Guided By Voices cancel Illinois residency after Robert Pollard fractures kneecap

Guided By Voices have cancelled their upcoming four-show stint in Evanston, Illinois, after frontman Robert Pollard suffered an injury that left him with a fractured kneecap.

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The band confirmed the news on Twitter, where, alongside a photo of Pollard’s cracked knee, they encouraged fans to “wish him a speedy recovery”.

All four of the shows were to be held at the intimate S.P.A.C.E. venue, with the final one going down on New Year’s Eve. According to the band, concertgoers who bought tickets through Eventbrite will have their refunds processed automatically.

Bob has fractured a knee. Let’s wish him a speedy recovery. Unfortunately, the Evanston shows in December are canceled. All tickets will be refunded. pic.twitter.com/UHOJCMkgW2

— Guided By Voices (@_GuidedByVoices) December 20, 2022

This marks the second consecutive year that Guided By Voices have cancelled their New Year’s show plans. Last year, they cancelled a pair of gigs in New Jersey and New York due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The band have since released their 35th, 36th and 37th studio albums – ‘Crystal Nuns Cathedral’, ‘Tremblers And Goggles By Rank’ and ‘Scalping The Guru’, respectively – and announced both their 38th and 39th. ‘La La Land’ will arrive first on January 20, 2023, followed by ‘Welshpool Frillies’ sometime later in the year.

The former has been described as “somewhat of a companion piece” to ‘Tremblers And Goggles By Rank’, with Pollard noting in a statement that it “continues to explore a path of diversity in styles and in longer, more adventurous song structures”.

At the time of writing, Guided By Voices have not detailed any touring plans for 2023.

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