Goo Goo Dolls have been forced to cancel a third consecutive concert after lead singer John Rzeznik came down with pneumonia.
The Buffalo-formed rock band, best known for their massive 1998 hit “Iris”, are currently on tour in Canada.
In a statement posted to their official Instagram, the band said: “With sorrow and gratitude, we must cancel tonight’s show at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, ON, as John has been diagnosed with pneumonia.”
The statement continues: “We plan to resume our Canadian run and hope to see fans this Saturday in London, ON. All tickets for tonight’s show will be refunded at the place of purchase.”
The cancellation of the show in Hamilton comes after the group also called off shows at GFL Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario on March 30, and in Oshawa, Ontario on April 1.
In the comments of the Instagram post, fans reacted with concern for the 60-year-old singer.
One wrote about pneumonia: “Don’t play with that. Lost my best friend to it couple years ago.”
Another added: “Please just reschedule the Canada tour get better and come back when everyone’s much better it’s inconvenient but better healthy and ready than exhausting and burned out.”
A third echoed that sentiment, writing: “Please go rest because as people are saying, they make travel plans and I completely understand not wanting to let fans down and also lose money. It's really hard out here for musicians. But health comes first and people will understand.”
Goo Goo Dolls were formed by Rzeznik and bassist Robby Takac in their hometown of Buffalo, New York in 1986. Their first breakthrough success came with their single “Name” in 1995.
That was eclipsed by “Iris”, which spent eleven months on the Billboard Hot 100 following its release in 1998, and had recently enjoyed yet another resurgence in popularity thanks to a wave of nostalgia for the 1990s rock scene.
In 2016, The Independent critic Vishal Rana saw the band play London’s Hammersmith Apollo and wrote: “The first few chords of acoustic ballad ‘Iris’ got the crowd to their feet, standing and cheering in anticipation of the moment they’d waited for.
“‘Iris’, which spent 18 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Airplay chart in the US and remains one of the biggest crossover hits in the history of popular music, expectedly, did not disappoint.
“Inviting the audience to sing with him, to which they obliged wholeheartedly, Rzeznik, used the opportunity to thank the crowd and send them home happy.”
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