ILL NINO Frontman Explains Concert Cancellation

ILL NINO frontman Cristian Machado has posted the following message on the band's official web site:

"First and foremost: To the thousands of ILL NINO fans that we will not get to see due to our cancellation, I sincerely apologize for the inability to perform this show and promise a prompt and rescheduled return. If you read on you'll begin to understand the reasons why the cancelations were necessary.

"After experiencing incredible amounts of extreme travel situations over the past 3 days, which included everything from flight delays, taking 6 flights in 54 hours, and still performing 3 intense and full length shows on only 4 hours of sleep in 78 hours, I will not be able to vocally perform. The details are long and extensive, and include everything from lost luggage, problems with ground transportation, and stolen gear. The sad thing is that's not even the whole story. Honestly, the experience was something ILL NINO can write a book about.

"Anyone who has ever seen an ILL NINO concert knows that we are no fucking chumps and 'kill it' every single night we get onstage. After 6 years of extensive and rigorous touring I have never cancelled a single show and we will always continue to bring a consistent and killer live performance at every venue we play. But, after having endured the hardest touring complications ILL NINO has ever been faced with, and the unexpected travel situations, my vocal cords have taken a beating and I am forced to cancel tonight's performance. Not to mention my body is literally 'shutting the fuck down.' Realizing that my instrument is internal, and to prevent further damage to my vocal chords, I have been consulted by doctors to cancel the remainder of the tour. However, I am not one to go down without a fight so I will do whatever is necessary in order to complete the remainder of the shows. I just want to add that the shows in Portugal, Spain, and Germany were incredibly insane and your energy was energizing. Once again, I personally apologize for the cancellation. There is nothing that I can do except seclude myself in a hotel room for the next 24 hours and hope I get better.

"I really want to thank the thousands of ILL NINO fans that came to the Portugal, Spain, and German shows. It is needless to say that all of the shows were intense and we still performed our hearts out every night. I will take the day off, receive a cortisone shot and give my all to continue the tour. I would really like to thank my band members and crew guys for not only enduring this extraneous and exhausting experience but also for being understanding about my vocal condition.

"Much respect to Kenny from the local SHIVER in Fulda, Germany for coming up on stage to help me sing 4 of the 15 songs. And yes, we performed our full set even though I had to push my voice to its limits. If anyone is going to post this anywhere else @ least have the courtesy to add the first two paragraphs which addresses our fans. They mean the world to us and we would never want to let them down."

ILL NINO's latest album, "One Nation Underground", was released last September via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2003's "Confessions" was produced by Scrap 60 (ANTHRAX, ILL NINO, CRADLE OF FILTH, BLEEDING THROUGH).