’80s Rock Band Cancels Multiple Concerts After Health Woes

Australian rock band The Church was forced to cancel their appearance at the Corona Capital 2022 festival this past weekend. The beloved ’80s band was scheduled to perform their song “Milky Way” with Miley Cyrus at the music festival in Mexico City, but they were forced to back out of the show after Ashley Naylor and Steve Kilbey tested positive for COVID-19.

The band shared the upsetting update on Instagram just days ahead of their scheduled appearance at the popular music festival, which would have marked their first show in Mexico. In a statement, The Church explained, “Steve and Ashley from The Church have just tested positive to Covid and are sadly too unwell to travel long distances and perform in Mexico.” The band continued that they have “never performed in Mexico and it’s with heavy hearts that we must cancel these shows.” The Church noted that they had “been looking forward to this for 3 years, the festival has been rescheduled a number of times and we were raring to go,” adding that they “hope that we can do a duet of ‘Milky Way’ with Miley some other time.”

The Church did not provide any further information about Naylor and Kilney’s conditions, so it is unclear if they are experiencing any symptoms. No further updates were provided. This year’s Corona Capital festival took place on Nov. 18, 19, and 20 and featured a talent lineup that included Arctic Monkeys, Paramore, The Kooks, Two Door Cinema Club, Lil Nas X, Charli XCX, My Chemical Romance, Aly & AJ, and more. The church was originally set to take the stage Sunday.

While news of their abrupt cancellation devastated fans who were eager to see the band perform, the Wednesday announcement was met with understanding from fans who were quick to send well wishes. Commenting on the post, one person wrote, “Best wishes for a healthy recovery,” with another commenting, “Sorry to hear this. Get well soon Steve and Ash!” A third fan wrote, “Good health to Steve, Ashley and the rest of the band.”

The Church is a popular Australian rock band that formed in Sydney in 1980. The band was founded by Steve Kilbey on lead vocals and bass guitar, Peter Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper on guitars, and Nick Ward on drums. The band has seen some changes overtime, with Ward departing after the band’s debut album to be replaced by Richard Ploog, who was later replaced by Jay Dee Daugherty, followed by “timEbandit” Tim Powles. Currently, the band consists of Kilbey, Naylor, Powles, Ian Huag, and Jeffrey Cain.