Refugee 7 Report post Posted December 13, 2010 Levon Helm, Grammy-winning former drummer for The Band, was hospitalized in New York this weekend as a cold complicated by other health issues forced him to miss a house concert at his own studio in Woodstock, NY. The Poughkeepsie Journal reported Saturday (12/11) that Helms' struggles with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) can take a common cold into life-threatening territory, and he checked himself into a New York hospital so that his specialist could monitor his condition. "Levon came down with a little bit of a cold this week and because he's got COPD, a little bit of a cold to you and me is a lot more serious for him," Helms' manager Barbara O' Brien told the audience, according to the Journal. "We took him to the hospital today. He's going to be fine. He's in the city. He's with his specialist, but he's not going to be here tonight....He is so upset that he can't be here." The show went on, with studio Chief Engineer Justin Guip taking on drum duties. The Journal reports that audience members at the sold-out show shunned the idea of refunding their tickets when it was announced that Helm had taken ill and wouldn't perform. The concert series, known as the Midnight Ramble, has been a mainstay of Helm's live show activity in the past decade. They began in the aftermath of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member's battle with throat cancer in the late '90s, and were launched in part to deal with his medical bills resulting from treatment. Recently, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith attended one of the shows and ended up jamming on stage with the house band. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
martin03345 167 Report post Posted December 14, 2010 Glad to hear he is going to be alright. I love the band and I absolutely love his two recent solo albums. With Woodstock being only a 4 hour drive from my home, I plan on sometime in the near future going to one of his Midnight Rambles Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WildflowerNJ 136 Report post Posted December 14, 2010 Sending get well wishes to Levon. I got to see him play with Hubert Sumlin and band opened for TPATH in Atlantic City. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
