Willie Nelson Clarifies Canceled Tour Dates Amid Health Issues

Willie Nelson is clarifying his canceled tour dates after he tweeted that he was “Sorry to cancel my tour” on Wednesday night. After the tweet led to reports that all 40 of the remaining Club Luck tour dates would be canceled, a representative for Nelson said that he’ll be back within a month.

The representative told TMZ that Nelson canceled the next six stops on his tour and plans to return to the stage on September 6th in Gilford, New Hampshire, to continue with the rest of the shows scheduled after that.

Although TMZ reports that six of Nelson’s shows are canceled, Nelson’s website lists only the next three shows as such.

The official list of Nelson’s canceled shows, as per the singer’s website:

Aug. 9, 2019 in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Aug. 10, 2019 in Huntington, West Virginia
Aug. 12, 2019 in Florence, South Carolina

There are three other concerts in between those above and the September 6th date that his representative said he would return by:

Aug. 14, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia
Aug. 16, 2019 in Greenville, South Carolina
Aug. 17, 2019 in Greensboro, North Carolina

Nelson referenced a “breathing problem” Wednesday night that “I need to have my doctor check out,” citing it as the reason why he canceled the tour. On Thursday, his representative told TMZ that the issue was not a medical emergency and he was not rushed to the hospital; the 86-year-old reportedly simply needs more rest and is back in Texas to see a doctor.

The outlet reports that Nelson is taking it easy and already feeling better.

It’s not the first time Nelson has had to take a break from touring due to health issues. He canceled an appearance at the Outlaw Music Festival last year as well as several other tour dates that same year, according to Rolling Stone. And in August 2017, he stopped a show early in Salt Lake City after dealing with respiratory issues, citing the higher altitude.

In an episode of Rock & Roll Road Trip With Sammy Hagar on AXS TV, Nelson joked about being an octogenarian, as well as the questions that come along with it about when he will retire.

“I hear that every day,” Nelson said. “They say it all the time. I say, ‘This is my last tour. Every time I say, ‘Oh, this is the last one.’”

Despite his recent health problems, he said he’s learned to keep a positive attitude throughout the years.

“A negative thought will kill you. So if you’re even thinking negative you’ve got to change that first,” Nelson told AARP. “It ain’t easy, unless you think it’s easy. Then you’re in trouble. If you wake up knowing that this is going to be a hard day today because you’ve got work to do, people to talk to, things to do, you’ll make it.”

Nelson’s most recent album, Ride Me Back Home, dropped in June.