Hiking Injury Leaves Legendary Singer-Songwriter Hurt and Forced to Cancel All 2023 Concerts

Legendary singer-songwriter John Hiatt’s 2023 tour has been canceled as the musician continues to recover from a nasty hiking accident. The singer, known for songs like “Sure As I’m Sittin’ Here” and “Have a Little Faith in Me,” was hospitalized in September after he suffered serious injuries in a fall while on a hiking trail at South Cumberland State Park in Grundy County, Tennessee.

News of the incident, and the subsequent cancellation of his 2023 performances, was announced in a statement shared to Hiatt’s official website and social media pages on Sept. 7. According to the statement, Hiatt “took a bad fall off a hiking trail and sustained lacerations, bruising and a debilitating fracture.” Although the statement didn’t reveal further information regarding the incident or Hiatt’s specific injuries, it went on to thank “the amazing efforts of the Grundy County EMS, Rangers of the South Cumberland State Park, and doctors, nurses and staff at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga” and said “he is now recovering at home under the care of his personal doctor and is expected to make a full recovery.”

Further updates regarding Hiatt’s condition have not been shared since that initial statement, which also did not give an estimate for the singer’s estimated recovery length. The statement did confirm, however, that due to his injuries, Hiatt will no longer be able to complete his remaining 2023 shows, which have been canceled.

“Unfortunately, this means John has to cancel all shows scheduled for the remainder of 2023. He feels terrible that he has to cancel,” it read. “The promoters will be providing information about refunds so please check back with them for those details. We appreciate your understanding and prayers while John is on the mend. He will see everyone soon.”

Hiatt’s hospitalization came just two months after the musician announced that he would join four-time Grammy-winning singer, composer, and actor Lyle Lovett for a run of fall tour dates. The tour, featuring an arrangement of various Lovett originals from his critically acclaimed album 12th of June, was set to kick off on Oct. 2 at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York City on Oct. 2 before heading to Ithaca and Wilmington. Other shows on the “Together On Stage” tour included stops in Westhampton Beach, New York; Collingswood, New Jersey; Troy, New York; and Buffalo, New York. The tour was then set to embark on a Canadian leg, with shows in Toronto and Ontario, before heading back to the U.S. and concluding in Easton, Pennsylvania on Oct. 22.