Michael Franti of Spearhead has been forced to miss eight shows of the Saturday Night Rebel Rockers Traveling Circus & Medicine Show Tour due to a ruptured appendix. Franti’s surgeon described it as “one of the worst…that they’ve ever seen,” according to the musician’s official Web site.

The singer-songwriter was released from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, on July 28 and plans to return to the tour package on August 6 at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, MS.

The summer tour is headlined by Counting Crows with Franti and Spearhead in the second slot and Augustana opening. Unspecified special guests have been billed on the tour, as well.

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“I would like to thank all the doctors that have taken great care with me and the nurses and staff at Cedars-Sinai that made my stay as pleasant as possible on the 8th floor,” Franti added in his statement.

Franti was enjoying the best commercial successes of his career prior to his illness. His single “Say Hey (I Love You)” was recently the No. 1 most added single at Hot AC radio and is close to 250,000 in digital sales.