Elton John's concert in Birmingham, Ala. on Friday (March 15) night was canceled due to unspecified medical reasons. The announcement was made hours before the show at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena was to begin.

Last night was supposed to be the opening night of a three-week tour of the South, concluding in Winston-Salem, N.C. on April 6. According to Rolling Stone, no information about the status of John's concert tonight (March 16) at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn. has been given.

In May 2012, John canceled four shows from his Million Dollar Piano residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas after being hospitalized for a serious respiratory infection. A month later he was forced by police to shut down in mid-concert at the Blackpool Tower Headland when strong winds posed a threat to the stage.

John's concerts have come under scrutiny in recent weeks when his hotel rider for a concert in Brazil was leaked to the press. In addition to some of the usual concessions to rock star excess, he required an entire climate-controlled room to store his eyeglasses.

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