Lizzo pulled the plug on her concert in Montreal on Thursday night due to illness.
As fans gathered outside the Bell Centre, promoter evenko advised that the concert was postponed “as per doctor’s orders.”
In a video she shared on Instagram, Lizzo explained that she started feeling unwell on Wednesday night and woke up feeling worse. (On Twitter, she said she had a 102-degree fever.)
“My body’s weak and I have chills and my head hurts. Normally if it it’s just a cold I would shower, I would eat, take some medicine, it gets better, but this is getting worse. I think it’s the flu.”
The pop star said it was only the second time ever that she has had to cancel a show due to illness. “I want to find a date to reschedule but I just can’t perform tonight.”
The Montreal concert was the first on Lizzo’s Special tour since April 28. She attended the Met Gala on Monday night.
In the comments, some fans expressed anger about the timing of the announcement.
“Why was the cancellation announced so late? Shouldn’t it have been announced this morning? People have travelled from outside Montreal, and others are downtown, eating, and have just found out. That’s the upsetting part,” wrote one.
Another wrote: “So you waited 30 minutes before the concert to cancel? We all busted our humps to get here and at a significant cost. So disrespectful.”
“Not cool for not announcing this earlier,” read one comment. “Tons of people just travelled to Montreal for this. Don't post 30 minutes before a concert and expect people to feel bad for you.”
Both Lizzo and the promoter urged fans to hold on to their tickets, which will be honoured on a new date. Some fans, though, are asking for refunds.
“It’s the least that can be done for all those who are out of pocket on hotels, gas, flights, energy, and vacation time,” read one comment. “Anyone can understand that people get sick and things happen—finding out 45 minutes before the show is supposed to start is simply unkind & inconsiderate.”
In 2018, P!nk postponed a Montreal show due to the flu and a year earlier, Lady Gaga scrapped her Montreal concert with only hours to go due to a “respiratory infection and laryngitis.” A week into her Courage tour In 2019, hometown star Céline Dion postponed the first four of six shows in Montreal citing "a throat virus."
Lizzo is scheduled to perform Saturday in Hartford, Connecticut. The Special tour, which kicked off in September has already made stops in Toronto and Vancouver.