Willie Nelson, 86, Will Resume Tour in September After Initial Cancelation Due To ‘Breathing Difficulties’
The veteran singer and inveterate weed-smoker initially pulled the plug on his tour after rising concerns over his health.
Matt Winkelmeyer
Country-music legend Willie Nelson, 86, has decided to move forward with his upcoming tour despite previously announcing its cancellation due to a “breathing problem.”
In a brief note on his Facebook page Thursday, it was announced Nelson will be back on the road in September.
“Willie is resting and feeling better,” the post said. “The tour will resume on September 6 in Gilford, NH. Thanks to all the fans for the continued support!”
The singer, a lifelong pot-smoker and marijuana advocate who has his own weed company, called Willie’s Reserve, made the initial announcement about the tour’s cancellation in the early hours of Thursday morning on Twitter and Facebook. The news followed Nelson’s Wednesday performance at a venue in Toledo, Ohio.
Dates on Nelson’s touring schedule over the next few days included Toledo and Grand Rapids, MI; Huntington, WV; Florence, SC; Charlottesville, VA; Greenville, SC; and Greensboro, NC off the back of his latest album “Ride Me Back Home.”
Nelson, who primarily smokes marijuana products using a vape pen, and has smoked weed on the roof of the White House, has a history of emphysema and has previously canceled or rescheduled shows several times citing breathing difficulties.
Nelson, who has recorded more than 65 albums, maintains a punishing touring schedule despite his age. He headlined the third and final night of the BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach in May alongside Ziggy Marley, Grace Potter and Blues Traveler.
Although the subject of death is increasingly present in his music, in an interview with Malcolm Jones of The Daily Beast, Nelson said he avoided singing his darker songs “on stage because I don’t want to talk about that stuff … I don’t want to bring up all those people who have passed in the last few years. I don’t want to dwell on that every night, cram that down the audience, it’s all negative stuff. I’d rather do something positive—‘On the Road Again’ or something uptempo or gospel, get ’em clapping their hands.”
Nelson also told Jones: “Singing is the best exercise you can get. Your lungs are the biggest muscles you’ve got. When you use ’em to sing, it works really good for you. Clap your hands, that’s good for you.”
“If you sing for an hour, you’ve done a pretty good workout right there. And you clap your hands. I don’t need to do a lot more than that.”