A music legend is postponing more shows after a recent health scare.
Barry Manilow announced Wednesday that his Las Vegas residency scheduled for Feb. 12-21 has been postponed on his “doctor’s guidance and recommendation.” The 82-year-old icon recently underwent a successful surgery for lung cancer, but said he needs more time to recover.
“I’m doing great and recovering very well after my surgery,” the singer said in a health update. “I’ve been getting exercise and spending some time in the studio, which has been fantastic.”
“I can stay focused on healing and getting ready for the tour that’s kicking off at the end of February. Having a few extra weeks to rest and prepare is what the doctor ordered!”
Manilow’s upcoming tour dates include his “final” appearances at three venues in New York on April 13 at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, April 20 at MVP Arena in Albany, and April 22 at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Tickets for the farewell concerts are currently on sale via Ticketmaster, Vivid Seats, StubHub and Seat Geek.
“Be there to witness, feel, and be a part of the last concert in your city!” a tour announcement said.
Manilow said in December that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer and recently underwent surgery to have a “cancerous spot” removed. He said he was lucky the cancer was “found so early” and wouldn’t need chemotherapy or radiation: “Just chicken soup and I Love Lucy reruns.”
Manilow postponed January performances in Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia to recover. His most recently postponed shows at Westgate Las Vegas will be moved to a new date.
Manilow is a singer-songwriter whose career has spanned seven decades. He’s sold more than 85 million records as a solo artist, performing hits like “Copacabana (At the Copa),” “Mandy,” “Can’t Smile Without You,” “I Write the Songs,” and “Looks Like We Made It.”
He also wrote some of the most famous radio and TV jingles of all time, including the iconic Band-Aid song (“I am stuck on Band-Aid brand, ’cause Band-Aid’s stuck on me“) and State Farm’s “Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is There.” He’s also the creative mastermind behind commercial tunes like McDonald’s ”You Deserve a Break Today,” KFC’s “Finger-Lickin’ Good Day,” Dr. Pepper’s “Be a Pepper,” Pepsi’s “Feelin’ Free” and even Green Bowlene toilet cleaner’s “Bathroom Bowl Blues.”
Manilow got his start in 1965 when he was working in the CBS mailroom and became known as the “piano-playing mail boy” while taking night classes at the New York College of Music and Juilliard. He also performed in bars and clubs, but the commercial jingles were his first success that led to a career with more than 50 hit songs including 13 No. 1 singles, plus six multi-platinum albums, a Tony Award for “Barry Manilow on Broadway,” two Emmys, induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and producing for fellow legends like Bette Midler, Dionne Warwick, Nancy Wilson and Sarah Vaughan.
