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Kate Bush returns for 15 live concerts. Why did she give up touring?

Kate Bush stopped touring in 1979, but kept producing albums and hits. Kate Bush announced 15 live concerts in London this summer. Why did she give up touring?

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Trevor Leighton/SONYBMG
Kate Bush plans 15 live concerts in London in August and September. Seen here in 2005.
  • By Michael Roddy Reuters

| London

Kate Bush, the best-selling British singer-songwriter who rose to international fame in 1979 with her debut single, "Wuthering Heights," and has not toured since then, announced on her website on Friday that she will do 15 live shows this summer.

The "Before the Dawn" show will open on Aug. 26 at London's Eventim Apollo venue, to be followed by three more dates that month and 11 shows in September, her official website says.

"I am delighted to announce that we will be performing some live shows this coming August and September," Bush says on the website. "I hope you will be able to join us and I look forward to seeing you there."

"Wuthering Heights" was the first self-written song by a female pop singer to top the British charts. Since then, Bush has released 10 albums, of which three have topped the British charts, and she has had three Grammy award nominations.

She is also the first (and to date only) female artist to have Top 5 albums in the British charts in five successive decades.

After a sold-out European tour in conjunction with her debut single, Bush retired from giving live shows and made only studio albums and the occasional cameo appearance.

Why did Kate Bush quit touring after one six-week tour in 1979?

There's been much speculation but here's what she told Mojo magazine (according to the Telegraph) in 2011.

''It was enormously enjoyable. But physically it was absolutely exhausting,'' she said.

''I still don't give up hope completely that I'll be able to do some live work, but it's certainly not in the picture at the moment because I just don't quite know how that would work with how my life is now,'' said Bush, who has largely withdrawn from public life to bring up her son Bertie, 12 (at the time).

''Maybe I will do some shows some day. I'd like to think so before I get too ancient - turn up with me Zimmer frame.''

She continued: ''I enjoy singing but with the albums it's the whole process I find so interesting. If I was going to do some shows it would be the same thing. Let's just see, shall we?''

Tickets go on sale 9:30 a.m. on Friday, March 28th.

(Editing by Larry King)

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