Mott the Hoople have canceled the fall leg of their first North American tour in 45 years after frontman Ian Hunter developed a severe case of tinnitus. The fall tour was set to kick off October 21st in Port Chester, New York, and wrap November 6th in Seattle, Washington.
Per a statement, Hunter was advised by his doctors to stop performing live until his condition improved. While tickets for Mott the Hoople’s fall tour will be refunded at the point of purchase, the band did not indicate when, or if, they would reschedule the shows.
Mott the Hoople embarked on their first North American tour in 45 years this spring, using the moniker Mott the Hoople ’74 to mark the return of guitarist Ariel Bender — who hadn’t played with the band since 1974 — and keyboardist Morgan Fisher, who hadn’t participated in previous reunion tours. The British glam rockers previously reunited in 2009 with much of their early Seventies lineup still intact, although drummer Dale Griffin was suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and was only able to play a few shows. There was another tour in 2013, but Griffin died in 2016 and bassist Pete Overend Watts died in 2017.
Mott the Hoople are best known in the U.S. for their song “All the Young Dudes,” which appeared on their 1972 album of the same name. The track was penned by David Bowie. In 1973 and 1974, the band released two semi self-titled records, Mott and The Hoople, which featured several U.K. hits including “Honaloochie Boogie,” “All the Way from Memphis” and “Roll Away the Stone.”
Prior to Mott the Hoople’s spring tour, Hunter spoke with Rolling Stone about wanting to keep the reunion concise. “I don’t want to take it down the tubes,” he said. “It was an X factor in Mott. We [were] this thing, and you can’t rehearse it. It’s either there or it’s not. Mott were hilarious people, and the camaraderie was always more important for me than any other aspect. I’m not doing this tour for money. I want fun.”