Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister is in no shape to hit the road just yet.
The British heavy metal group has postponed their planned European tour until February 2014 to allow their iconic frontman time to recover from illness. The dates were meant to support the band’s new album, “Aftershock.”
It’s the latest in a string of missed shows for the hardened rock outfit. Motörhead canceled a handful of European dates mid-year, including festival slots, when Lemmy fell ill. The performer had been fitted with an implantable defibrillator to correct an irregular heartbeat — a procedure described as “medical maintenance for the long-term good.” But he later suffered a hematoma.
Lemmy on New Motorhead Album, Band’s 40th Anniversary
In a statement posted today on the band’s Website, Lemmy writes, “We have made the decision because I am not quite ready to hit the road yet, and am working my way back to full fitness and rude health. Don’t worry – I’m not about to start promoting veganism and alcohol-free beverages, but it is fair to say that I personally have been reconfiguring areas of my life to make sure I can come back fitter and stronger than ever.”
Motorhead’s “Aftershock,” released this month, is the band’s 21st studio album. It’s the follow-up to “The World is Yours” from 2010, which marked the debut of the Motorhead Music label.
Lemmy has vowed to come back in the right shape to rock. “It disappointed me tremendously to have to say I wasn’t quite ready to hit the road yet, but not nearly as much as it would’ve disappointed me to go out, play some average shows and watch my health give way long before the tour was over,” he writes. “When people come to see a Motörhead tour, they expect a Motörhead show, and that is exactly what you will get as soon as I am fit and ready to rumble.”