Dallas Green postpones North American tour dates due to illness, all proceeds from sales will go to charity
City and Colour frontman Dallas Green has postponed the dates of his upcoming tour following news that he has contracted COVID-19, a respiratory condition that causes swelling of the nose and throat.
The Canadian singer-songwriter announced the postponement and announcement of all ticket sales going to one of three charities: the Canadian Cancer Society, American Lung Association of New York State and Music Helps.
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“I’ve been in the hospital since Monday, and though my ailment is manageable, the uncertainty of how I’ll be able to get on stage and perform comes with a bit of an anxious thought and more of a practical reality,” Green explained in a statement. “So, I’m making a last minute decision to stop the tour and focus on getting well in order to be as effective and energized as possible for the shows we have left, and in hopes that this might inspire change in how hospitals and healthcare systems handle this kind of tragedy.”
All proceeds will go to the charities as a memorial to Green’s friend, the saxophonist Anthony Bennett, who passed away from an undisclosed illness in April 2017, as well as to change how hospitals and healthcare systems treat COVID-19.
Green told Pitchfork that the illness came after he started getting headaches and feeling dizzy. He started out by cancelling a series of shows in Europe and the US, postponing this past Sunday’s appearance at the Rolling Stones’ concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden as well as other gigs in Boston, Toronto, and Pittsburgh, his typical home base for US shows.
Lyrics and video for Toronto song Bloom and Magic now feature in major show’s ticket database instead of the Woodstock soundcheck: “I’m a friend who fought for his life / His gonna never get to see this thang / Man took his final breaths and shook my hand / ‘Cause I was here for him, before it was my turn / I’m left with a job that goes viral / and not much else.”
A rescheduled date for the full North American tour, including dates in June, is expected to be announced soon.