Barry Manilow leaves stage after two songs, cancels weekend concerts due to health concerns

Just as quickly as Barry Manilow returned to the stage after a health-related hiatus, he withdrew.

On Friday, Manilow interrupted his concert just two songs into the show. The 83-year-old crooner abruptly asked the crowd to talk among themselves as he left the stage, according to concertgoers who detailed the incident on social media. The curtain fell and moments later the audience learned that the show was over. Manilow’s performance scheduled for Saturday was later canceled.

The day before, on Thursday, the “Copacabana” singer returned after a six-week hiatus to perform at the International Theater at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, telling the audience, “I’m back!” Manilow appeared lively and energetic throughout the show. “God, I feel like I’m a teen idol again,” he joked when a few audience members threw underwear on stage. He picked up a pair of full-coverage briefs and asked if they needed to go to the laundry, then a pink lace thong and joked, “I’ll keep that pair.”

“After a triumphant welcome concert on Thursday, Barry came down with bronchitis and had to cancel his Friday and Saturday concerts,” Manilow’s reps told Paste Magazine.

Last year, Manilow revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer and that surgery would force him to postpone several performances. In May, he told the Times that since he had surgery, he was out of breath just walking down the hallway. “Ninety minutes of just screaming is what I do for a living – I’m not ready for that yet,” he said at the time. “I will be, but it’s taking me a long time to get my voice back. They warned me I’d have to learn to breathe again. So these days I get up, go to the piano and try to be creative. Before I know it, the afternoon is over.”

The star returned to the stage in June after a six-month hiatus, in support of her latest album, “What a Time,” her first LP loaded with new material in nearly 15 years.

Learn more: A Showman’s Life: Barry Manilow on Cancer, Coming Out and Cosmetic Surgery

But in August, Manilow canceled concerts due to vocal and technical issues before telling fans he needed to take a break. “We just finished a fantastic summer tour, 29 shows in 68 days,” the singer said. “The shows were fantastic. The audience was fantastic. And I sounded fantastic. But it seems like we pushed a little too hard.

“Now we all need to sit down and shut up,” Manilow said.

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This story was originally published in the Los Angeles Times.