Huey Lewis and the News have cancelled all their upcoming concerts, including their appearance at this year’s Outside Lands festival in San Francisco. The reason, Lewis says, is the loss much of his hearing earlier this year.
Lewis, 67, announced on Facebook Friday morning that the hearing loss struck him over two months ago, just before a show in Dallas.
“Although I can still hear a little, one on one, and on the phone, I can’t hear music well enough to sing,” Lewis wrote. “The lower frequencies distort violently making it impossible to find pitch.”
According to the post, Lewis visited hearing specialists at the House Ear Institute and the Stanford Ear Institute, who believe Lewis suffers from Ménière’s disease, a chronic condition that can also cause vertigo. He’s been advised to stop performing altogether until his condition improves. According to the Mayo Clinic, while the hearing loss is typically intermittent initially, it can become permanent.
This year was supposed to the year that Huey Lewis and the News had their comeback. The band, who ruled ’80s radio with hits like “I Want A New Drug” and “If This Is It,” announced in February that a jukebox musical inspired by their music was in the works. The band booked several concerts for this summer, including a headlining slot at this year’s Outside Lands, and even planned to release a new album.
