LAS VEGAS — Singer-songwriter Barry Manilow has cut short his return to Las Vegas, walking offstage two songs into a show and canceling a pair of concerts after coming down with bronchitis.
After opening at the International Theater at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino on Thursday, Manilow, 83, left the stage after performing two songs to kick off Friday’s show, Variety reported.
The singer reportedly told the crowd to “Talk amongst yourselves” while he exited. He did not return, according to Billboard.
Manilow’s band played some instrumentals before the public address system announced that the show was over, the music news website reported. Attendees said they later received refund emails from Ticketmaster.
Barry Manilow Walks Off Stage, Cancels Vegas Shows Due to Bronchitis https://t.co/2j9OPcTxrx
— billboard (@billboard) October 12, 2026
Saturday’s concert was also canceled.
“After a triumphant welcome-back concert on Thursday, Barry got hit with bronchitis and had to cancel his Friday and Saturday shows,” representatives for Manilow told Variety.
Manilow’s concert on Thursday concert marked his first time back onstage after a six-week hiatus, the entertainment news website reported.
The singer’s health issues postponed his Westgate residency, which was originally set to begin in February, Billboard reported.
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In late August, Manilow announced another break, saying “we were pushing a little too hard.”
Manilow had canceled several concerts earlier this year, including a show in Lexington, Kentucky, that was rescheduled and later scrubbed.
In December 2025, Manilow announced that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, which was discovered after the singer had two bouts with bronchitis that lasted several weeks apiece.
Manilow first topped the charts in 1974 with the ballad, “Mandy,” then followed it with “I Write the Songs” in 1975 and “Looks Like We Made It” in 1977.
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Manilow has been a fixture on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart for 51 years. He first appeared on that list on Nov. 7, 1974, with his ballad “Mandy,” Billboard reported.
Manilow has been nominated for 15 Grammy Awards and won in 1978 for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Copacabana (At the Copa).” He is also a two-time Emmy Award winner and was awarded a special Tony Award in 1977.
Manilow was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.
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