Heavy/Getty Luke Bryan performs during at Budweiser Stage in June 2023 in Toronto, Ontario.
Luke Bryan and his fans cannot seem to catch a break. The country star and “American Idol” judge still can’t believe he had to cancel four concerts in August 2023 due to an ongoing illness that was impacting his voice. But now, Bryan’s had to announce the postponement of a fifth show after the concert venue was damaged in bad storms.
On August 24, Bryan tweeted part of a release from organizers at Bash on the Bay, the music festival he was scheduled to headline that night in Put-In-Bay, Ohio. According to Spectrum News 1, severe thunderstorms moved through the region the previous night, causing damage in some areas.
The statement that Bryan posted said, “Due to unprecedented storm damage and flooding at the Put-In-Bay Airport, the show venue, today’s show is being postponed for the safety of all concert attendees and all of our staff members.”
Bryan has said that his cancellations this month have been a huge headache, and even joked at one performance that he needed to sell more t-shirts to cover all the money he’s lost. Though some fans empathized with the singer’s latest announcement, others have expressed frustration that the venue didn’t notify ticket holders sooner. Here’s what you need to know:
Fans React to Latest Luke Bryan Concert Cancellation
GettyLuke Bryan performs at Bridgestone Arena on August 12, 2023 in Nashville
Bryan was scheduled to headline Bay on the Bash after a day of performances from Brothers Osborne, Dylan Scott, Adam Doleac and Cory Farley, according to Spectrum News 1. The night before, Pitbull performed as the headliner without issue, after a day of performances from Elle King, Filmore, Ashland Craft and Kaylyn Pace.
Organizers said details on refunds and a rescheduled date for the show will be announced “in the next week,” per WKYC.
When Bryan shared the news of his show’s postponement, most fans were understanding and recognized how unusual it is for him to miss five shows in one month.
“Rough year Luke,” tweeted one, while another replied, “You really had some bad luck this year. y’all stay safe!”
Several people jokingly tweeted back suggestions for where Bryan could meet them if he was in town with nothing to do. But other ticketholders expressed their disappointment over having to miss the concert.
One fan retweeted Bryan’s announcement and wrote, “*Drives 4 hrs for Bash On The Bay & doesn’t get any notification about this until you’re already there 💀😢”
Luke Bryan Told Cincinnati Fans He’s Never Canceled a Show Before
Fortunately, Bryan did get to perform for Ohio fans when he returned to his Country On Tour on August 17, following several cancellations.
In early August, Bryan was forced to cancel three shows in separate cities because a “head cold” he’d been dealing with for two weeks continued to plague him and hurt his voice. After several days of rest, he returned to his tour, but fans reported that he struggled during his concerts on August 10 in Rogers, Arkansas, and on August 12 in Nashville, near his family’s home.
On August 13, he posted that “under doctor advisement,” he would not be able to perform in Brandon, Mississippi and took that night off to rest. When he rejoined his tour on August 17 at Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center, he told the crowd he still wasn’t “100%,” according to Country Now.
A fan-recorded video on TikTok showed Bryan teasing the crowd, saying, “Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve lost a tremendous amount of money, so I’m gonna need y’all to buy a couple of extra t-shirts tonight. I had to sell all my deer corn. I had to sell 14 fishing rods.”
As the crowd cheered, he quipped, “We’re going to do a live auction to go hunting with me tonight, who’s ready?”
On a slightly more serious note, he said, “Never in my career have I ever had to cancel … I’ve never canceled a show, much less four, but man, you really learn there’s some a**holes out there in the world. There’s one guy on Twitter, I’m gonna whip his a** when I see him.”
Many fans expressed their frustration over Bryan’s show cancelations, particularly ticketholders for the Salt Lake City concert, given that Bryan announced its cancelation less than an hour before the concert was scheduled to start.
One concertgoer wrote on one of his Instagram posts, “You post in your story you’ve been fighting a head cold for weeks and you wait until doors literally open at Usana to cancel in Salt Lake tonight? 🥱🖕🏻”
That concert has been rescheduled for August 31, but there’s no word yet on whether the other concerts Bryan missed will take place at a later date.