Paramore Cancels Remaining North American Tour Dates as Hayley Williams Battles Lung Infection

The North American leg of Paramore’s This Is Why tour has come to an end sooner than anticipated. Following a performance in Seattle on Wednesday, frontwoman Hayley Williams revealed that the final two shows of the tour, scheduled for Portland on Aug. 10 and Salt Lake City on Aug. 13, would be canceled as she recovers from a non-contagious lung infection.

“After speaking with our team and my doc, I know that trying to finish this tour is now going to come at a detriment to my health. My lungs are just not healing quickly enough to keep up. It got a little scary tonight,” Williams wrote in an Instagram Story.

The canceled Seattle and Portland shows, as well as earlier stops in Seattle and San Francisco, were originally postponed late last month. At the time, the band cited “sickness within the touring party,” with Williams later revealing that she had been on antibiotics and steroids to address the illness after attempting to push through it for over a week ahead of their shows in Houston and Los Angeles.

“We will have the team post an official statement ASAP but we are going to have to cancel the last 2 shows of the tour so I can get better, finally,” Williams continued in her statement. “I know some of you are camping in Portland already so I just wanted to get this out there. I’m so sorry for all the chaos this has caused some of you. I really tried to kick this shit. Love you all.”

In the official statement, she elaborated: “We’re unfortunately realizing that it’s past the point of wanting to push through to put on a good show for all of you. I’m now risking long term damage and I need to pay attention to my body.”

Last week, Williams responded to criticism for postponing shows in order to prioritize her health. On Paramore’s Discord, she wrote: “Touring is different at 34 than it was at 16, when leaving home felt like the greatest escape. Even in my 20’s I benefitted from the constant movement. It was a perfect distraction from relational issues and my own mind. At this age, I have my own home life, a community, a dog, my sisters and the rest of my family who are getting older … It’s quite a lot to leave behind.”

Paramore played over 30 shows in North America this year. The This Is Why tour is scheduled to resume with six performances in Australia and New Zealand beginning in November.