U2′s lead singer, Bono, hurt his back recently and was released from a German hospital on Tuesday. Bono has a minimum of eight weeks of rest and months of rehabilitation ahead of him so the concert promoter Live Nation is pushing back U2′s 360° North American tour until next year.
Live Nation said fans should hold on to their tickets until the new dates are scheduled. Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson, had emergency spine surgery last Friday.
“Bono suffered severe compression of the sciatic nerve. On review of his MRI scan, I realized there was a serious tear in the ligament and a herniated disc, and that conservative treatment would not suffice,” Bono’s doctor, Dr. Muller Wohlfahrt, said in a statement released by the concert promoter.
Professor Joerg Christian Tonn, who carried out the operation, added, “He was already in severe pain with partial paralysis in the lower leg. The ligament surrounding the disc had an 8mm tear and during surgery we discovered fragments of the disc had traveled into the spinal canal. This surgery was the only course of treatment for full recovery and to avoid further paralysis. Bono is now much better, with complete recovery of his motor deficit. The prognosis is excellent, but to obtain a sustainable result, he must now enter a period of rehabilitation.”
“Our biggest and I believe best tour has been interrupted and we’re all devastated,” said U2′s manager Paul McGuinness. “For a performer who lives to be on stage, this is more than a blow. He feels robbed of the chance to do what he does best and feels like he has badly let down the band and their audience, which is of course nonsense. His concerns about more than a million ticket buyers whose plans have been turned upside down, we all share, but the most important thing right now is that Bono make a full recovery.”
Bono Is Steadily Recovering From Surgery Damego, on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:49:29 -0700 Since he has to do this rehab the North American leg of U2′s world tour will be postponed until 2011. Bono being in France and recovering there is a good …
Edge: ‘Bono Could Have Suffered Serious And Permanent Damage’ Gigwise, on Wed, 26 May 2010 09:23:13 -0700 U2 guitarist The Edge has revealed that Bono could have suffered “serious and permanent damage” to his back had he not undergone recent surgery. …
U2 postpones tour after Bono’s surgery – Music – Entertainment … May 25, 2010 … U2 frontman Bono left a hospital after undergoing emergency surgery on his back, but the injury has forced the band to postpone the entire …
U2 tour engine to be idling for at least 8 weeks – Los Angeles Times May 26, 2010 … As Bono recovers from emergency back surgery, the logistics of revamping such a massive undertaking are becoming clear. …
U2 delays tour opener for Bono’s surgery :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Music May 21, 2010 … U2 delays tour opener for Bono’s surgery – CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. … Bono underwent emergency surgery today in a hospital in Munich, Germany, …
