Busted fans have shared their fresh concerns after Charlie Simpson cancelled his post-tour DJ gigs after bandmate James Bourne fell ill.
The group are currently on tour with McFly, however, they’re a man down following the announcement over Bourne’s mystery illness.
Busted fans were left emotional at Wembley Arena after Matt Willis paid tribute to the guitarist last month.
Performing alongside McFly, Matt’s voice cracked as he addressed the crowd. The singer explained that James is “really [bleep]ing sick”.
Charlie Simpson joined in, telling fans: “Mr James Bourne is really [bleep]ing sick. We love him so much and we miss him.”
today Charlie has pulled his after-tour gigs, with fans expressing fresh concern for the boys.
Matt Willis addresses Busted bandmate’s absence
Last month, in footage posted by The Sun, Matt choked back tears as he explained: “We talked to him [James] and we said: ‘Mate, do we pull out of this? What do we do?’ He said: ‘No, I want you to keep playing the shows.’”
“But there are only three of us today,” Matt continued. “We’re gonna need someone to play guitar.”
“He said: ‘Anyone but McFly.’” Charlie quipped, earning laughter from the crowd.
Instead of leaving James’s spot empty, the singer suggested his younger brother Chris fill in on guitar.
Matt recalled: “He went: ‘What about if my little brother Chris plays with you?’ You still get yourselves a Bourne.”
When Chris walked on stage, the arena erupted.
Support quickly poured in online, with fans praising the decision. One wrote: “Chris is an amazing musician in himself. Best choice for the replacement.” Another called it “so emotional”, while a third posted: “His brother did an incredible job.”
Chris previously appeared in the track video for Busted’s anthem single, Year 3000.
James Bourne pulls out of tour
James previously shared a candid message with fans, apologising for withdrawing from the tour just one day before it began.
“Over the last 8 days, it has become clear that I am not in good enough health to play these shows,” he admitted in an Instagram post. The musician added that there is still “a lot of information I still don’t have” about his condition.
He stressed the decision was mutual between him, his bandmates and management, and that his focus must today be on treatment.
“I really hope I can be in a position to come back further down the line. It’s still going to be an amazing show, and I will miss being there!”
James ended his statement with a promise. “See you all as soon as possible.”
Charlie sparks concern
However, earlier this week it came to light that Charlie had cancelled his after-show event gigs, where he was set to DJ.
One fan who tried to grab tickets to one of the events shared an email they received on Facebook, informing them that the show had been cancelled.
It read: “Thank you so much for buying tickets to Charlie Simpson’s DJ set at Gorilla Manchester. Unfortunately due to the ongoing health issues of James and the strain that it is putting on Charlie and the rest of the band, he has had to make the difficult decision to cancel all upcoming DJ sets. All tickets will be refunded, please expect a refund in 3-5 working days. We are so sorry for any inconvenience caused. Many thanks.”
The post was captioned: “Just incase anyone else had tickets for Charlie’s after parties. This makes me so worried about James. I hope he’s alright.”
People in the comments felt much the same. One commented: “It’s likely because he’s having to do more singing and maybe getting tired a bit more without having James around to share the load – I hope it’s just that anyway and nothing worse.”
“Let’s hope it means more due to the extra work Charlie is doing because they are down to two people,” another added. “He’s probably just overwhelmed with the tour atm to give his best for anything else,” a third commented.
Neither Matt or Charlie have addressed the cancellation. However, Matt did speak about his love for his bandmates in a podcast earlier this week, wishing James well in the caption.
Earlier today (October 2), a shirtless Matt was busy prepping for tonight’s gig in Glasgow. He was seen sweating it out in the sauna.
Read more: ‘Terrified’ Matt Willis admits he ‘lied again’ to wife Emma as he opens up about relapsing
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