Joan Jett has canceled the rest of her 2026 concert schedule after undergoing orthopedic surgery for a fractured vertebra, ending what had been one of the busiest touring years of the 67-year-old rocker's career. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer's team announced the cancellations in an Instagram story on August 5, and Jett now has no other scheduled concert appearances left in 2026.
Two September dates are affected: a September 5 performance at the Pacific Amphitheatre during the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa, California, and a September 24 appearance at the Bourbon & Beyond festival in Louisville, Kentucky, according to Daily Voice. Jett has not disclosed how she was injured, and her representatives have given no timetable for her return, though they have indicated she plans to resume performing once she has fully recovered, per People, as reported by Daily Voice.
Cheap Trick Steps In at Costa Mesa
Concert organizers wasted little time finding a replacement for the Costa Mesa show. Fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick will take Jett's spot at the Pacific Amphitheatre on September 5, with X also listed as a special guest, according to MyNewsLA. It is not the band's first time filling in on short notice — Cheap Trick previously stepped in for a last-minute show at the Troubadour when ZZ Top canceled a performance, the outlet noted.
Louisville's Bourbon & Beyond festival, meanwhile, is among the events affected by Jett's withdrawal. The four-day event features more than 100 acts across five stages, according to Hit Parader.
A Grueling Schedule Right Up Until Surgery
The cancellations come after an unrelenting stretch of touring for Jett. Before the injury forced a pause, her 2026 calendar included a New Zealand tour in January, a Las Vegas residency in February — which Hoodline covered as she closed out her Vegas run at the House of Blues — and California festival sets at BeachLife and BottleRock Napa Valley, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. Jett also performed at that BottleRock festival, part of a lineup Hoodline reported on ahead of the show.
In July, just weeks before the surgery announcement, Jett and the Blackhearts completed a European summer tour with stops in Sweden, Norway, Scotland, England, and Belgium — marking the band's first headlining U.K. tour in 15 years, as reported by WCNC-TV. The station noted that Jett had posted videos from her European dates on social media just two days before revealing her surgery.
Jett Has Spoken Candidly About the Toll of Touring
Jett's own words offer some insight into the physical grind behind the cancellations. In a June interview with The Telegraph, she said that while she loves performing, “the traveling that's an ass-kicker,” adding that recuperation as a 67-year-old is far harder than it was in her 20s, according to The News International. She also discussed performing live.
Her situation echoes a broader pattern among veteran rock musicians confronting the cumulative physical costs of decades of touring. Singer Pink, 46, has also spoken about rock performance. Jett's recovery will focus on healing after surgery.
Career Momentum Continues Off the Road
Jett was born Joan Marie Larkin on September 22, 1958, in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania — a Philadelphia suburb mostly in Montgomery County's Lower Merion Township that extends into Haverford Township in Delaware County. She emerged as a teenager with The Runaways before launching a solo career. Kenny Laguna was a longtime producer and keyboard player in her career.
With the Blackhearts, Jett recorded hits including *I Love Rock 'N Roll*, *I Hate Myself for Loving You*, *Crimson and Clover*, and *Bad Reputation*. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted Joan Jett and the Blackhearts in 2015, credits the band with blending punk, glam, heavy metal, and earlier rock influences. *I Love Rock 'N Roll*, released with the Blackhearts in 1981, became the band's defining commercial breakthrough.
That legacy continues even as her live shows are paused. Blackheart Records is continuing to mark the 45th anniversary of *I Love Rock 'N Roll*, according to Noise11 Music News. For now, Jett will focus on physical therapy and healing as she recovers from surgery, People reported, with her representatives maintaining she intends to return to the stage once fully healed.
