AVENGED SEVENFOLD have announced that their planned Latin American tour in support of their latest album Life Is But A Dream… has been postponed due to a health issue affecting lead vocalist M. Shadows.
In a statement shared on social media on September 26th, the band revealed that Shadows has suffered a vocal fold hematoma and will require time to recover. The band said: “With a heavy heart, and regretfully, we have to announce that due to a specific condition called a vocal fold hematoma, we have made the necessary decision to push our tour to early next year. We promise to come back stronger than ever. Your tickets will still be valid for the rescheduled shows—new dates are on the way and will be announced next week.
Thank you for your understanding, love, and support.”
Shadows also addressed fans directly in a separate video statement, providing more detail about his condition. According to a transcription by ThePRP, he said: “Hey everyone, what’s going on? I got some discouraging news. Gonna have to postpone the Latin American tour. [I] got my voice in some sort of trouble. After ‘Louder Than Life‘, I got a little sick, and I thought that my throat was feeling crummy from being sick. Came down to Argentina. Felt like it was probably the travel, the schedule, etc.. Monday and Tuesday came, I slept a bunch, didn’t feel any difference. So we postponed Buenos Aires.
“The next day, got a bunch of sleep, woke up and I felt like something wasn’t getting better. So I found a great doctor in Argentina, went and got my throat scoped, and I have a hematoma on my left vocal fold, which is the same injury I had in 2017. In 2017 though, I decided to keep singing through it, took a bunch of pills and ended up resulting in surgery. So basically, if I shut this down now, I’ll have a couple weeks of voice rest and then a couple months of rehab, and we’ll be able to remake these dates to you. So I’ve got to make the responsible decision here and shut this down.
“This will be the last time I’m talking for a couple weeks. Breaks my heart. I have to do this, but we’re going to be able to reschedule these dates for January. You know, apologies to everyone who’s made plans, spent money. Hopefully this is early enough to make you able to make the proper plans and kind of change the dates to January.
“Apologies to the bands. All of them have flown down here already. Our crew, everyone’s already down here. The equipment, a lot goes into this. But I have to make the responsible decision and there’s no way I can sing like this and I don’t want another surgery. So we’re going to take the responsible route here, shut it down for a couple months. And. just sorry this had to happen, it just sucks. Can’t wait to see you guys in January.
“Sorry.”
The tour was originally scheduled to kick off in Buenos Aires on September 25th and continue through to October 14th in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Fans holding tickets for the postponed shows will be able to use them for the rescheduled dates, which the band plans to announce in the coming weeks.
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