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Update: Justin Bieber Also Calls Off Philadelphia Show Because Of Facial Paralysis
Update: Justin Bieber’s June 16 show at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center has also been postponed because of his ongoing medical situation.
Justin Bieber has been forced to postpone several shows on his “Justice Tour,” including two nights at Madison Square Garden June 13-14, because he’s suffering from Ramsay Hunt syndrome. The superstar addressed his fans via Instagram June 11 to explain how he’s been affected by the syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that’s caused by a virus attacking his ear and other facial nerves.
He demonstrated in a video how half of his face is paralyzed, and said, “For those who are frustrated by my cancellation of the next shows, I’m just physically obviously not capable of doing them. This is pretty serious as you can see. Obviously my body’s telling me to slow down. I hope you guys understand, and I’ll be using this time to just rest and relax, and get back to 100%, so that I can do what I was born to do.”
A statement from Justin Bieber’s tour promoter, AEG Presents, reads: “Due to Justin’s ongoing medical situation, this week’s ‘Justice Tour’ shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City will be postponed. Justin is receiving the best medical care possible and is determined to resume the tour as soon as he and the doctors feel he is able to continue. Details on the rescheduled MSG shows will be made public shortly.”
Fans are advised to hold on to their tickets as they will be honored on the rescheduled dates.
Bieber’s June 16 show at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center has also been pushed back. A similar message was posted on the venue’s website and Twitter promising that details about the rescheduled Philadelphia show would be made public shortly.
Philadelphia’s ABC affiliate WPVI reported “Bieber had already canceled his shows in Toronto and Washington, D.C. prior to posting his video” on Friday.
No statement has been given regarding the remaining dates of Justin Bieber’s U.S. leg of the “Justice World Tour.” Eight more dates are scheduled in the States, starting with a June 18 show at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and closing with two nights at The Forum in Los Angeles, July 2-3.
The tour will then move to Europe, kicking things off at Summer Festival Lucca, July 31.
The “Justice World Tour,” promoted by AEG Presents, is Justin Bieber’s first global outing since 2016/2017’s “Purpose World Tour.” Bieber played to 2.7 million fans over the course of this run, with the finale seen by 65,000 fans at London’s British Summer Time Hyde Park festival.
The superstar ranked six on Pollstar’s 2016 Year End Top 100 Worldwide Tours chart with 1,761,642 tickets sold and $163.3 million grossed. He added another 1,043,839 tickets sold and $93.7 million grossed the following year, placing him rank 12 on our 2017 year-end chart.
Over the weekend Toby Keith also revealed to fans that he’s been dealing with health issues, with a message posted on Twitter June 12 saying he was diagnosed with stomach cancer last fall and he’s spent the last six months “receiving chemo, radiation and surgery.”
Keith’s publicist, Elaine Schock, told the Associated Press via email that some tour dates will be canceled, “but I’m not sure how many at this point.” AP noted that the Ohio State Fair announced that Keith’s July 28 performance has been called off.
Meanwhile, The Rolling Stones postponed its June 13 show at Amsterdam’s Johan Cruijff ArenA and June 17 concert in Bern, Switzerland at Wankdorf Stadium on Friday June 17 after Mick Jagger tested positive for COVID. The Amsterdam concert was called off hours before it was supposed to begin, with some fans already in the stadium.