A brief tour of Europe took its toll on the health of Live [ tickets ] frontman Ed Kowalczyk, who has been ordered by doctors not to sing, speak or perform for the next 4-6 weeks, according to the band's publicist. As a result, the band has postponed its New Year's Eve performance in Hershey, Penn., as well as a Dec. 30 concert in Asbury Park, N.J.

The New Year's Eve performance in Hershey has been rescheduled for Feb. 4, and the band is planning to give a ''special gift'' to those holding tickets for the original show, according to Live's official website. The Asbury Park show has been rescheduled for Feb. 8.

The band cancelled a week of U.S. performances in November, including an appearance on ''Late Show with David Letterman,'' after Kowalczyk and two other band members came down with upper respiratory infections.

Live is touring behind its fourth album for Radioactive Records, ''The Distance to Here,'' which was released in October. The band is scheduled to hit the road again beginning Jan. 21 in Detroit, and will finish January with a series of concerts in Canada.