Phoebe Bridgers Cancels UK Acoustic Shows After Appendicitis on Her Birthday
Phoebe Bridgers has cancelled a run of intimate U.K. performances after a bout of appendicitis struck on her 32nd birthday, sidelining a promotional mini-tour timed to the release of her third solo album, Lost Weekend.
The singer confirmed the cancellations on her Instagram stories, writing: "I got appendicitis for my birthday." Billboard reported the cancellations on Aug. 19, 2026.
The affected dates were scheduled for Kingston on Aug. 19, Brighton on Aug. 20, and Bristol on Aug. 21, 2026. Each city was due to host both a matinee and an evening acoustic performance. The shows had been announced just a week earlier, on Aug. 12, giving fans little turnaround time before the cancellation.
The timing is sharp. Lost Weekend arrived on Aug. 14 through Dead Oceans, making it Bridgers' first solo album in six years, following her multi-Grammy-nominated sophomore LP Punisher. In the latest midweek update from the Official U.K. Albums Chart, Lost Weekend sat at No. 1 — the first time a Bridgers solo record has reached that position. Her previous chart-topping achievement came with boygenius, the group she shares with Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, whose self-titled 2023 album topped the same chart.
Just two days before the cancellations, on Aug. 17, Bridgers celebrated her birthday by performing two intimate shows at London's Union Chapel, where she debuted the song Bobby. The Kingston venue Banquet Records, which was set to host the Wednesday performance, said it was working with Bridgers' team on next steps.
For fans, the blow is softened by a fuller slate ahead. Bridgers is still scheduled to play U.K. arena shows in autumn 2026, culminating in two sold-out nights at London's O2 Arena on Dec. 1 and 2. Those dates, on a vastly larger scale than the acoustic rooms she has now missed, remain on the calendar as listed.
Bridgers has previously cancelled U.K. appearances. In June, she announced on Instagram that she was "gutted" to cancel a November U.K. tour, though the circumstances at that time were not specified. The acoustic dates scrapped this week were booked as a replacement of sorts — smaller, closer, acoustic — and now they too are off the board.
