Overview

• Sam Fender cancelled his Montreux Jazz Festival headlining slot and all European dates on July 4 after a vocal haemorrhage forced a two-week prohibition on singing.
• On July 15, Benson Boone was elevated to headliner at Montreux and performed a cover of Fender’s “Seventeen Going Under” to comfort disappointed fans.
• Boone acknowledged he was “terrified” to fill Fender’s position and said he hoped the audience could “get 5 per cent” of the song’s original impact.
• Immediately after his set, Boone dove into Lake Geneva and sent well-wishes to Fender from the stage before exiting backstage.
• Fender’s prescribed vocal rest ends this week and he is scheduled to resume live shows on August 8 at Denmark’s Syd for Solen festival.