Changes: Janet Jackson, Monster Mash Fest, Mat McHugh

Janet Jackson’s tour and album may be called “Unbreakable” but the same can’t be said for the artist’s vocal cords.

Saying her doctors ordered her to rest her vocal cords, Jackson began postponing dates last week, saying her Oct. 24 gig at Salt Lake City’s EnergySolutions Arena and her Oct. 25 engagement at Denver’s Pepsi Center would have to be rescheduled. 

Now she’s saying her vocal cords need a little more time off.  That means Oct. 28 at Kansas City’s Sprint Center and Oct. 29 at St. Louis’ Chaifetz Arena will be rescheduled.  Jackson’s next scheduled concert is Oct. 30 at CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb.  In a posting on her Facebook page announcing the bad news, Jackson told fans to “hold on to their tickets.”

Earlier this month, Jackson canceled a couple of dates of her Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.  As in her most recent postponements, Jackson cited vocal cord issues when she nixed Oct. 9-10 at Planet Hollywood.

There will be less Monster Mash for festivalgoers in Tempe, Ariz., this weekend.  The Monster Mash Festival at Tempe Beach Park originally scheduled for Oct. 30-Nov. 1 has canceled its Friday night plans, effectively squashing the hopes and dreams of ticketholders looking forward to performances by Santana and John Fogerty.

From the Monster Mash Festival’s website:

“Due to unforeseen circumstances the Oct. 30th show at Tempe Beach Park has been canceled. Refund or Ticket Exchange: We are offering the option of a 2x full value credit voucher for future Marquee Theatre shows or a full refund.”

Tool, Primus, Coheed And Cambria, and With Our Arms To The Sun are scheduled for Oct. 31 while Rob Zombie, Linkin Park, Deftones, Halestorm, Puscifer and Ghost are on the Nov. 1 lineup.  Click here for the festival’s website.

Spinal problems have forced Mat McHugh, the singer for Australian band The Beautiful Girls, to cancel his solo tour of the continent.

Citing damage to his neck and back, McHugh canceled a show in Adelaide last week.  At that time he did not suspect the seriousness of his ailment.

“I saw a neurosurgeon and it is a lot worse than anyone first thought,” McHugh wrote on his Facebook page.  “There’s a ruptured disc in my neck that is pressing on nerves and onto my spinal cord.  There is a possibility I could suffer permanent nerve damage without urgent surgery.

“This means I’m going to have to cancel the rest of the WAVES Tour dates so I’ve arranged for all of you who had bought tickets to be refunded right away.”

McHugh also said he might need help paying his medical bills and that “being an independent musician” he hasn’t been able to afford “private health or other insurance.”  While he and his friends figure out what needs to be done, he asks fans to download WAVES and make a contribution via this link.

“I’ll get through this,” McHugh wrote.  “But right now I’m in a lot of pain and your support and all the great words I get from people means a lot.”