Justin Bieber’s Wells Fargo Center show postponed amid sickness

Justin Bieber’s Philadelphia concert scheduled for Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center has been postponed following the pop star’s revelation that he is experiencing facial paralysis as a result of a viral infection.

Venue owner Comcast Spectacor announced the show’s postponement Tuesday, saying Bieber is “receiving the best medical care possible and determined to resume the tour as soon as he and the doctors feel he is able to continue.” Details for the rescheduled show, which was part of his Justice World Tour, have not yet been announced.

» READ MORE: What Justin Bieber’s Ramsay Hunt syndrome diagnosis means

Bieber disclosed his medical situation to fans on Instagram last week, saying that he has been diagnosed with a condition known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome. That condition is a facial paralysis caused by varicella-zoster virus infection of the facial cranial nerve. Often, people with Ramsey Hunt also have associated vertigo, ear pain, and altered taste perception.

The virus that can cause Bieber’s condition is the same one responsible for chicken pox and shingles. But Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a relatively rare disease, with about 5 in 100,000 people diagnosed with it yearly in the United States.

In addition to his Philadelphia show, Bieber has postponed dates in New York, Washington D.C., and Toronto. This marks the another major delay of Bieber’s current tour, which was initially supposed to launch in March 2020, but was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“So, for those who are frustrated by my cancelations of the next shows, I’m just physically, obviously not capable of doing them,” Bieber told fans in his Instagram video. “This is pretty serious, as you can see. I wish this wasn’t the case. But obviously my body’s telling me I gotta slow down.”

Bieber added that he was determined to recover from the condition, and that he is resting and relaxing, as well as performing facial exercises to combat the paralyzation of one side of his face. Doctors also can prescribe antiviral medication that can fight the varicella virus, but sometimes the facial paralysis can be permanent.

“It will go back to normal. It’s just time, and we don’t know how much time it’s going to be,” Bieber said. “But it’s going to be OK.”