Goo Goo Dolls have been forced to postpone their tour of South Africa after frontman John Rzeznik was hospitalised with pneumonia.
The ‘Iris’ rockers had been set to perform shows in Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria this week which have now been delayed until March 2025 while Rzeznik recovers from his illness.
Goo Goo Dolls posted on social media on Tuesday (03.12.24): “We’re heartbroken to postpone our South Africa shows. This country means so much to us, and we were so excited to create more memories with you.”
The post also featured a clip of Rzeznik speaking from his hospital bed as he thanked fans for their patience.
The 58-year-old musician said: “I’m truly sorry that I cannot be there, but I wound up going to the doctor and I have pneumonia, and they checked me into the hospital. I’m stuck here for a day or two.
“But we’re working on getting back down there as fast as we can. And I will keep you informed about that, and I’m just really sorry that we couldn’t do this. I apologise that this happened. We’ll come down and we’ll make it up to you guys.”
The band’s 1998 track ‘Iris’ has reached more than two billion plays on Spotify and Rzeznik is surprised by the enduring appeal of the song – which featured on the soundtrack to the film ‘City of Angels’.
He told Guitar Player: “I never expected that to happen. It’s interesting to me that a song I wrote for a film should have such a big life of its own. I guess a lot of people will know the song and yet never even know who Goo Goo Dolls are.”