BANG TANGO singer Joe LeSte was reportedly taken ill prior to the band's scheduled performance Wednesday night (November 25) at the Portage Theater in Chicago, Illinois and was unable to make the gig. According to BLABBERMOUTH.NET visitor Ron Thomas, who attended the concert, "The show's promoter, Shark Entertainment, called Chicago's VEILSIDE to fill in, but as they arrived, the [other] members of BANG TANGO encountered a über-fan in the audience named TJ, who said he sang in a cover band and loved BANG TANGO (he was sporting a BT shirt). The band took the stage with the fan handling lead vocals, and might I say WELL! This TJ kid sang a short 5-6-song set off the top of his head and took every opportunity in between songs to thank the band and send his concerns to Joe, at one point saying, 'I feel like Mark Wahlberg, just with a better band.'"

Video footage of the "Someone Like You" performance from the Chicago concert can be viewed below (courtesy of Ron Thomas).

Meanwhile, BANG TANGO guitarist Alex Grossi has released the following statement in response to rumors regarding LeSte's health:

"In response to the dozens of phone calls, text messages and e-mails regarding Joe LeSte, I would like to squash any rumors that he is dead or even close to it. Joe was indeed taken to the hospital on Wednesday evening right before a BANG TANGO performance that was set to take place at the Portage Theater in Chicago.

"Without going into detail, I can tell you without reservation that Joe is very much is alive and well. He is currently stable and recovering in Chicago as I type this.

"I would like to thank everyone that came out to the shows during the past two weeks as well as the D'MOLLS for making the run a blast!"

BANG TANGO's latest CD, "From the Hip", was released in October 2006 via Perris Records. The CD was engineered by Scott "Goody" Goodwine (HATEBREED, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM) and was mixed by Taz (CHERRY ST., THE ADDICTIONS, SPINNING CHAIN).