Days after Barry Manilow canceled two of his Las Vegas residency dates, the acclaimed crooner says he’s taking a much-needed break on the heels of a busy summer tour.
“Hi everybody — Barry here,” Manilow posted on Instagram on Tuesday. “And I want you to be the first to know that we’re going to take a quick break.
“We just finished a fantastic summer tour,” the singer continued. “29 shows in 68 days. The shows were fantastic. The audiences were fantastic. And I sounded fantastic. But it seems that we were pushing a little too hard.
“Now we all need to sit down and shut up,” said Manilow. “So, we’re going to take a break until we return to the Westgate Las Vegas on October 8th. When I’ll be singing like a bird. I hope to see you then.”
The announcement comes after the “Copacabana” hitmaker canceled his Friday and Saturday performances over the weekend at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, citing “technical and vocal” issues.
Earlier in the month, Manilow also rain-checked a Lexington, Ky., concert just before it was slated to begin due to “unforeseen circumstances.” He posted the news on Instagram, and while many of his fans expressed concern for his health in the comments section, others were clearly frustrated, writing, “I mean postponing 30 [minutes] before start time. Come on.”
According to the post, new Westgate concert dates will be announced next week.
In December, Manilow announced that he’d been diagnosed with lung cancer and that surgery would require him to postpone a number of concert dates. After a six-month hiatus, the star returned to the stage in June in support of his latest album, “What a Time,” his first LP loaded with new material in nearly 15 years.
Manilow’s team did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.