Motorhead Play Shortened Wacken Open Air Set With Ailing Lemmy Kilmister

Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister has missed a good portion of the summer with health issues and it appears that even though he returned to the stage at Germany's Wacken Open Air Festival, he may not be fully healthy. The band cut the show short, performing only six songs with Kilmister exiting the stage early.

According to Metal Talk, Kilmister told the crowd, "I've been ill recently -- I've come onstage to play some rock 'n' roll and f--- myself even more." According to reports, the band played at a slower tempo with guitarist Phil Campbell keeping an eye on Lemmy during the set. Even with the slower tempo, the band still put on a rocking show.

The group opened with 'I Know How to Die,' followed by 'Damage Case' and 'Stay Clean.' Following the fourth song, 'Metropolis,' Lemmy exited the stage for a breather. The band then performed 'Over the Top' and 'The Chase Is Better Than the Catch' before leaving the stage without warning.

An announcement was then made to the crowd that the band's set was over. However, later in the evening Doro Pesch told her audience that "Lemmy is doing fine…" During her set, Campbell turned up for a guest appearance on a cover of Judas Priest's 'Breaking the Law,' lending credence to the idea that Kilmister's condition was not serious as he likely wouldn't have been there otherwise.

Earlier this summer, Motorhead called off a majority of their summer tour after Kilmister was diagnosed with a hematoma, a mass of blood that collected outside of a blood vessel. This news came shortly after it was revealed that the frontman had been fitted for a defibrillator to deal with an irregular heartbeat.

The band is expected to release their 'Aftershock' album this fall. To see the full track listing, click the button below.