Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister Walks Off Stage After Three Songs: “I Can’t Do It”
Last night (September 1), Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister walked off the stage after playing three songs, telling fans, "I can't do it."
The bassist, who will turn 70 in December, eventually returned to the stage to apologize to the crowd for the show’s quick end.
The band played “Damage Case” (bottom video), “Stay Clean” and “Metropolis” before Lemmy excused himself (top video).
Motorhead began their North American tour August 19 in support of their new album, Bad Magic, but the shows have been plagued by a host of issues. They cut short their Salt Lake City gig last week and canceled their Denver show, telling fans that Kilmister was having trouble breathing because of the high Colorado altitude.
Motorhead have since issued a statement about the Austin show, while also announcing that the band will not perform tonight in San Antonio. Here's the complete statement:
"As you might have heard, Motörhead again had to abbreviate a performance due to Lemmy not feeling well. This is a DIRECT follow-on from the altitude issues in Colorado, and clearly, Lemmy tried to get back at it too quickly.
"For this reason, Motörhead will not play in San Antonio tonight, but the show will still go on with Saxon headlining. Lemmy will resume duties the moment he is PROPERLY rested and firing on all cylinders again. The legendary Motörheadbanger patience is much appreciated, and the band send their deepest thanks. More details will be released soon."
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**
Join now for unlimited access
US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year
UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year
Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
“You can feel embarrassed when you play a bum note, but I played bum notes on Strangers In The Night. Today those are the right notes!” Michael Schenker on rerecording UFO with Axl Rose, triangle guitars – and why there are no bad playing habits
“That’s probably our fastest song. It’s not one I’m looking to play live any time soon!” Kerry King picks out the hardest Slayer song to play – and the greatest showcase of Jeff Hanneman’s talents