Live Nation (finally) confirms postponement of Madonna’s Celebration tour

Live Nation has confirmed that the North American leg of Madonna’s the Celebration Tour has been postponed.

After 16 days of media reports about the tour being at risk of postponement, the promoter released the following statement at 10:29 a.m. on July 10:

“Live Nation has confirmed that the first leg of The Celebration Tour in North America is unfortunately postponed. Rescheduled dates will be announced as soon as possible. Fans are encouraged to hold onto their tickets as they will be valid for the new dates once announced. The tour is currently scheduled to kick off in Europe in October.”

The opening night of the Celebration Tour had been schedule for July 15 at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena. The venue had already removed the pop star’s date from its event calendar early last week.

Speculation about the singer’s health and the likelihood of a tour postponement or cancellation began circulating on June 24 following an Instagram post by the artist’s longtime manager, Guy Oseary, reporting that the star was hospitalized with a serious bacterial infection.