I received a phone call last night from Frank Usher's partner Sue who informed me that Frank had suffered a heart attack and that he was in Borders General hospital. Thankfully it is only a mild attack but he is being kept in for observation until the end of the week. He is under heavy sedation and unable to take visitors but Sue told me he is smiling although totally exhausted.
Despite Frank's insistence, in his typically stubborn fashion, that he wanted to play the forthcoming shows the doctors have said it is impossible and highly dangerous. With all three gigs nearly sold out and also sweat boxes it would have been foolhardy of him to even consider performing.
At only 48 hours notice it is impossible to bring in a replacement guitarist and I am left with no other option but to postpone the three shows.
I apologise once again for the inconvenience caused and I am sure a lot of you will be as frustrated as we are at losing what were going to be celebratory shows in the run up to the holidays. As you can possibly imagine we are all shocked and concerned for Frank and wish him a speedy recovery.
I will keep you informed as to the rescheduling which will be at the end of the UK tour in March or the beginning of April. All tickets purchased for the December shows will be valid for the replacement dates.
all the best
Fish"
La mise à jour des dates est donc la suivante :
Just back from Edinburgh Royal to see Frank. He feels fine and looks great. I passed on the company hug :-)
He is being kept in and is undergoing a minor stem operation on Monday that will see him home on Christmas day. He is really touched by all the concern and asked me to again say thanks for all the messages he's received. His only gripe is the coffee in the hospital. Frank is a double espresso kind of man and he's restricted to suffering rare small cups of weak Nescafe. :-)
Not only has he to endure a lack of caffeine but his cherished collection of red wine amassed on the tour and which was delivered to the studio by Yatta yesterday, on his 1040 mile round trip dropping off the gear and personal belongings that were left on the bus, will be gathering dust in his wine rack for a while. We have all had a scare and you can guarantee that it's not only Frank who will be examining their lifestyles next year. I was just so happy to see him again and that hug when we saw each other was long and hard.
It was a close one.
The rescheduled dates have been added to the end of the planned UK tour, which commences March 7 :
March 7th - Liquid Room: Edinburgh, Scotland.
March 9th - King Georges Hall: Blackburn, England.
March 10th - Cockpit: Leeds, England.
March 12th - Drill Hall: Lincoln, England.
March 13th - Indigo O2 (Childline Charity): London, England.
March 14th - Guildhall: Gloucester, England. +44 (1452) 503050.
March 16th - Wharf: Tavistock, England. +44 (1822) 611166.
March 17th - Stables: Milton Keynes, England. +44 (1908) 280800.
March 19th - Academy: Oxford, England. +44 (844) 4772000.
March 20th - Komedia: Brighton, England. +44 (1273) 647100.
March 22nd - Paradiso: Amsterdam, Holland
[RESCHEDULED] March 25th - Rescue Rooms: Nottingham, England
[RESCHEDULED] March 26th - Picturedrome: Holmfirth, England
[RESCHEDULED] March 27th - The M Club: Crewe, England.
AmarokProg - Rock, Folk, Rock Alternatif, Metal, Prog Rock, Hard Rock, Blues, Bluegrass, Jazz, Celtique... le webzine musical avec albums, groupes, discographies, critiques, videos et extraits...