Queens of the Stone Age have cancelled or postponed their upcoming shows (Picture: Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images)
Queens of the Stone Age have pulled the plug on their remaining shows for 2024.
Frontman Josh Homme has been forced to make the decision to abandon or postpone the concerts until 2025 as he is required to undergo ‘essential medical care’ for an undisclosed health issue.
This comes after the band announced another set of European festival cancellations as the 51-year-old recovered from emergency surgery.
A social media statement read: ‘QOTSA regret to announce the cancellation and/or postponement of all remaining 2024 shows.
‘Josh has been given no choice but to prioritize his health and to receive essential medical care through the remainder of the year.’
Fans shared their devastation in the comments, while also wishing Josh well.
@lahlia wrote: ‘Breaks my heart, not the cancelled shows, but the fact he’s still that unwell. Beautiful to see all these supportive comments cos damn, this would be a huge call for them to have to make. Joshy, we all love you immensely and clearly want you to be as healthy as can be. Take alllll the time and rest you need. Sending the biggest healing hugs to you baby duck.’
The band, consisting of Mark Lanegan, Joey Castillo, Nick Oliveri, Josh Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, announced the news on Instagram (Picture: Gie Knaeps/Getty Images)
‘Josh… This is starting to get scary… Really, really hope you’ll get well soon,’ @viola82 added, as @thegnudz wrote: ‘Wishing you a speedy & complete recovery. Tequila will be on me!’
‘We will always be here. Your health first, we’ll be ready when you’re ready,’ @dessaroux added.
Last month, a statement read: ‘Due to continued medical care, it is under doctors’ orders that Josh Homme remain in their care in the United States.’
The statement concluded: ‘The Homme family and Qotsa are so grateful for the outpouring of well wishes and kind understanding during this time.’
The group had been due to launch a North American tour in Boston on September 27 and 28, but those dates have been postponed until 2025.
Frontman Josh Homme was given ‘no choice but to prioritize his health’ (Picture: Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images)
They released their last album In Times New Roman last year and guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen recently hinted they are planning to take some time off before making plans for 2025.
He told NME: ‘I think we’re going to take a little break. I know we have some plans for next year that are loosely being talked about.’
Though further details of Josh’s health have not been disclosed, he revealed in June 2023 that he had been diagnosed with cancer the previous year and was ‘still healing’ after undergoing successful surgery to remove it.
He later spoke to Metro.co.uk about how he relied on music while he navigated his diagnosis.
Josh told us: ‘Writing this one was unlike anything else, because we were going through not only personal things that weren’t like anything I’ve experienced, in a whole timeframe where everybody is going through something they don’t understand en masse.’
The rockstar was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 (Picture: Bianca de Vilar/Redferns)
He added: ‘Sometimes I’d think, “I don’t want to put myself out there. I don’t want to subject myself to a world that sometimes takes pleasure from its own brutality. There was this desire to be understood and feeling misunderstood instead.’
Speaking to Revolver magazine, Josh previously shared of his illness: ‘Cancer is just the cherry on top of an interesting time period, you know?
‘I’m extremely thankful that I’ll get through this, and I’ll look back at this as something that’s [messed] up — but will have made me better.’
Queens Of The Stone Age formed in Seattle in 1996 and Josh has been the only constant member throughout multiple line-up changes.
Since 2013, the line-up has consisted of Josh alongside Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita and Jon Theodore.
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