Paul McCartney Postpones Japan Shows Due To Illness


Paul McCartney’s Japanese fans were disappointed more than once this weekend. The rock legend was set to kick off his Japan tour May 17, but he was forced to cancel due to a virus.

McCartney posted a message on his official website that abruptly cancelled his Saturday show at Tokyo National Stadium, but promised a makeup event Monday. A later update cancelled both shows for Sunday and Monday, apparently at the behest of doctors.

The website made clear McCartney’s regret at the cancellations and appreciation of fan support:

“Paul has only ever had to reschedule a handful of shows in his entire career and is so upset about this situation, he hates to let people down. This morning he told his staff he was going to try and perform tonight against doctors orders, but his team, along with the doctors, wouldn’t allow it. He has been very moved by the fan’s reactions and messages of love and support he has received in Japan.”

McCartney’s career is lengthy and culture-shifting. Biography.com, which dubs Paul an “[a]nimal rights activist, singer, songwriter,” reports that McCartney met his Beatle bandmate John Lennon at the tender age of 15. They formed half of the famous foursome which would dominate popular music in the 1960s.

McCartney and his third wife celebrated their second anniversary last October, as previously reported by The Inquisitr.

After the second cancellation, McCartney’s website made no mention of rescheduling the National Stadium shows.

Tokyo fans with tickets to the gig at Nippon Budokan may be in luck, however. As of Sunday evening, that show remains on the books. McCartney is due to move on to Osaka on the 24th before playing in Seoul, Korea on May 28. In June, McCartney — dubbed “Sir Paul” in his native England after being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997 — starts his U.S. tour in Lubbock, Texas.

The Lubbock gig is scheduled for June 14, four days before Paul McCartney’s 72nd birthday.

McCartney released a video for his song Appreciate on Friday. The song appears on his album NEW, which hit the market last year. The video features Paul with a robot, a concept that came to him rather suddenly:

“I woke up one morning with an image in my head of me standing with a large robot. I thought it might be something that could be used for the cover of my album NEW, but instead the idea turned out to be for my music video for ‘Appreciate.'”

Fans have posted positive comments on Paul McCartney’s website, wishing him well.

[Image Via Bing]

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