Features
Drake Can’t Make It
Saying illness is keeping him from performing, Canadian rapper Drake has canceled his headlining appearances at festivals in England and Denmark, resulting in Kanye West replacing him on one gig.
Photo: Owen Sweeney / Invision / AP
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa.
England’s Wireless festivals are doubly affected by Drake’s last-minute change in plans. The artist was scheduled to perform at Wireless in Birmingham July 4 and at London’s Wireless July 5 before heading to Denmark to close the
While Roskilde is still trying to book a replacement, Live Nation has already solved its Drake dilemma for both Wireless festivals.
Birmingham is covering the sudden hole in its schedule by having Rudimental perform an extended set July 4. The BBC’s “Festival Band Of The Summer” for 2013 will be joined by special guests to be announced. Attendees of the July 4 show will receive £20 of “Wireless credit” upon arriving at the festival site.
For London, Live Nation has turned to Kanye West to substitute for Drake. Already booked to play the festival July 4, West will now headline the Wireless main stage July 4-5. Bruno Mars headlines July 6.
Drake issued a statement apologizing for missing his appointed rounds.
“To my beloved fans, it truly breaks my heart that I won’t be able to perform as planned at Wireless and Roskilde this weekend. I got sick a few days ago and although I am on my way to bouncing back, my doctors have made it clear that I am not physically fit to fly or deliver the performance my fans expect and deserve from me. I will be focused on resting for a quick recovery. I have the best fans in the world and I can’t wait to come back to make more incredible memories together.”