Dave Gahan (Getty Images)

Depeche Mode will restart its interrupted Tour of the Universe in Leipzig, Germany on June 8th.

The tour came to a halt when lead singer Dave Gahan suffered a severe gastroenteritis May 12th, leading to his hospitalization and the cancellation of the legendary band’s Athens concert. While in the hospital, further medical tests revealed a low-grade malignant tumor in the 47-year-old performer’s bladder, which has since been successfully removed. At doctors’ orders, Gahan must take a break until June 8th to ensure that he makes a full recovery. The Leipzig show on that date will be the first concert following his recovery.

Gahan has thanked fans worldwide for their outpouring of support, understanding and patience, and said Depeche Mode deeply regrets any problems or inconveniences the cancellations and postponements may have caused.

The affected upcoming shows are as follows:

June 2nd
The show at the HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg will now take place on July 1st. Tickets purchased remain valid.

June 4th & 5th
The shows at Dusseldorf LTU Arena on June 4th and 5th will be rescheduled; however, the exact dates cannot be determined until the 2nd Bundesliga releases its new schedule. Dates for the rescheduled shows are expected to be announced by early July. Ticket-holders should retain their tickets for the rescheduled shows.

June 7th & 8th
Regrettably, the June 7th show in Leipzig must be canceled due to doctors’ orders; however, the June 8th show will occur as planned. Tickets for the canceled June 7th show may be exchanged for tickets to either the June 8th show in Leipzig or the June 10th show in Berlin (availability permitting) at the relevant box office.

July 2nd
Bergen, Koengen has been rescheduled to Thursday, January 28, 2010 at the Vestlandhallen.

SHOWS TAKING PLACE AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED
The following European shows are not affected and will take place as originally planned.

June 8th – Leipzig – Zentralstadion
June 10th – Berlin – Olympiastadion
June 12th – Frankfurt – Commerzbank Arena
June 13th – Munich – Olympiastadion
June 16th – Rome – Stadio Olimpico
June 18th – Milan – Stadio San Siro
June 20th – Werchter – TW Classic Festival
June 22nd – Bratislava – Inter Stadium
June 23rd – Budapest – Puskas Ferenc Stadium
June 25th – Prague – Slavia Stadium
June 27th – Paris – Stade de France
June 28th – Nancy – Zenith Amphitheatre
June 30th – Copenhagen – Parken Stadium
July 1st – Hamburg – (rescheduled show)
July 3rd – Arvika – Arvika Festival
July 6th – Carcassonne – Esplanade Gambetta
July 8th – Valladolid – Jose Zorilla Stadium
July 9th – Bilbao – BBK Live Festival
July 11th – Porto – Super Bock Super Rock Festival
July 12th – Seville – Olimpic Stadium

Furthermore, all dates following Seville on the Tour of the Universe will proceed as originally planned.

CANCELED SHOWS STILL TO BE DETERMINED
Ticket holders for the previously canceled shows listed below are encouraged to hold on to their tickets pending a further statement. Every effort continues to be made to reschedule these shows, and more time is needed to resolve venue availability and routing. A final decision is expected early this week, at which time a statement will be made with regards to either a rescheduled date or final cancellation.

May 12th – Athens – Terra Vibe
May 14th – Istanbul – Santral Istanbul
May 16th – Bucharest – Parc Izvor
May 18th – Sofia – Vasil Levski
May 20th – Belgrade – USCE Park
May 21st – Zagreb – Arena
May 23rd – Warsaw – Gwardia Stadium
May 25th – Riga – Skonto Stadium
May 27th – Vilnius – Zalgirio Stadionas

Depeche Mode will tour North America this summer and then return to Europe for more dates at the end of the year.  For the complete tour schedule, visit DepecheMode.com.