Barry Manilow called off his planned Tuesday night (Aug. 4) show in Lexington, Ky. for a second time, citing “unforeseen circumstances.” An Instagram message from the 83-year-old “Mandy” singer read “Due to unforeseen circumstances tonight’s show in Lexington has been rescheduled.”
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At press time there was no additional information on the cause of the postponement and a spokesperson for Manilow had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment.
Manilow was originally scheduled to play Lexington’s Rupp Arena on March 9, but that show was postponed while he underwent treatment for stage 1 lung cancer. In the comments on Manilow’s post, many fans wished the singer well, with one even jokingly apologizing for wearing him out after he played “all those fast loud song[s]” on Sunday night (Aug. 2) in Columbus, and another saying they would be happy if he just came out and pointed to his fans without even singing.
They also piled on a commenter who complained, “I mean postponing 30 mimuted [sic] before start time. Come on,” reminding that person how dedicated Manilow has been to his fans for more than six decades.
Rupp Arena also posted about the cancellation, writing, “Due to unexpected and unforeseen circumstances, the Barry Manilow concert scheduled for tonight, August 4 at Rupp Arena is postponed. All previously purchased tickets will be honored at the new date once it is announced.” At press time Manilow was still slated to perform in Cincinnati at Heritage Bank Center on Wednesday night (Aug. 5). He has five more U.S. shows booked through the end of the month before his planned return to Las Vegas for the resumption of his Hits Come Home! residency, which will have him playing an average of six shows a month through December.
Back in May, Manilow sat down with Good Morning America to give an update on his cancer fight, telling interviewer Chris Connelly, “I’m doing good.” Manilow revealed his diagnosis in December and underwent surgery to remove a cancerous spot from his left lung later that month. That resulted in the singer pushing back his planned February Las Vegas residency dates, as well as his February, March and April arena shows on doctor’s advice that he needed more time to recover.
Manilow told Connelly that his recuperation took much longer than he’d anticipated after he spent a week in the ICU battling a bout of pneumonia that was “just about killing me.”
In March, his new single, “Once Before I Go,” became a top 10 hit on the Adult Contemporary chart, making Manilow the only artist to ever score an Adult Contemporary hit in six consecutive decades during a run that has stretched from the 1970s through the 2020s. His first new album in 15 years, What a Time, was released in June.
