Motorhead cancel Brazil show as Lemmy takes ill

Motorhead were forced to cancel an appearance in Brazil after frontman Lemmy took ill.

The singer/bass player had to pull out of Saturday’s scheduled appearance at Monsters Of Rock in Arena Anhembi, Sao Paulo, as he was struck down with stomach problems and dehydration.

Lemmy is undergoing tests in hospital and Motorhead’s slot was filled by a jam session involving guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee along with guests including Andreas Kisser and Derrick Green of Sepultura.

In a statement, festival organisers say: “Monsters Of Rock regrets to inform the public that Motorhead will not be able to carry out the performance scheduled for tonight.

“The lead singer Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister, this morning suffered a serious gastric disorder, followed by dehydration. Lemmy has already had tests and been initially medicated, but on medical orders is unable to be present.”

Lemmy spent much of 2013 recuperating from a series of health setbacks which included several weeks in hospital after he suffered internal bleeding. He’d earlier been fitted with a defibrillator to deal with heart problems.

In October 2014, he revealed how he was “close to death” during his last round of surgery. The health worries forced him to clean up his lifestyle.

Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne are also on the bill for Monsters Of Rock.

Motorhead are scheduled to play in Curitiba, Brazil, on Tuesday (April 28) and in Porto Alegre, also in Brazil, on Thursday (April 30). It is not yet clear whether Lemmy will be fit for the shows.

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.