Lionel Richie postpones two upcoming concerts due to health woes

Lionel Richie has now postponed two shows in Chicago and Columbus after falling ill on-stage earlier this week.

During the opening night of his tour with the band Earth, Wind and Fire on June 24th at St Paul, Minnesota’s Grand Casino Arena, Richie was forced to cut the concert early due to ill health.

Fan-shot videos show Richie sitting down during his performance of Dancing on the Ceiling, the ninth song in his setlist.

“When you’re feeling dizzy, sit your ass down,” he told fans in the audience, per The Minnesota Star Tribune.

From there, Richie continued sitting for the ensuing track, Three Times a Lady. Appearing to be still under the weather because of his dizziness, he then called for an intermission and exited the stage. His bandmates left 15 minutes later.

Eventually, it was down to his saxophonist, Dino Soldo, who told the crowd, “We apologise for any inconvenience this cases fans who have tickets for these two shows.”

It was later reported by TMZ that Richie was met by paramedics backstage and taken to the hospital in an ambulance as a precautionary measure.

Now, it has been confirmed that his performance on June 26th in Chicago, Illinois, and his show on June 27th in Columbus, Ohio, will not be held according to schedule. 

In a statement, organisers confirmed, “Under advisement by doctors to rest and return to full health, Lionel Richie has postponed his next two shows on Friday, June 26 in Chicago, IL and Saturday, June 27 in Columbus, OH.”

It added, “He and Earth, Wind and Fire will return to the stage on Tuesday, June 30 in Pittsburgh, PA. Lionel is heartbroken to postpone these two shows and cannot wait to be back performing for his fans.”

The message concluded, “We apologise for any inconvenience this causes fans who have tickets for these two shows.”

As of now, no rescheduled dates for the two postponed shows have been announced, but organisers have promised they will be rescheduled soon.