Last night, Gang of Four were scheduled to complete a North American tour with a performance at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York. The concert was canceled mid-event, however, following a set by the opening band, Public Practice, as BrooklynVegan points out. Gang of Four’s representatives have now issued a statement, explaining that the band were forced to cancel because Andy Gill was hospitalized earlier in the day and unable to recover by the evening.

The full statement reads:

Last night at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY, GANG OF FOUR was unfortunately forced to cancel their show – the last performance on their quick U.S. run – as they were set to take the stage to a packed audience.

Struggling with a serious chest infection that had been developing over the last week while on the road, Andy Gill was rushed to the hospital early in the afternoon on Monday, February 25, 2019, with hopes he could get the necessary treatment and be released before show time at 9:30pm. With every effort to get on stage, the night progressed as planned. Sticking it out till the very last minute, the band and crew hoped for the best outcome – a slight delay in set time, and prepared to take the stage.

Recognizing the seriousness of Gill’s condition, the medical team felt otherwise and delayed Gill’s discharge from the hospital. When it became apparent that Gill would not be returning in time, the crew, band and Andy (on speakerphone), made the very difficult decision to cancel the show.

Gang of Four are heartbroken that they could not deliver a promised great end to the tour. With Andy’s health as a top priority, we apologize to the fans who had come out to support and they promise that the next time Gang of Four return to NYC, not only will Andy and band be in top shape, they will give the show an added push to give back to the fans.

Next month, Gang of Four are slated to release a new album, HAPPY NOW. Last year’s Complicit EP featured a song about Ivanka Trump.

https://pitchfork.com/news/gang-of-four-nyc-show-ends-after-openers-set-andy-gill-hospitalized