PHILADELPHIA — Legendary singer-songwriter Paul Simon has canceled his two weekend shows at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music to get surgery for “chronic and intense back pain.”

According to a post published Saturday afternoon on Simon’s Instagram page, the 83-year-old has been dealing with the issue for some time, and “today it became unmanageable and demands immediate attention.”

The post said Simon would be getting a “minor surgical procedure” in the next few days, after which he would seek to perform the rest of the dates on his “A Quiet Celebration” tour. He is scheduled to play a series of shows on the West Coast next month, according to his website.

The Instagram post also said Simon would “look into returning to make up” the two shows he is canceling in Philadelphia, which were scheduled to take place Saturday and Sunday nights.

Simon performed the first of his three scheduled shows at the Academy of Music on Thursday. He played an 85-minute set that included some new music as well as old hits from his six-decade career, including the Simon and Garfunkel songs “Homeward Bound,” “The Boxer,” and “The Sound of Silence.”

Ensemble Arts Philly said in an email to Saturday ticket holders that a refund would be issued in the next seven days.

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