Goo Goo Dolls have had to cancel another concert in their ongoing Canadian tour, marking the third consecutive show they’ve had to call off. This latest cancellation comes after lead singer John Rzeznik was diagnosed with pneumonia. The band, which originated from Buffalo, New York, is known for their iconic 1998 hit “Iris” and has been on the road performing across Canada.
In a statement shared on their official Instagram account, the band expressed their disappointment and gratitude: “With sorrow and gratitude, we must cancel tonight’s show at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, ON, as John has been diagnosed with pneumonia.” They added that they hope to continue their Canadian tour and are planning to perform in London, Ontario on Saturday. All tickets purchased for the Hamilton show will be refunded at the point of purchase.
This latest cancellation follows two previous ones, including a show at GFL Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario on March 30, and another in Oshawa, Ontario on April 1. Fans have been expressing their concern for Rzeznik’s health through comments on the Instagram post.
One fan wrote: “Don’t play with that. Lost my best friend to it couple years ago.” Another commented: “Please just reschedule the Canada tour get better and come back when everyone’s much better it’s inconvenient but better healthy and ready than exhausting and burned out.” A third fan echoed this sentiment, saying: “Please go rest because as people are saying, they make travel plans and I completely understand not wanting to let fans down and also lose money. It’s really hard out here for musicians. But health comes first and people will understand.”
Goo Goo Dolls were formed by John Rzeznik and bassist Robby Takac in their hometown of Buffalo, New York, in 1986. Their initial success came with the single “Name” in 1995, but it was their 1998 hit “Iris” that truly catapulted them into the mainstream. The song spent eleven months on the Billboard Hot 100 and recently experienced a resurgence in popularity due to a renewed interest in 1990s rock music.
In 2016, The Independent critic Vishal Rana attended a Goo Goo Dolls performance at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. He described the moment when the band played “Iris”: “The first few chords of acoustic ballad ‘Iris’ got the crowd to their feet, standing and cheering in anticipation of the moment they’d waited for.” He noted that the song, which spent 18 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Airplay chart, remained one of the biggest crossover hits in the history of popular music. Rzeznik invited the audience to sing along, which they did enthusiastically, and used the opportunity to thank the crowd and send them home happy.
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