Low: From left, Steve Garrington, Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker. (Credit: Chairkickers.com)

By Jon Bream

Varsity Theater officials announced late Thursday night that Low will not play there Friday night due to illness. Neither the e-mailed announcement nor Low's website indicated the nature of the illness or which member was affected.

The sold-out, two-set show was to have been the initial performance in a new Varsity series dubbed "Quiet, Please." The Varsity on Friday announced that the concert was being rescheduled for Thursday, May 6 (7:30 p.m. doors, 8:30 p.m. music). Ticketholders can either keep their tickets for the rescheduled gig or receive a refund at the place of purchase.

Guitarist Alan Sparhawk and bassist Steve Garrington are scheduled to leave on a monthlong national tour next week with their side project Retribution Gospel Choir, which is releasing its sophomore album Jan. 26 on Sub Pop Records. That tour will end Feb. 20 at the Triple Rock in Minneapolis.

Low's next scheduled date is March 4-6 at Walker Art Center, in a collaboration with choreographer Morgan Thorson. Then Retribution Gospel Choir heads to Europe for 15 shows, and back to the States for a West Coast swing in April.

No other acts have been announced for the "Quiet, Please" series, designed to showcase "renowned musicians in an intimate setting."