80s punk rocker, Billy Idol has dropped out of the upcoming tour with Journey as he will undergo surgery for a chronic sinus infection. The Eyes Without A Face singer had been penned in to support the Don’t Stop Believing band on their Freedom Tour in February.
Billy would have been supporting the band until April 5th, when he would have been replaced by Africa hitmaker, Toto. However, with Idol unable to perform, Toto will now open the entire tour, through to its conclusion on May 11th.
Speaking in a statement, Billy said he is “absolutely gutted that I won’t be able to perform the upcoming dates with Journey as planned.” It is his second cancellation for medical reasons in a matter of months, as he missed the third “Above Ground” Benefit Concert after catching a “respiratory cold”.
Although, it is not all doom and gloom for the Freedom Tour, as Journey guitarist Neal Schon excites the fans. Speaking via statement of his own, Schon said, “It’s that time — time to get back to where we are used to being — onstage!
“We are looking forward to shifting into high gear and bringing you the best show possible. The band is running on all 12 cylinders and very excited! Please come and join us once again for an evening full of rocking, stage connection fun. See you soon, friends.”
Toto guitarist Steve Lukather and singer Joseph Williams added: “We are looking forward to staging 40 shows with Journey across the U.S. Most of the guys are lifelong friends, and it’ll be a pleasure to spend quality time together. We all wish Billy the best. Can’t wait to get back out on the road in the coming weeks.”
Here’s to wishing Billy Idol a successful surgery, a speedy recovery, and hope that he returns to the stage soon.
| Journey Freedom Tour 2022 With Toto | Feb. 22 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena |
| Feb. 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center | Feb. 25 – Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena |
| Feb. 27 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center | Feb. 28 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden |
| March 2 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena | March 4 – Hershey, PA @ Giant Center |
| March 6 – Manchester, NH @ SNHU Arena | March 8 – Albany, NY @ MVP Arena |
| March 12 – Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum | March 14 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center |
| March 16 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Centre | March 17 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Centre |
| March 19 – N. Little Rock, AR @ Simmons Bank Arena | March 21 – St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Centre |
| March 24 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Arena | March 27 – Portland, OR @ Moda Centre |
| March 28 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena | March 31 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Centre |
| April 1 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Centre | April 4 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Centre |
| April 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena | April 7 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena San Diego |
| April 9 – Glendale, AZ @ Gila River Arena | April 11 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena |
| April 13 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Centre | April 15 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Centre |
| April 20 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena | April 21 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Centre |
| April 24 – Cincinnati, OH @ Heritage Bank Centre | April 25 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena |
| April 27 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena | April 28 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Centre |
| April 30 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Centre | May 2 – Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena |
| May 4 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena | May 5 – Indianapolis, IN @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse |
| May 7 – Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse | May 9 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena |
| May 11 – Hartford, CT @ XL Centre |
