Barry Manilow Cancels Concert at the Last Minute Due to ‘Unforeseen’ Circumstances

The 83-year-old hitmaker's sudden announcement left fans scrambling outside the arena, some of whom had driven hours to catch the show. It also marked the second time this year that his Lexington performance had been delayed.

Barry Manilow is taking a step back. The "Copacabana" hitmaker abruptly postponed a concert that was slated to take place in Lexington, Kentucky, just minutes before showtime on Tuesday evening, August 4.

"Due to unforeseen circumstances tonight's show in Lexington has been rescheduled," the X post from Manilow, 83, read. The message was uploaded at 6:19 p.m., roughly 40 minutes before the concert was due to begin.

Although no specific reason for the postponement was given, fans quickly flooded his social media accounts with messages of concern and support. "We traveled from Cincinnati to hear him! I hope all is well. It wasn't canceled until 30 minutes before start time. 😞," one concertgoer wrote.

"Prayers for Barry! I hope you are well. I know fans are disappointed but if he's sick, he can't sing. Let's pray for Barry! ❤️🙏," another urged. A third shared, "Was standing in the line outside the arena. So heartbroken. I hope you're well, Barry. We love you."

"Please be well Barry. We all love you and are praying for you. A forever Fanilow.❤️," a fourth added. "I'm choosing to believe that no news is good news. Praying it's. Technical situation at the venue [sic]," someone else said.

Even so, not everyone reacted with patience — some fans expressed disappointment and frustration over the abrupt cancellation. "It was very disappointing.. just arrived and then it was announced.. I wish they told us earlier after driving so much," one fan wrote.

"I hope all is well. Had tickets to see him in Vegas last year and it was cancelled an hr before showtime. This is our second time trying to see him in Lex. We live 2 hrs away. Expensive night for us to have it cancelled. Again, I wish him well but frustrating as an attendee," another shared.

This isn't the first time Manilow's Lexington show has hit a snag. He had originally been scheduled to perform at Rupp Arena on March 9, but that concert was also postponed while he underwent treatment for lung cancer. That same month, the singer opened up about his health battle.

"You just don't even think about [how fragile life is]," Manilow said of his stage 1 lung cancer diagnosis. "And suddenly, you have lung cancer. But I'm still here. I'm not all here; there's part of me that isn't here — they took out a part of me, and now I've got to figure out, 'What do I do?'"

Back in November 2025, Manilow had visited his doctor for hip pain and underwent an MRI of his pelvis and lungs after enduring two rounds of bronchitis. It was during that visit that his doctor discovered the cancer.

"If he hadn't done that, man ... He saved my life, because there's no symptoms for what I had," the Grammy winner recalled. "I could go on, nothing hurt — but they found the dot in my lung."

"They called me and said, 'Could be cancer.' That's a bad word. 'Not me. [Expletive] you. I can't have cancer,'" he continued.

"It has really, really made me take stock of my life," he reflected. "This made me stop and think about: Have I done what I wanted to do, and have I made people happy? Have I been a good friend? All of those cornball things that I've read for all of my life, I started to think about that, too. It really did stop me in my tracks."

"And the answers are yes," he added. "And as a matter of fact, there are more yeses than I ever thought." Following this latest postponement, Rupp Arena confirmed that all previously purchased tickets will remain valid once a new concert date is announced.