This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen
on .
It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
Chris Rea cancels Brighton concert after on-stage collapse
Chris Rea cancels Brighton concert after on-stage collapse
(about 5 hours later)
Chris Rea’s scheduled concert in Brighton on Sunday will not go ahead following the singer’s collapse on Saturday evening.
The singer-songwriter Chris Rea has cancelled a scheduled concert in Brighton following his collapse while performing in Oxford.
The Driving Home for Christmas singer had been performing at the New Theatre in Oxford when he fell to the stage mid-song, with one audience member describing him “falling into a clump”.
Rea, who had a stroke last year, was mid-song at the New Theatre when he suddenly clutched his microphone and fell to the stage. He had been 45 minutes into the 35th concert in his 37-leg Road Songs For Lovers tour.
In the middle of his The Road Songs For Lovers tour, the 66-year-old – who had a stroke last year – was scheduled to perform at the Brighton Centre on Sunday, but this has been cancelled.
A spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, Chris Rea has had to cancel tonight’s show at Brighton Centre due to illness.
A spokesman for the singer said: “Unfortunately Chris Rea has had to cancel tonight’s show at Brighton Centre due to illness. A decision about the outstanding date on his UK tour on 12 December at Bournemouth International Centre will be made in the near future.”
“A decision about the outstanding date on his UK tour on 12 December at Bournemouth International Centre will be made in the near future.”
Shortly after the incident on Saturday night, Rea was understood to be in a stable condition.
Rea, 66, known the songs Driving Home for Christmas and The Road to Hell, rose to prominence in the late 1970s and has a distinctive, gravelly voice.
Darren Fewins, who had been watching the show with his wife, said the musician had been on stage for 40-45 minutes before he fell backwards.
Following his collapse, the curtain was drawn and the audience was told the show was cancelled. South Central ambulance service described Rea as being in a stable condition when it treated him.
“He was standing by the microphone and he had the guitar in his hand and he kept shaking his left hand as if there was something not quite right with it,” he said.
Darren Fewins, who had been watching the performance, said: “He was standing by the microphone and he had the guitar in his hand and he kept shaking his left hand as if there was something not quite right with it.
“He walked forward to the microphone and he was trying to grab the microphone with his left hand, and it was swinging from side-to-side. I thought at first there was something wrong with it and he was trying to keep it steady. He then took three or four steps backwards.
“He walked forward to the microphone and he was trying to grab the microphone with his left hand, and it was swinging from side to side. I thought at first there was something wrong with it and he was trying to keep it steady.
“Then he just collapsed on the stage backwards. There was no one there to catch him, he just fell into a clump. He was on his back for about two minutes before they brought the curtain down and then that was it.”
“Then he just collapsed on the stage backwards. He was on his back for about two minutes before they brought the curtain down and then that was it.”
Another audience member said Rea had been “slurring his words a lot through the song beforehand”.
The Middlesbrough-born musician was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2001. He has spoken about quitting smoking after having a stroke in 2016. “I’m fine when I’m sitting down, I’ve just got a little bit of balance – it’s a bit dodgy, just in case anyone thinks I’m drunk on stage,” he told BBC Breakfast in August.
A spokeswoman for South Central Ambulance Service said on Saturday night: “We were called at 9.30pm to attend to an incident in George Street in Oxford.We had an ambulance crew on scene and one patient has now been taken to hospital.”
When asked about the condition of the person, she said they were “stable”.
The Middlesbrough-born musician was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2001. Rea told BBC Breakfast in August: “I had a stroke exactly this time last year, and I stopped smoking this time last year.” He said he was still feeling the effects of the stroke, and added: “I’m fine when I’m sitting down, I’ve just got a little bit of balance – it’s a bit dodgy, just in case anyone thinks I’m drunk on-stage.”
