Despite cancelling the last two shows on his 40th anniversary Blackheart Man Tour due to illness, Bunny Wailer will go ahead with North American and European dates this summer.
According to the Jamaica Observer, Bunny Wailer’s manager, Maxine Stowe, said the tour would continue and an itinerary for the mostly festival gigs should be disclosed this week.
The month-long, 16-city Blackheart Man Tour celebrated the 40th anniversary of Wailer’s landmark album of the same name. Wailer, 69, played club dates on the United States east and west coasts, the south and Pacific Northwest.
The flu forced him to cancel shows in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on May 6 and Atlanta on May 8.
According to a story in Fort Lauderdale’s The Sun Sentinel newspaper, Wailer was advised during a ‘routine consultation’ that ‘it would be harmful for me to continue under these conditions’.
It was Wailer’s first expanded US tour in 20 years. Below is a short clip from his performance at BB Kings NYC on May 1st right before the legendary singer fell ill.
Stowe said the shows, which opened April 13 in San Francisco, exceeded expectations.
“The tour was a success for its intention of bringing Bunny Wailer into the forefront of the American touring market after many years and showcasing the milestone achievement of the 40th anniversary of the release of the Blackheart Man album,” she told the Jamaica Observer