Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, has cancelled his upcoming North American, UK and European tour dates to undergo surgery.
- READ MORE: Childish Gambino – ‘Bando Stone And The New World’ review: a bittersweet send-off to a musical innovator
Glover announced the colossal tour in May, which was set to make stops in Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago, before heading to Europe for shows in Milan, Copenhagen, Paris, London and more.
The tour kicked off on August 11 at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center, and saw Glover debut a handful of tracks live, as well as a few rarities that haven’t been performed in several years. Last month, however, he announced he would be postponing the remaining dates of the tour’s North American leg to focus on his physical health.
Now, the ‘Redbone’ singer has shared that the remainder of the North American tour dates, as well as shows planned for the UK and Europe, will be cancelled. Tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase.
In a statement shared to Twitter/X, Glover wrote: “After my show in New Orleans, I went to the hospital in Houston to make sure of an ailment that had become apparent. After being assesed, it became clear i would not perform that night, and after more tests, i could not perform the rest of the US tour in the time asked. As of now I have surgery scheduled and need time out to heal.
“My path to recovery is something I need to confront seriously,” he continued. “With that said, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the North American tour and the UK and European dates.”
He then concluded the statement, writing: “I want nothing more than to bring this show to the fans and perform. Until then, thanks for love, privacy, and support.”
So far, the Australian and New Zealand leg, set to commence on January 28 in Auckland, seems to be unaffected.
After my show in New Orleans, I went to the hospital in Houston to make sure of an ailment that had become apparent. After being assesed, it became clear i would not perform that night, and after more tests, i could not perform the rest of the US tour in the time asked. As of now…
— donald (@donaldglover) October 4, 2024
The tour followed the release of Glover’s new album ‘Bando Stone and The New World’, which was released earlier this year and marked the final album under his Childish Gambino moniker.
The rapper, actor and comedian recently explained his reasoning for bidding adieu to Gambino, saying that while recording the album he came to a realisation: “It really was just like, ‘Oh, it’s done.’ It’s not fulfilling. And I just felt like I didn’t need to build in this way anymore.”
He also said other factors include the “continued decline of album consumption” and “disruptions in the touring business” have played into his decision to retire Childish Gambino. He’s also no longer interested in chasing chart success.
“Success to me is, honestly, being able to put out a wide-scale album that I would listen to,” he said. “For this album, I really wanted to be able to play big rooms and have big, anthemic songs that fill those rooms, so that people feel a sense of togetherness.”
Kyann-Syan Williams wrote of ‘Bando Stone and The New World’ in a four-star review for NME: “Glover has made a record as otherworldly as his other outings. Yet, ‘Bando Stone and The New World’ stumbles slightly – where its sonic variety is exciting, it lacks a clear sense of cohesion or theme compared to his previous work – making it a bittersweet farewell to the legend of Childish Gambino.”
