EPICA: Mexican/Colombian Tour Cancelled

February 29, 2008

EPICA — whose lead singer, Simone Simons, was recently infected with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA),also known as the hospital bacteria — has issued the following update:

"After having had a couple of weeks of rest we were very much hoping that Simone's situation would have improved already. Unfortunately the last MRSA test was still positive and also the infections still haven’t stopped completely. We have the feeling Simone's health is improving but unfortunately not enough yet. We cannot risk the health of Simone and therefore, with pain in our hearts, we cannot come to Mexico and Colombia again. Also two of our three shows in the UK are cancelled for this reason. It's still impossible for Simone to make long trips.

"As you can imagine we feel really bad about this, especially since our Mexican/Colombian tour was already postponed once before, but we also hope you understand and respect our decision on this. You all have our word that we will come back as soon as possible to make up for all this. Unfortunately at this moment we just can't tell when this will be but we hope before the end of this year."

Simone Simons recently stated about her condition, "Since a couple of months I have been struggling with infections and had surgery many times. The doctors didn't know what was wrong with me. After a lot of tests at the hospital they found out that I am infected with MRSA, also known as the hospital bacteria. The treatment of this bacteria comes with a strict hygienic schedule which I have to work through every day. Because of this I will not be able to go on long trips, let alone living in a tour bus. . . We cannot plan too far ahead since I first have to get rid of the infection and that will take some time. How long it will take we cannot tell at the moment. We are very sorry that we cannot do these shows. We were all looking forward to this tour and to meet you guys. What I have to focus on now is getting well, so that we will be on the road again as soon as possible."

According to WebMD, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA),like all staph bacteria, can be spread from one person to another through casual contact or through contaminated objects. It is commonly spread from the hands of someone who has MRSA. This could be anyone in a health care setting or in the community. MRSA is usually not spread through the air like the common cold or flu virus, unless a person has MRSA pneumonia and is coughing.

Fan-filmed video footage of EPICA performing the song "Sensorium" on January 11, 2008 at the Patronaat in Haarlem, the Netherlands can be viewed below (courtesy of "letthemetalflow").

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