Diamond had just finished a run of Midwestern shows at the beginning of the week and was scheduled to appear in Tulsa tonight, but yesterday news came that the show would have to be canceled. "King is suffering from a severe case of acute laryngitis," read a statement posted to his Facebook page early Wednesday afternoon. During an examination from a doctor on Monday, Diamond was administered an anesthetic. "Not long after that, he had an extreme sensitivity reaction to the anesthetic no one had a chance to foresee, which he is still recovering from."
Ticket holders were offered full refunds at their point of purchase, but no word was given on his Friday night gig in Houston or Saturday's in Dallas. "I haven’t seen anything come through," said Jenna Rushing, marketing and promotions coordinator for House of Blues, when reached for contact last night. "I’ve even sent a few photo pass requests to his publicist and they’ve been approved, so as far as we know we’re good to go."
Late this morning, however, came word that the Houston show has also been canceled, casting further doubt on the possibility of his being ready to perform here in Dallas.
"King has for once been silent, trying his damnedest to bring enough vocal chords back to complete the rest of the tour," read the new statement. "There is still hope for Dallas on Saturday, but do keep an eye on our Facebook just in case."
Attempts to reach Diamond's management have so far gone unanswered.
Should the show wind up getting canceled, it won't be the first time this year that Dallas fans will miss out on a major show from a legendary metal act. Back in September, Motörhead's show at The Bomb Factory was canceled at the last minute after Lemmy Kilmister was sidelined by rather more mysterious health issues.
Diamond last performed here during Mayhem Festival at Gexa Energy Pavilion back in the summer.
UPDATE: Saturday night's show in Dallas has officially been canceled. The following announcement was made on King Diamond's Facebook page:
Hail Dallas!
It is with a heavy heart we have to announce the cancellation of tomorrow's show in Dallas, Texas (Saturday, December 5th).
King is still fighting the after effects of the reaction to the anesthetic, as well as the severe acute laryngitis. The healing is not progressing as fast as we'd like.
We are not making this decision lightly, but as we are looking into the complications of laryngitis, among them the possibility of hemorrhaging of the larynx and the chance of irreparably damaging King's voice, we just simply are not willing to take these risks.
Again, we are deeply sorry for what has happened.
Thank you all very much for your understanding and support!
For ticket refunds, please contact your place of purchase.
