The Scorpions cancelled their entire four-city India tour on Saturday April 18, 2026, citing unforeseen medical circumstances affecting band members.
The announcement came through promoter BookMyShow Live on social media, three days before the first show was set to begin. No specific medical details were given.
The tour, billed as a return to India after an 18-year absence, is now fully cancelled with refunds being processed automatically.
The official statement from BookMyShow read: “We regret to inform you that the Scorpions ‘Coming Home’ India tour scheduled in Shillong on April 21st, Delhi-NCR on April 24th, Bengaluru on April 26th and Mumbai on April 30th, stands cancelled due to unforeseen medical circumstances affecting the band members.”
It added that the band “are very keen to perform in India when possible and within their schedule.”
All ticket holders will receive full refunds to their original payment method within 7-10 working days, with no manual request required.
Some fans reported receiving their physical tickets in the mail just hours before the cancellation was made public.
How Many Shows Were Cancelled?
The four cancelled shows were scheduled at JN Stadium in Shillong on April 21, HUDA Grounds in Delhi-NCR on April 24, NICE Grounds in Bengaluru on April 26, and Jio Gardens in Mumbai on April 30.
All four represented the band’s first performances in India since December 2007, when they played Shillong, Mumbai and Bengaluru as part of their Humanity world tour.
That gap of nearly 18 years made this a significant event for Indian rock fans, tickets went on sale in January 2026 and sold to audiences who in some cases had been waiting two decades for this.
The Shillong date carried particular historical weight. It would have been the first time Scorpions had ever performed in northeast India. Guitarist Matthias Jabs had spoken before the cancellation about the anticipation the band felt returning to the region.
“We have great memories from playing in India almost 20 years ago,” he said. “Since it’s such a long time ago, we expect to play to a new generation.” That new generation will have to wait.
Klaus Meine, the band’s 77-year-old frontman, had given an interview to Rolling Stone India earlier in Aprilm just days before the cancellation, that reads differently now.
“We still enjoy what we’re doing. We’re still very passionate about things and very excited to go on this road ahead,” he said. He acknowledged the reality of the band’s age directly. He added:
“The road ahead is much shorter than the years behind us. We’re very grateful to still be around. We’re still standing. God knows how long we can do this. We’re getting older every year, but when we see the fans in front of the stage, we get so much energy and power back from our fans that we’re still young at heart.”
The band’s most recent concert before the cancellation was April 15 in Brussels, Belgium, just three days before the India announcement. They apparently played Brussels, then something changed.
A Pattern Of Health Problems
The India cancellation is not an isolated incident. The Scorpions have dealt with a notable string of medical disruptions over the past two years, and the pattern reflects the reality of a band whose core members are in their late 60s and 70s.
In January 2025, drummer Mikkey Dee was diagnosed with sepsis and described himself as near death.
The illness forced the postponement of the band’s planned Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood, which had been set to open in late February 2025 as part of the band’s 60th anniversary celebrations.
The dates were rescheduled to August 2025. Then in April 2025, during the 60th anniversary South American tour, Meine contracted a virus and laryngitis that left him unable to sing.
The band cancelled their Buenos Aires show on the day of the performance and subsequently pulled out of their Monsters of Rock appearance in Bogotá, Colombia.
Before that, in August 2024, guitarist Matthias Jabs sustained an injury during the Love At First Sting world tour that required surgery and rehabilitation, forcing the cancellation of five German concerts and disappointing more than 40,000 ticket holders.
The statement at the time called it a decision the band made with deep regret.
The pattern does not suggest recklessness, Scorpions continue to tour extensively and have delivered major shows across three continents in the past year.
It does reflect the medical unpredictability that comes with being a functioning rock band when your members are approaching or past 80 years old.
What Comes Next For The Scorpions?
Despite the India cancellations, the rest of the band’s 2026 schedule remains in place, or at least has not been publicly altered. They are booked for Abu Dhabi on May 3, followed by European dates across June and July, culminating with an appearance at Estonia’s Tallinn Rock Festival on July 31.
In the fall, they return to Las Vegas for another residency at PH Live at Planet Hollywood, running September 17 through October 3 with Buckcherry as the supporting act.
Meine had spoken about the Las Vegas residency with characteristic enthusiasm when it was announced.
“Our residency in Las Vegas last year was pure rock ‘n’ roll joy,” he said. “Unforgettable nights with fans from all over the world. That 0 stayed with us, so coming back in 2026 just felt right. We can’t wait to return to Planet Hollywood and celebrate the music, the memories and another round of rockin’ good times. Vegas, we’re gonna sting you again.”
Whether the medical situation that wiped out the India dates affects any upcoming shows has not been addressed.
The band has not issued an independent statement beyond what appeared through BookMyShow, and no information about what specifically happened has been made public.
Who Are The Scorpions?
For readers who know the name but not the full picture, Scorpions were founded in 1965 in Hanover, Germany by guitarist Rudolf Schenker.
Over six decades they released 19 studio albums and sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
Their catalog includes some of the most recognizable songs in rock history, “Wind of Change,” a chart-topping reflection on the fall of the Berlin Wall written in 1990; “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” which became one of the defining anthems of 1980s hard rock, “Still Loving You,” “Big City Nights,” “No One Like You,” and “Send Me an Angel.”
The current lineup is Rudolf Schenker on rhythm guitar, Klaus Meine on vocals, Matthias Jabs on lead guitar (in the band since 1979), Pawel Maciwoda on bass, and Mikkey Dee on drums, the former Motörhead drummer who joined in 2016.
They have maintained a rigorous touring schedule into their seventh decade as a band, completing multiple Las Vegas residencies, world tours across five continents and a 60th anniversary year that produced, despite multiple medical disruptions, more than 80 live performances.
A biopic about the band, titled “Wind of Change,” is currently in production.
For Indian fans who had waited 18 years for this, and who, in some cases, travelled from other cities to attend shows in Shillong or Mumbai, the cancellation is a specific kind of disappointing.
The band says it wants to return. Whether that return happens while the current lineup can still do it is, as Meine himself has said, something nobody knows.
