Lionel Richie cancels European tour shows owing to Covid-19

Singer Lionel Richie said on Tuesday he was cancelling his coming European summer tour concerts owing to the ongoing spread of Covid-19. "As Covid and its variants continue to impact the world, I have decided to hold off on my European tour this summer. The most important thing to me is the health of my fans, band and crew," the Hello and Dancing on the Ceiling hitmaker said on his Twitter page. "I hope you all understand and I hope to see you very soon when we can all gather safely."

Among the performances cancelled was Richie's appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival in Britain in June. The singer, 72, is scheduled to perform in Las Vegas and New Orleans over the coming weeks, according to his website.

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Lionel is the latest in a line of stars to cancel major shows because of the ongoing pandemic. Sir Elton John postponed two US shows in January after contracting Covid-19, despite being vaccinated and boosted. Two dates in Dallas, Texas, set to take place on January 25 and 26 as part of his farewell tour, were rescheduled.

John experienced "only mild symptoms”, said the artist's team. “Elton and the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour look forward to returning to the stage shortly.” Adele also recently put her Las Vegas residency on hold, much to the disappointment of fans. The British singer took to Instagram to announce the news, posting a tearful message saying the event had been “absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and Covid," and that dates would be rescheduled.

“Half my crew, half my team are down with Covid, they still are, and it’s been impossible to finish the show and I can’t give you what I have right now. And I’m gutted, I’m gutted. And I’m sorry it’s so last minute. We’ve been awake for over 30 hours now trying to figure it out and we’ve run out of time,” she said.

She was to perform her Weekends With Adele show every Friday and Saturday from January 21 until Wednesday, April 16. Tickets had been selling on the secondary market for up to $30,000, according to reports.