Singer Chan Poling is sidelined again from Suburbs, New Standards gigs

Twin Cities music scene fixtures the Suburbs and the New Standards have postponed their upcoming gigs for the next several months for singer Chan Poling to undergo medical treatment.

Due to play the Summerfield Amphitheater in St. Michael on Friday night with the Suburbs, Poling did not specify the treatment he is receiving. Posts on his bands' social-media feeds said it's through the Mayo Clinic and will hopefully be completed in time for the New Standards to stage their beloved holiday concerts at the State Theatre.

"All shows can be considered postponed as his goal is to be back to work before the end of this year," read the post from the Suburbs' Facebook page.

His bandmates in the New Standards wrote on their page, "At present these postponements do not include certain December shows that would break our hearts to bag. Chan, may your recovery be swift and your full powers be restored to the towering inferno of music you always have been and always will be."

Poling previously had to cancel a swath of shows over the summer of 2019 after undergoing oral surgery, which he shrugged off upon his return to the stage: "My voice is fine — I'm not an opera singer," he quipped at the time.

Not only did his voice prove fine, but his distinguished songwriting skills also came back strong as the Suburbs proceeded to record "Poet's Party," one of the best-received albums of the band's 43-year career. It arrived in early July with a pair of ecstatic release parties to reopen First Avenue's 7th St. Entry.

The highs of 2021, however, have also been offset by deaths in Poling's family. His father, Stephen Poling of Wayzata, died just last week at age 89, and all of Minnesota mourned his father-in-law Walter Mondale in April.

The New Standards' holiday concerts are typically held at the State the first weekend of December. Stay tuned for ticket info on those typically sold-out shows. The trio was also scheduled to make its long-awaited return to the Dakota in early October.