X JAPAN forced to postpone Wembley gig due to illness

Due to completely unforeseen circumstances, X JAPAN have announced that their show at SSE Arena Wembley, scheduled for March 12, 2016, has now been postponed to March 4, 2017. All tickets sold will remain valid for the rescheduled date.

X JAPAN’s guitarist, PATA was admitted to the ICU at a hospital in Tokyo on January 15, 2016. He was diagnosed with a life-threatening condition, which included a severe blood clot. He recently came out of the ICU and his condition has thankfully stabilized, however his doctors do not consider him fit to fly until he has made a full recovery.

After much discussion, X JAPAN has announced a suspension of their current performance commitments, which include the Wembley show. Given the unfortunate circumstances, the release of X JAPAN’s new album, scheduled for a March 11, 2016 has also been postponed. Expect a rescheduled worldwide release date for their as-yet-untitled new album to be announced soon.

X JAPAN members have released the following statements:

“My heart is filled with sadness. No words can describe how sorry I am to disappoint our fans,” says YOSHIKI. “I know the show must go on, but at this this time I can only pray for PATA’s recovery.  I cannot tolerate more tragedy than what we’ve been through. I promise X JAPAN will come back strong, as we’ve done before, together with our fans.”

“We are truly sorry from the bottom of our hearts, for all the worries and concerns we’ve caused to our fans,” addsTOSHI. “X JAPAN is looking forward to playing with PATA again, and continuing our music journey together.”

“We truly apologize for the postponement of our Wembley show and new album,” says HEATH. “In order to present ourselves in the best condition for all our beloved fans, we’ve made a very difficult decision to wait for PATA’s full recovery. Upon his return, we promise to do our best to play even better and show you the best version of ourselves on stage. Please stay tuned.”

“There is no X JAPAN without PATA,” adds SUGIZO. “I will wait for him, for as long as it will take.”

About David Farrell

General Manager and 'THE' competition guy at planetmosh.com. Manager of The Goddanm Electric www.thegde.co.uk, Tour manager for Serpentine, and ex-general Dogsbody at Hammerfest.co.uk. Media partner to numerous bands. Also takes photos, writes reviews and likes classic rock, with a touch of thrash to get the blood flowing.