Photo: Asier Arco, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

The show cannot go on tonight.

Deep Purple announced Saturday that the band cannot perform this weekend, postponing tonight’s (Oct. 31) show at the QI Arena in Leipzig, Germany and tomorrow’s (Nov. 1) show at the Sporthalle in Hamburg due to a medical emergency involving lead singer Ian Gillan, 81, who is currently hospitalized.

Both concerts will be rescheduled. Every ticket purchased for the affected shows remains valid, the band said in its statement — no reschedule dates have been announced yet.

Gillan, who joined Deep Purple in 1969 and fronted the band through its biggest era, was hospitalized Saturday morning local time. The band has not released further details about his condition, and fans are encouraged to wait for official word rather than speculate.

The cancellation interrupts the band’s “SPLAT!” world tour, which launched in early August and is scheduled to run through December. The next scheduled date is Tuesday, Nov. 3 in Dortmund, Germany — whether that show proceeds will likely depend on Gillan’s recovery. The current lineup also includes bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice, keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Simon McBride.

It’s been a tough year health-wise for the Deep Purple family: Gillan has publicly discussed serious eyesight issues, saying he now sees with “only 30 percent vision,” and former member Glenn Hughes retired from touring in August to undergo heart surgery.

Get well soon, Ian. Smoke on the Water will have to wait one more weekend.

SOURCES

• Page Six: Page Six
• Parade: Parade
• Blabbermouth: Blabbermouth
• Deep Purple’s official announcement: Deep Purple’s Instagram post