Toots cancels tour
WITH five shows to complete his American acoustic tour, frontman Toots Hibbert and his Maytals band have postponed the remaining concerts.
The 68-year-old entertainer is arriving in the island today to seek additional medical treatment after being struck on the forehead by a bottle thrown by a drunken fan two Saturdays ago while he was performing at the Dominion Riverrock Festival in Virginia.
Dates affected are: Stone Mountain Arts Centre in Maine on May 27; the Rams Head On Stage Annapolis, Maryland on May 29; The State Theatre in Ithaca in New York on May 30; South Orange Performing Arts Centre in New Jersey on May 31; and Infinity Hall in Connecticut on June 1.
The tour began on May 20 in Annapolis, Maryland.
Andrea Davis, publicist for Toots and the Maytals, said the artiste would be undergoing several tests.
“Toots regrets having to disappoint any of his fans but this is a serious head injury. He returns home to attend to his medical issues. In that, Toots is still undergoing tests and treatment. No definite date for the continuation of touring can be determined as of today,” Davis said in a release.
She said the tour would resume once the singer was given the green light from his doctors.
Hibbert had previously received several stitches at the VCU Medical Centre in the United States after the incident while the drunken fan was arrested and charged by police.
Toots and The Maytals are known for classic songs such as 54-46, Monkey Man and Bam Bam. They have been one of the top touring reggae acts for over a decade.
The group won a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2005 with True Love.