Morrissey cancelled his scheduled concert in Atlanta on Saturday night (17.01.26), citing “artist illness”.
The announcement was delivered through a brief statement from the tour’s promoters confirming that the former Smiths frontman would not be taking the stage as planned.
No additional details were provided about the nature or severity of the illness. The message stressed that the decision was made “on medical advice” and “in the interest of the artist’s wellbeing.”
The social media statement read: “Due to artist illness, the Morrissey show on January 17, 2026, at 8 PM has been canceled. All ticket purchases will be refunded automatically at the point of purchase. Please allow 7-10 business days for refunds to take place.”
Morrissey has cancelled a whole host of concerts in recent times.
The latest setback comes after Morrissey returned with the title track from his forthcoming solo album Make-Up Is A Lie.
The musician is set to return with his first studio album in more than five years after signing a new deal with Sire Records, a Warner Records imprint that once housed his old band. The record is scheduled for release on March 6.
The Suedehead singer, 66, reflected on the drawn-out journey to its release in a recent entry on Morrissey Central, acknowledging: “The wait has sometimes felt like a tragedy, but the release today of Make-up Is A Lie is like a reunion of lovers.
“And after several plays it seems to have existed always. We can now place our faith in what is visible. Please sit in your favourite chair in your dark cabin with the lights out – or, get off your head and enjoy some impulsive self-humiliation – as I often do. I hope you consider Make-up Is A Lie to be worth the attention that you give it. Many of us, here, and in France, Turkey, Poland, The Netherlands, Denmark, Greece, America, England… We have waited because our belief is unchallengeable: let the squawkers squawk. What survives beyond their grasp is love. I insist on being myself in spite of much discouragement, and this new music is a valid portrait of much more to come in 2026.”
The label hailed its client “as one of the most acclaimed and potent voices of the last four decades.”
Fans can also expect Morrissey’s spin on Roxy Music’s 1973 gem Amazona.
It was believed he would release his much-delayed album, Bonfire of Teenagers, on the new label, but the tracklisting was for a completely new record.
Morrissey’s career has faced difficulties in recent years.
Record label BMG cut ties with him in November 2020 – a decision the singer said was linked to the company’s “new plans for diversity”.
He completed Bonfire of Teenagers in 2021, with its title track referencing the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.
Although initially due for release under Capitol Records in February 2023, Morrissey said at the end of 2022 he had “voluntarily” parted ways with both the label and his management, and claimed the record was being withheld.
In 2024, he revealed he had completed a second new album that he had been unable to release.
He told Medium: “The second one was re-recorded in France in late 2023, and given a new title. We scrapped half of the tracks and we recorded six new ones, and so it is not the album from the beginning of 2023.”
