Neil Young Just Canceled His Entire 2024 Tour Due to Health Concerns
"Sadly our great tour will have a big unplanned break," the statement said.
Jun. 27 2024, Published 10:35 a.m. ET
Canadian-American rock musician Neil Young has been on the scene since the '60s. With several critically acclaimed albums, multiple Grammy and Juno awards, and not one but two inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — once as a solo artist and once as a member of the group Buffalo Springfield — it's clear that Neil has made his mark on the world of music.
Now, however, he's making headlines for a different reason. 78-year-old Neil, who has been touring with backing band Crazy Horse, just canceled the rest of his 2024 Love Earth Tour shows. Of course, this has fans concerned about his health, especially because the official post on his website cited illness as the reason for the tour's hiatus.
How is Neil's health? Here's what we know.
Neil Young had to cancel his tour due to multiple band members suffering from an illness.
In an official post made to Neil's website, the Neil Young Archives, an announcement was made that the rest of the Love Earth Tour would "have a big unplanned break."
"When a couple of us got sick after Detroit’s Pine Knob, we had to stop. We are still not fully recovered, so sadly our great tour will have a big unplanned break. We will try to play some of the dates we miss as time passes when we are ready to rock again," the post shared. "We know many of you made travel plans, and we apologize for the inconvenience. Thanks for your understanding and patience. Health is No. 1." The message was signed by Neil, Micah, Ralph, and Billy.
While it's currently unclear which band members are dealing with this illness, many fans are, of course, concerned for Neil, who has been plagued by health issues since he was a child.
Neil Young has dealt with health issues since his childhood.
Long before he broke out onto the music scene with Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young dealt with several health issues and illnesses. As a child, he contracted polio, according to his biography, Shakey. This led him to becoming partially paralyzed on the left side of his body.
Additionally, in an interview with Fresh Air published by NPR in 2012, Neil spoke about his other health concerns, from epilepsy to the brain aneurysm that he suffered to the possibility of dementia. "You know, I think ... I'm thankful for the great doctors that I know ... I have a genetic connection. So the two things working together give me pause. So, you know, I'm not making any promises, but I'm definitely who I am. I don't smoke weed, and I don't drink right now. I stopped doing that. I feel good, though."
When asked about his first epileptic seizure, Neil had this to say: "The first time that I know I had one ... I was in a place called The Teen Fair. It was in Hollywood, and it was just one of these things where there were a lot of kids, and it was a lot of music, and it was all kinds of things. It was sponsored by radio stations and a big deal ... I was having fun, and, you know, maybe I'd forgotten to eat or something, I don't know."
"And then I felt kind of sick to my stomach, and then I started to feel all weird and echoey, and then I fell down, and I don't really remember until afterward. And I woke up, and then I was just — kind of, had to get to know my name again and realize where I was and reorient myself to where I was and what I was doing, who I was, everything that had happened to me up to that point," he continued.
While its unclear whether any of these conditions are related to the illness he is facing at this time, we wish a speedy recovery to Neil and his bandmates nonetheless.