Arcade Fire Axe Rest Of European Tour

Arcade Fire have pulled the plug on the rest of their European tour after frontman Win Butler finally gave in to the illness that has blighted him for recent weeks.

Butler made the decision backstage on Saturday (March 24) in Oslo, after pushing his voice to the limit on the pervious night in Stockholm.

The singer revealed in a posting on the band’s official website that he has been suffering from a sinus and bronchial infection for three months and the exerts of touring have finally caught up with him.

His brother and bandmate Will confirmed the severity of his position, saying in a separate post: “Win is sicker than a brick.”

The announcement means that all their dates in Denmark, Germany, France, Netherlands and Belgium have been cancelled. It’s not yet known if their North American dates, which kick off in San Diego on April 16, will be affected.

The full post from Win reads:

"heavy heart"

Hello Friends,

I am backstage at the venue in Oslo and I just had to make the very sad decision to cancel the rest of the European tour. I have been suffering from a sinus and bronchial infection for the last 3 months, and last night in Stockholm I finally pushed my voice and body farther than they are able to go. Last night I kept yelling at the monitor guy because I didn't recognize the sound that was coming out of the monitor as my own voice, and it took me until the second song to realize that the sound was coming from me. Today I can barely speak, or make any sound, so finishing the shows is no longer possible.

I have had several doctors advise me to cancel shows weeks ago, and I have been trying to push through, but for my own health and safety I need to have sinus surgery so I can get better and start the recovery process. We are all very sad, because we were very much looking forward to playing these shows, and we could not imagine canceling a show unless it was physically impossible to do. We apologize to the fans that have been waiting to see us, and we promise to try and come back as soon as it is humanly possible...

We would like to thank everyone who has been coming to the shows, and the outpouring of love and support for our music that we have felt. Wish me luck with the doctors,

And see you soon
luv,
Win