Pop Music Legend Hit With ‘Acute Gastrointestinal Virus,’ Performance Canceled

A pop music legend has been forced to cancel a performance following some health issues.

Pet Shop Boys took to Instagram on Saturday to reveal that vocalist Neil Tennant is feeling unwell.

The post explains that the group, also consisting of keyboardist Chris Lowe, would be unable to perform at Rockin’ On Sonic Festival in Tokyo that day due to Tennant “suffering from an acute gastrointestinal virus.” The statement went on to say that the Pet Shop Boys apologize “for this unavoidable cancellation,” but were looking forward to their concerts at the Tokyo Garden Theatre in Tokyo on Tuesday and the World Memorial Hall in Kobe on Friday.

On Monday, they shared an update on Tennant’s condition, saying he is “recovering well from the virus” that led to the show cancellation. To prove even more how well he’s doing, a picture was also shared of the 71-year-old English singer-songwriter up and about in a store. And as they say, the show must go on. The Pet Shop Boys did indeed play their concert at Tokyo Garden Theatre earlier this week and will be performing in Kobe, Japan on Friday.

 It was first announced in August that the Grammy-nominated duo would be playing in Japan for the first time since 2019 for their Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live show. Since the canceled performance was for a festival, it will not be rescheduled, but there is always hope that Pet Shop Boys will perform at next year’s Rockin’ On Sonic Festival. At the very least, their second Tokyo performance this week went on without a hitch, and it’s possible they will schedule even more dates in Japan later this year.

Pet Shop Boys formed in London in 1981 and have since sold more than 100 million records worldwide. They have 42 top 30 singles, including 22 top 10 hits on the UK singles chart, and have won three Brit Awards. At the 2009 Brit Awards in London, they received an award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Most recently, Pet Shop Boys were awarded the Pop Pioneers award at the MTV Europe Music Awards. Their single “West End Girls” went number one in the UK and on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The duo’s latest album, Nonetheless, their 15^th studio album, was released in April 2024 and debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart.