Barry Manilow cancelled his farewell show at The London Palladium on Monday night with just hours notice.
The singer, 80, is in the middle of a nine-date The Last London Concerts residency at the venue that is meant to run from May 25 to June 9 – as he bids farewell to the UK with the events.
But the May 27 date was cancelled, with his team sharing a statement just hours before the show was meant to kick off saying he wouldn’t be performing ‘under doctor’s orders’.
The statement read: ‘Unfortunately, under doctor’s orders, we must cancel tonight’s 27th May Barry Manilow concert.
‘Please hold on to your tickets until we can sort out rescheduling tonight’s performance.
Barry Manilow cancelled his farewell show at The London Palladium on Monday night with just hours notice
Hundreds of disappointed fans were seen standing outside the West End theatre after being given the news by the venue’s ushers
‘We are very sorry we have to make this announcement and trust that tomorrow night’s concert will go on as scheduled.’
Hundreds of disappointed fans were seen standing outside the West End theatre after being given the news by the venue’s ushers.
Barry first took to the stage at the world famous venue in October 1978.
Speaking about his decision to perform a final run there he said: ‘In 1978, The London Palladium is where I began my love affair with the British public.
‘These shows will be my last full concerts in Britain and I wanted to end where I began – at the London Palladium.’
While it was disappointing for fans that the show was cancelled, many took to Twitter after the announcement was made to wish him well.
They said: ‘I’m so sorry to hear this. Please take care of yourself Barry. Sending you my love & healing energy. I hope you feel better soon, take care my friend, love & light.’,
‘There’s no one probably more upset about cancelling the show than Barry himself. I feel sorry for the fans that were going to tonight’s show as Barry was awesome on Friday.’,
‘Do you know how much we care about your health? We care a lot! I can imagine how gutted you are but you take care of you! We love you to infinity and I hope you feel better real soon.’,
The May 27 date was cancelled, with his team sharing a statement just hours before the show was meant to kick off saying he wouldn’t be performing ‘under doctor’s orders’
The London Palladium also handed out these letters to those who were waiting outside of the venue
Fans were told last minute about the cancellation and so had already arrived at the venue and were queuing outside
While it was disappointing for fans that the show was cancelled, many took to Twitter after the announcement was made to wish him well
One said: ‘I’m so sorry to hear this. Please take care of yourself Barry. Sending you my love & healing energy. I hope you feel better soon, take care my friend, love & light’
The music legend – who has sold more than 85 million albums worldwide – kicked off the final UK run with a one-off show at the new Manchester Co-op Live arena on May 19
‘Hope everything is ok Barry, Best to take the doctors advice. Sending love take care.’,
‘Please just take care of yourself. Look forward to seeing you when you’ve recovered.’,
‘Please don’t push yourself. Your health is important to your fans.’
The music legend – who has sold more than 85 million albums worldwide – kicked off the final UK run with a one-off show at the new Manchester Co-op Live arena on May 19.
The Grammy winner – who holds the title for the longest stint in Las Vegas with his Barry Manilow – The Hits Come Home! concert series – is playing a hit-packed show, including songs Could it Be Magic, Copa Cabana and Can’t Smile Without You.
Despite these being his final shows in the UK, Barry revealed he still loves to perform his most famous tracks and could never grow tired of them as the audience makes him feel like he’s ‘never heard’ the songs before.
He told USA Today in 2019: ‘I’ve stopped performing album cuts and medleys of big bands and stuff. I know what the audience wants. They want the hits. And I am happy to give that to them.
‘I’m one of those lucky guys who has a catalogue of hits that can fill up 90 minutes. I don’t know how that happened, but I’m very grateful. And I want to give them every song they know. So it’s a very happy audience out there.
‘I could see the difference. When I would do something they didn’t know, they would be very polite. And then when I would do Looks Like We Made It, the roof would cave in. They were telling me what they wanted.
‘And it’s my pleasure, honestly. It’s theirs. They gave these hits to me. So I’m happy to do it. I don’t mind it. I really don’t.
‘You would think that I’d be sick of them by now but I really am not because they make it brand new for me. It’s as if they’ve never heard these songs before.’
Barry’s London residency comes after he beat Elvis Presley’s record for the longest running show in Vegas – marking his 637th show at Westgate last year.
The Brooklyn-born crooner announced on September 23 that he had signed up to perform in another run starting February 2024. The record was established by Elvis at the iconic International Theatre inside the hotel.
In homage to the King, Barry donned a leather jacket and belted out Elvis’s hit song Hound Dog, which received a standing ovation.
Turning to his early beginnings in music, Barry told the audience how his grandfather inspired him to become a musician.
‘Grandpa wouldn’t give up. Every Saturday afternoon, he would take me across the Brooklyn Bridge and into Time Square and he would put his quarter into this thing and eventually I figured out what he was trying to get me to do and I sang something for him and I liked it,’ he said.
‘It wasn’t so much the singing part that I liked, it was the music. Even at that young age, I kind of understood it.
‘If you ask my musician friends, they say the same thing: I was terrible at sports and maths but I kind of understood music.’
When asked what keeps him motivated to perform night after night in his long running residency, Barry said: ‘These people are so happy, and they’re all ages. That’s why I still do it. It’s about them, not about me.’
In 1969, Elvis began a seven-year residency at the Westgate, which was at the time called the International Hotel.
Speaking about his decision to perform a final run there he said: ‘In 1978, The London Palladium is where I began my love affair with the British public’
He performed on the same stage as Barry in front of 1150 people, completing a staggering 631 shows before his untimely death in 1977.
At the time, Elvis’s residency at the hotel made him one of the highest-paid performers in the history of Las Vegas. The last show he performed at the hotel was on December 12th, 1976.
He also lived in a 5,000 square foot suite on the 30th floor, which still exists and is now known as the Elvis Suite.
The floor was remodeled shortly after Barry’s 1985 debut.
