Willie Nelson called off a concert after just one song and was forced to cancel several upcoming dates due to breathing issues, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
During a Saturday show at the Harrah’s Resort SoCal in San Diego, the 84-year-old musician was performing his opener, “Whiskey River,” when he suddenly ended the performance. Fans said Nelson was coughing and apparently having trouble breathing as he left the stage.
Nelson’s publicist told the Union-Tribune that the musician had either “a bad cold or the flu” and was recovering at his home in Texas. The rest of the musician’s itinerary for the week was also canceled, including two nights at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, and a performance in Laughlin, Nevada. Nelson is scheduled to return to the road next month for a string of dates that starts February 7th in Macon, Georgia.
Last August, Nelson was forced to cut a concert in Salt Lake City short due to respiratory issues, which he said was related to the city’s high altitude. In February 2017, he canceled a handful of tour dates as he dealt with an unspecified illness.
Despite periodic health issues, Nelson continues to perform and record regularly. Last fall, he notably appeared at the Texas Strong concert to benefit victims of Hurricane Harvey, and he partnered with his sons, Lukas and Micah, to release a new album, Willie’s Stash, Vol. 2: Willie Nelson and the Boys.
