Just a week after her moving performance at the Grammys, Lady Gaga has canceled the last ten European and South American dates of her Joanne World Tour due to her ongoing issues with the chronic pain disorder fibromyalgia.
The 31-year-old singer, who has made no secret in the past about her struggles with the disorder, made the announcement on social media on Saturday. A statement posted to Twitter and Instagram said, “Unfortunately, Lady Gaga is suffering from severe pain that has materially impacted her ability to perform live.” This same pain forced Gaga to postpone these European dates back in October. The statement went on to say that the singer “is extremely sorry and deeply saddened that she cannot perform for her European fans, who have waited so patiently.”
Gaga tweeted, “I’m so devastated I don’t know how to describe it. All I know is that if I don’t do this, I am not standing by the words or meaning of my music. My medical team is supporting the decision for me to recover at home.” She added, “I promise I will be back in your city, but for now, I need to put myself and my well-being first.”
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) February 3, 2018
The canceled shows include shows last night and Thursday at London’s O2 Arena, as well as shows in Manchester, Zurich, Cologne, Germany, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Denmark, Berlin and two shows in Paris. I’m sure I join my fellow Little Monsters in hoping that Gaga gets better soon.
Photos: WENN.com, Getty Images
This made me sad. I’ve been struggling with the same pain disorder lately – I guess it’s a flare up. And it sucks. I honestly don’t know how she manages to do a tour in the first place – so if she’s canceling I’m sure she’s absolutely in agony.
I’ve been dealing with this same disorder for 5 years now. It’s a nightmare. Internet hugs to you and her and all of us. The only good thing that may come out of this is public awareness and maybe she can use her media power or money to instigate some much needed research on the topic.
Me, too. I’ve had it for about 20 years. It is completely life changing. I’m glad she knows that she has to listen to her body. If she doesn’t, it WILL take her down.
From watching that documentary on Netflix I got the idea that she pushes herself way too hard anyway. It’s healthy to take a step back and focus on her recovery, I think. I’m no fan but I hope she get’s better soon. This is a woman in a lot of pain.
She doesn’t have a choice. Their contracts are insane. Prince and George spoke about it, but didn’t manage to change anything.
I generally like her. She is working with Ronson, who worked with Amy and i liked few songs from her last album. Also, she has great energy on stage.
I saw her when she came to the Mohegan Sun this year. I wonder if she could finish her tour seated and singing, without all the dancing? I’d rather still see her sing than have the show cancelled.
A tour is grueling in so many ways even if she doesn’t dance and the emotional and psychological benefits of dealing with an illness in your own home/environment can not be overstated. As a fan I’m sure you’re disappointed but ultimately want the best for her.
Ihope the Q in your name stands for Quimby!!
For me – just traveling in a car for a couple of hours can be a horror show. Sometimes I’m fine – but when I get a rise in symptoms, it’ll feel like someone has pushed down on my collarbones and has been pulling and stretching at my back muscles for even a 3 hour drive. And that’s with stops to move around and shift position. There’s a lot of fatigue issues associated with fibromyalgia – and when you’re feeling particularly run down you kind of feel super foggy. I can usually tough out a lot when it comes to physical pain – I’m super stubborn. I have a low pain threshold because of the allodynia associated with the condition, but I have a ridiculous amount of pain tolerance. I’m the kind of person who waited until I was almost blacking out with kidney stones before going to the hospital. The problem is that it’s not just physical pain. It’s the overwhelming exhaustion (think a severe flu) as well as the cognitive issues. On top of that there’s a lot of sleep issues that tend to go hand in hand with it – no matter how tired you feel, you just don’t sleep properly. You don’t get a restorative sleep to help you repair.
I mean it’s possible that she might have been able to get a few more shows in just by singing – but I think ultimately she knows that would have been pushing her body too far.
I have FM too, Erinn, and I think you’ve described it better than anything I’ve ever read. The exhaustion component intensifies everything else.
Erinn sweetie, and Kaye, have you tried going off gluten + becoming vegan? That was a gamechanger for me. I have maybe 10 or 20% of the problems left. Percentage depends on my coffee intake. I know such a diet is a nightmare, but sooo worth it. Also get your thyroids checked and make sure to have a tsh < 2. Super important.
Sure Jan.
Mishka +1
Shout-out to those really suffering from this. I can’t imagine the pain and torment.
However, I’m calling it that this more due to the “Low Ticket Sales” malady.
I wonder if she will have to tone down her performances in the future. I don’t think many would mind a more intimate set with just her and a piano! She’s so talented!