Queens of the Stone Age Cancels Several European Shows Due to Singer’s Health Issue

Josh Homme performs onstage at "Rock the Plaza" benefit to save the Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs, Calif., on Nov. 11, 2022. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Queens of the Stone Age has canceled a series of European tour dates after the rock band’s frontman, Josh Homme, was forced to return home due to a pressing medical issue.

“QOTSA regrets to announce that Josh Homme must return to the United States immediately for emergency surgery,” the band wrote on Instagram on July 9.

“Every effort was made to push through and play for you, but it is no longer an option to continue,” the group continued, adding that it had to cancel nine of its shows that were scheduled throughout the month, including performances in France, Slovakia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Romania, Croatia, and Greece.

“Queens are gutted we aren’t able to play for you,” the band captioned the post. “We apologize for any inconvenience and share in your frustration and disappointment.”

Cancer Diagnosis

The group offered no additional details on its lead singer’s health but, Mr. Homme, 51, has been forthcoming about his health struggles in the past.

In an April 2023 interview with Revolver Magazine, published that June, the musician revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancer the previous year.

The musician said he had a successful surgery to remove the tumor, and was still recovering from the procedure.

“Cancer is just the cherry on top of an interesting time period, you know?” he added, referring to the traumatic events he had experienced around that time, including the deaths of several close friends and the demise of his marriage to singer Brody Dalle.

“There were times I almost didn’t make it. It’s OK for me to ruminate on that. It’s not OK to stay there, feel too sorry for myself. This has been the darkest four years of my life. But that’s OK, too,” he said.

“In the heartaches, my mistakes, these deaths and my own physical things I’m dealing with—even though all that has occurred and smashed my old life to pieces, those pieces I’ve been able to build into a ship that’s about to launch. I will float into my new life from all those pieces.”

Mr. Homme said he was “extremely thankful” that he was overcoming that difficult time in his life.

“I'll look back at this as something that’s [expletive] up—but will have made me better,” he said. “I’m cool with that. There’s a lot of stuff I want to do. And there’s a lot of people I want to do that with.”

‘The End Is Nero Tour’

Queens of the Stone Age, originally called Gamma Ray, was formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. In addition to Mr. Homme, band members include guitarist and instrumentalist Troy Van Leeuwen, bassist Michael Shuman, keyboardist Dean Fertita, and drummer Jon Theodore.

After releasing several extended play albums, including “Gamma Ray” (1996), the band debuted its first studio album, the self-titled “Queens of the Stone Age,” in September 1998. Subsequent albums included “Rated R” (2000), “Songs for the Deaf” (2002), “Lullabies to Paralyze” (2005), “Era Vulgaris” (2007), “...Like Clockwork” (2013), and “Villains” (2017).

More recently, the band, which has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards, released its eighth studio album, “In Times New Roman...,” in June 2023, subsequently embarking on its “The End Is Nero Tour” that August.

The band kicked off the European leg of its tour in June of this year, with shows in Nürburg, Nuremberg, and Hamburg, Germany. After a string of performances throughout Europe, namely parts of Spain, including Madrid, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Fuengirola, and Barcelona, the band headed to Rome, Italy, on July 4 to headline the Roma Summer Fest, an outdoor festival held at the Auditorium Parco della Musica.

However, on July 5, Queens of the Stone Age took to Instagram to share that the band had to cancel its set in Bassano Del Grappa, Italy, scheduled later that day. “QOTSA regret to announce we are no longer able to perform tonight at the AMA Festival due to illness,” the group shared. In the caption, the band said concertgoers would be able to obtain refunds at their point of purchase.

It is unclear whether the rock group will cancel its remaining European tour dates, slated for August, which include shows in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France, Belgium, among others, according to the band’s website.

In late September, the band is scheduled to return to the United States for shows in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Tennessee. Queens of the Stone Age’s final performance is slated for Mexico City on Nov. 17.