Kenny Chesney, Morgan Wallen, Jason Aldean.Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty, Taylor Hill/FilmMagic, Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty
WithMorgan Wallensidelined due to damaged vocal cords, country starsKenny ChesneyandJason Aldeanare stepping in to help honor his commitments.
Wallen, 29, announced earlier this week that he’s putting his tour on hold for six weeks as herecovers from vocal fold trauma— meaning that he also had to pull out of scheduled performances at theACM Awardspre-show and a pair of festivals.
Though he still wound up being a big winner at the ACMs on Thursday (he took home the prize for male artist of the year), he did not attend the show. Instead, Aldean stepped in to take his pre-show performance spot.
“I texted with him a little bit yesterday, and obviously everybody knows what’s going on with him and his voice, and ACM Lifting Lives had a show that Morgan was supposed to headline, and it just so happened we were in town,” Aldean, 46, explained toEntertainment Tonight. “I didn’t really have much to do yesterday, so we were able to go in, fill in for him, help him out. He texted me last night and thanked me for that.”
Meanwhile, Wallen was also slated to headline Gulf Coast Jam in Florida on June 3, and the Carolina Country Music Fest the next weekend in South Carolina. With the “You Proof” singer down for the count, Chesney has now filled the slots.
RELATED VIDEO: Morgan Wallen Cancels Mississippi Concert Minutes Before Start Time After Losing His Voice
“It’s like an extra little bit of something. We love playing those great big stages, and I think everyone knows that,” Chesney, 55, said in a statement. “But this year, in these venues, has been unlike anything we’ve done in years — so much fun, so great, spur of the moment — and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
He continued: “I can’t lie, though. I was missing those big stages just a bit. And now, me and the road family get to have our cake and eat it, too. When we got the call, even though we were basically done, I thought it over, and of course we wanted to be there for the fans. They’re the reason we do this - and the opportunity to step in and let even more people see how white hot and awesome these players are is awesome. Funny how life has a way of stepping in!”
Wallen first drew criticism after hecalled off a show in Oxford, Mississippijust minutes before he was set to take the stage on April 23. He told fans he’d lost his voice, and went on to cancel a second show and postpone three more before halting his entire tour for six weeks. He announced Friday that the canceled shows will be rescheduled for various dates between August 2023 and June 2024.
Morgan Wallen.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
He added, “So I went in and got scoped yesterday, and they told me that I injured my vocal cords 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. They don’t want me to talk at all, but they said that if I need to it’s OK for something like this.”
In addition to his vocal cord strain, the “Whiskey Glasses” performer said that he recently tore his LAT muscle.
“[The doctors] told me that if I do this the right way that I’ll get back to 100 percent. They also said that if I don’t listen and I keep singing, I’ll permanently damage my voice. So for the longevity of my career, this is the choice I had to make. I hate it but I love you guys,” Wallen said.
source: people.com
