Barry Manilow canceled his Tuesday night show in Lexington, Kentucky for the second time, posting a message to Instagram that read: "Due to unforeseen circumstances tonight's show in Lexington has been rescheduled."
No cause was given for the postponement. According to Billboard, a spokesperson for Manilow had not returned a request for comment as of press time.
The show had already been postponed once before. Manilow was originally scheduled to perform at Rupp Arena on March 9, but that date was pushed back while he underwent treatment for stage 1 lung cancer. He revealed his diagnosis in December and had surgery the same month to remove a cancerous spot from his left lung. That led him to cancel or delay his February Las Vegas residency dates and his February, March, and April arena shows on doctor's orders.
His recovery took longer than expected. In a May appearance on Good Morning America, Manilow told interviewer Chris Connelly that a bout of pneumonia had been "just about killing me" after he spent a week in the ICU. When Connelly asked how he was doing, Manilow said simply: "I'm doing good."
Rupp Arena posted its own notice 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."
The short notice frustrated at least one fan in the comments on Manilow's post, who complained: "I mean postponing 30 mimuted [sic] before start time. Come on." Other fans pushed back, pointing to Manilow's decades of dedication to his audience.
Despite the Lexington cancellation, Manilow was still scheduled to perform in Cincinnati at Heritage Bank Center on Wednesday, August 5. He has five more U.S. shows booked through the end of the month before returning to Las Vegas for his Hits Come Home! residency, which runs through December with an average of six shows per month.
The Lexington cancellation comes during what has otherwise been a productive period. In March, Manilow's new single "Once Before I Go" reached the top 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart, making him the only artist ever to score an Adult Contemporary hit in six consecutive decades, from the 1970s through the 2020s. His first new album in 15 years, What a Time, came out in June.
