La Luz Cancels Tour Dates as Frontwoman Shana Cleveland Announces Breast Cancer Diagnosis

California-via-Seattle-based indie rock band La Luz announced that it is cancelling its upcoming set of March North American tour dates after frontwoman and principal songwriter Shana Cleveland announced a breast cancer diagnosis.

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La Luz announced the news on social media, writing to its followers on Instagram, “Hello sweet friends and Luzer fam, You may have noticed a little radio silence on our end of late. Normally a month before a tour we’d be blasting you with show announcements but we’ve been forced to shift our focus upon finding out that Shana has breast cancer. While we’re still waiting to get info on what treatment will look like, it seems clear we won’t be able to make this East Coast Tour happen in March. We know she’s going to pull through this stronger than ever and are hoping that our European tour beginning in May can go on as scheduled. We miss you terribly and will rebook shows in the Midwest and Eastern US as soon as possible. Sending love to you all ❤️❤️❤️❤️”

In a separate statement to Pitchfork, Cleveland was more explicit about hearing the news at first, in the doctor’s office.

She told the outlet, “The nurse who gave me this news hightailed it out of there after she told me and I found myself sitting alone in a tiny windowless room with the diagnosis for what felt like an eternity but was probably about 10 minutes. In the weeks that followed, I was overwhelmed with loneliness, feeling like I had been sucked out of the world I knew and placed into some new weird cancer realm. When we realized we needed to make an announcement about canceling the tour it was important to me to tell people why, because this disease affects so many families I figured the odds were pretty good that some of our fans were in the same boat and sharing my diagnosis might make them feel a little less alone.

“Since making the announcement I’ve been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received and it makes me more determined to get back on the road as soon as this is over so I can share my love and appreciation in person.”

In 2021, the band released its latest, self-titled album.

And in the wake of Cleveland sharing her news, the band has launched the La Luz Family Fund to support her in her treatment and recovery.

La Luz revised tour dates:

02-27 Jacksonville, FL – Winterland IV
03-02 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
03-04 Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere
03-05 Cambridge, MA – Sinclair
03-07 Toronto, Ontario – Lee’s Palace
03-08 Ferndale, MI – Magic Bag
03-09 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
03-10 Madison, WI – Memorial Union Der Rathskeller
03-11 Saint Paul, MN – Amsterdam Hall
03-12 Des Moines, IA – XBK Live
03-14 St. Louis, MO – The Blueberry Hill Duck Room
03-15 Nashville, TN – Basement East
03-16 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade (Hell)
03-17 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
03-18 Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
03-19 Washington, D.C. – Black Cat
04-22 Leeds, England – Brudenell Social Club
04-23 Dublin, Ireland – The Grand Social  
04-25 Glasgow, Scotland – Stereo
04-26 Manchester, England – Band on the Wall
04-27 Nottingham, England – The Bodega
04-28 London, England – Scala
04-29 Bristol, England – Thekla
04-30 Brighton, England – Chalk
05-02 Paris, France – La Boule Noire
05-03 Brussels, Belgium – Grand Salon (le Nuits Botanique)
05-04 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso Upstairs  
05-06 Gothenburg, Sweden – Oceanen
05-07 Stockholm, Sweden – Hus 7 i Åre AB
05-08 Oslo, Norway – Krøsset
05-09 Copenhagen, Denmark – Hotel Cecil  
05-11 Hamburg, Germany – Molotow
05-12 Berlin, Germany – Frannz Club
05-13 Schorndorf, Germany – Club Manufaktur
05-14 Munich, Germany – Feierwerk
05-16 Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Rotondes
05-17 Vevey, Switzerland – Rocking Chair    
05-19 Barcelona, Spain – Upload
05-20 Madrid, Spain – Tomavistas Festival
05-21 San Sebastian, Spain – Dabadaba

Photo by Suzi Pratt/WireImage