficulty breathing. This may become life threatening.”
The text of the Oct. 30 Instagram, which was also posted on Cat Power’s Twitter page, went on to insist that she has “not thrown in any towel.”
“I am trying to figure out what best I can do,” she added. “Heart broken. Worked so hard. Got sick day after Sun came out & been struggling to keep all points of me in equilibrium: mind, spirit, body healthy centered & grounded. I am doing the best I can. I fucking love this planet. I refuse to give up. Though I may need to restratagize for my security & health.”
As of the time of this post, that is the most recent tweet Cat Power has sent out.
Spin points out that about three weeks ago the singer posted an Instagram photo of soup with a caption saying that she was doing much better after receiving treatment in Mexico. She explained she had been suffering from lymphatic angioedema in her throat and had received the wrong pharmaceuticals in America.
In September she was hospitalized for an undisclosed medical issue. Her label, Matador Records, told Yahoo! News blog The Upshot that the hospitalization was “completely unrelated” to her previous struggles with substance abuse and mental health issues.
Cat Power postponed a tour in 2006 after checking into the psychiatric ward at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami.
Her next show is scheduled Friday in Vancouver, British Columbia, at The Vogue Theatre, followed by gigs over the weekend and through next week in Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Oakland and Hollywood.
The European tour begins Nov. 26 in Amsterdam at Pardiso. Her website says the last three dates of the excursion (in Paris Dec. 10; London Dec. 12; and Brussels, Belgium Dec. 14) are sold out.
A representative at Matador Records, told Pollstar “nothing has yet been canceled.”