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.
The 83-year-old had only just returned to the International Theater at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino on Thursday (Oct. 8), in what his team called a “triumphant welcome-back concert” following a weeks-long break. But at Friday’s show, he stopped after two songs — reportedly telling the crowd, “Talk amongst yourselves” — and didn’t come back.
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According to Vital Vegas, his band played instrumentals before a voice came over the PA to announce the show was over, and attendees said they later received refund emails from Ticketmaster. Saturday’s concert was called off entirely.
“After a triumphant welcome-back concert on Thursday, Barry got hit with bronchitis and had to cancel his Friday and Saturday shows,” a representative for the musician and the venue told Variety.
The illness carries particular significance for Manilow. He disclosed in December 2025 that he had been diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer, discovered after doctors ordered scans while he was recovering from a bout of bronchitis; he subsequently underwent surgery.
The health issues repeatedly postponed his Westgate residency, originally set to begin in February, before he returned to the stage in the U.K. and resumed Vegas dates in July. In late August, he announced another break after a demanding summer run, saying “we were pushing a little too hard.” His team has not said whether upcoming dates — the residency is listed to continue Oct. 15 — will be affected.
One of the most successful recording artists of all time, Manilow has sold more than 85 million records worldwide. He scored his first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with “Mandy” in 1975 and went on to land three chart-toppers, including “I Write the Songs” and “Looks Like We Made It,” along with a long run of adult-contemporary staples such as “Copacabana (At the Copa)” and “Can’t Smile Without You.”
He has charted more than a dozen top-40 Hot 100 hits and remains a fixture on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, where his 2026 single “Once Before I Go” reached the top 10. Manilow’s Westgate residency has made him one of Las Vegas’ most enduring headliners, with his tally of shows at the venue surpassing Elvis Presley’s record.