Morgan Wallen took to his Instagram account Tuesday to release a video statement saying that he is having to put off his next six weeks of tour dates — plus a scheduled appearance in just two days on the Academy of Country Music Awards telecast — after doctors ordered him to go on vocal rest.
Wallen had already recently canceled some dates, but returned to the road for three shows this past weekend, which he said felt ruinous and precipitated a return to the doctor.
The dates will be postponed and rescheduled, the country star told fans in the glum video.
“I got some bad news from my doctors at the Vanderbilt Voice Center yesterday, after taking 10 days of vocal rest,” Wallen said. “I performed three shows last weekend in Florida, and by the third one, I felt terrible. So I went in and got scoped yesterday and they told me that I re-injured my vocal chords and that I have vocal fold trauma. Their advice is that I go on vocal rest for six weeks. So that’s what I’m going to do.”
Wallen said that he’d been told not to even talk for the time being, but that he got the OK to briefly speak for an occasion like his announcement to fans.
The vocal injury was not the only one currently afflicting him, he said.
“I also tore my lat while we were in Australia. I’ve been trying to work through that quietly, but this time off is gonna help me get that back right as well…
“They told me that if I do this the right way, that I’ll get back to 100%. And they also said that if I don’t listen and I keep singing and I’ll permanently damage my voice. So for the longevity of my career, this is just the choice I had to make. I hate it. But I love you guys and I appreciate all the support that you always give me.
“We’re working on rescheduling all the dates during this time frame. We’ve almost got that done, but some of ’em are pending, so I’ll keep you updated. I won’t be able to make these festivals that I have during this timeframe, but we are gonna make those right in the next year.”
Wallen said he would not be doing either the ACM Awards or the preceding Lifting Lives chartity event, “but y’all make sure you still go. It’s for a great cause,” he said.
In concluding his two-minute statement, Wallen said, “I’ll see you soon and I’ll be back better than never. God bless you.”
Wallen previously canceled four shows, the first of which came right at showtime in Oxford, Mississippi on April 23.
If Wallen’s six-week prognosis for staying quiet is correct, he will miss arena and stadium shows coming up in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Chicago, among other locales.
An announcement from Wallen’s publicist said that new dates will be announced “imminently,” at which point anyone holding tickets will have a 30-day refund window, open at point of purchase, if they can’t or do not want to attend the rescheduled show. The statement said that Wallen is indeed working to reschedule any missed festival appearances to 2024.
The star is up for the entertainer of the year prize at Thursday’s ACMs.
