Merle Haggard Unexpectedly Takes Stage Again After Illness
The see-sawing of Merle Haggard’s health and touring schedule continues. After canceling all tour dates in December due to a double pneumonia, and then some additional dates in January, Merle tried to take the stage at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside, California last Tuesday (2-2) before canceling last minute. Merle said he still wasn’t feeling up to it, and was still recovering from the December health woes. “Thank you to the fans who came out tonight in riverside! Sadly I’m just not strong enough yet,” Merle said.
Later it was announced by Haggard’s publicist that all February dates would be canceled to aid Merle’s continued recovery. The publicist said Merle was “still feeling weak from his recent struggle with double pneumonia and has decided to seek further treatment.”
But apparently tour plans have changed yet again, and Merle is feeling good enough to perform. On Saturday (6-6), Haggard took the stage at the Mandalay Bay Ballroom in Las Vegas, despite the news his performing plans were put on hold. Toby Keith even made a guest appearance, and spend 30 minutes on stage with Haggard.
Merle Haggard also has additional shows in California coming up this week, including Santa Rosa on Wednesday (2-10), Beverley Hills on Thursday (2-11) with Kris Kristofferson, and Saturday in Oakland. Some of these dates were rescheduled from when Merle was sick in December.
Meanwhile there’s been no official word from either Merle’s publicity team, or posted on his social network feeds. Merle’s son and guitar player Ben Haggard has also been quiet on the matter. Fans would be encouraged to call ahead to venues to confirm if Merle is still scheduled to appear the day of the performance as he continues to work through his health woes.
hoptowntiger94
February 9, 2016 @ 10:22 am
What’s Merle’s rush to get back on the stage? You’d think he’d take the month (or more) off and get healthy and recharge.
Mike2
February 9, 2016 @ 10:39 am
He’s got rambling fever, and there aint no cure for his disease.
Harpo
February 9, 2016 @ 11:10 am
Yep, that’s what he does, and he dose it well.
Brian
February 9, 2016 @ 11:25 am
I heard on KOKE FM the other morning that Merle had said in an interview that he feels better when he is on stage. It helps him to get up and move around, almost like getting up there is part of an exercise regimen and it feels good he said to sing and move around.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
February 9, 2016 @ 11:37 am
I don’t know if Trigger ever put this in the newsfeed (if so I didn’t see it and I’m sorry)
But this is cool http://www.6degreesofvincegill.com/
Go check it out, type in an artist and it tells you how close to Vince Gill they are. (Yo-Yo Ma is closer than Luke Bryan, Willie Nelson is closer than Yo-Yo Ma.)
Robert S
February 9, 2016 @ 6:06 pm
I’m glad Mr Haggard is doing better. That’s a cool Vince Gill link, too. As for random trivia bits in the form of “degrees of separation” to artists I follow closely, I can add that Vince Gill did a show at the country hall of fame a week or two ago with Keith Urban and Chris Stapleton that I watched on Periscope. For another random bit, at least as recently as December 2014, Vince Gill covered The Tractors at his annual Christmas concert.
Erik North
February 9, 2016 @ 4:30 pm
Well, the man’s going to do what he’s going to do, since that’s part of what makes him such a legend. But I just hope he paces himself. It’s one thing for Western heroes to die with their boots on, but something else for a maverick like Merle to suddenly drop dead onstage in front of hundreds, if not thousands, of people. And certainly he knows about how so many in the music business have passed away in the first six weeks of this year.
I do wish Merle all the best, however. It’s usually the best thing to keep doing what you love for as long as you can.
Jake W
February 9, 2016 @ 5:31 pm
Wishing Merle a speedy recovery, and good health.
Shawn Bivens
February 10, 2016 @ 6:19 am
Maybe during his recent illnesses, Mr. Haggard can recall and apologize for the negative comments he made about our beloved Waylon Jennings while Waylon was alive.
Harpo
February 11, 2016 @ 5:28 am
What were his comments?
Shawn Bivens
February 11, 2016 @ 5:35 am
He knows, as, they were made during written interviews. Both were mean spirited and completely inappropriate.
Harpo
February 11, 2016 @ 9:26 am
Well I’m sure he knows, I know Waylon made it clear in his autobiography that there was no love
lost between them. That happens in all walks of life and disagreements are sadly a part of life.
All I know is I’m a big fan of both Merle and Waylon and if they had problems that is between them.
Shawn Bivens
February 11, 2016 @ 11:58 am
I don’t look at it that way. Waylon was alive when that piece of trash commented that Waylon was acting strange. Waylon said how he felt about Haggard a long time ago following that poker game he had with Haggard and his manager Fuzzy Owens. And Waylon had nothing else to do with him. Then, about a couple of years ago, that trashy SOB commented again in an article that Waylon was jealous of Willie Nelson. It was a horrible thing to say about two men who held a more than 35 year friendship. I think Haggard was jealous of Waylon like numbers of other country artists.
Shawn Bivens
February 11, 2016 @ 12:05 pm
Well, I don’t feel sorry for him one bit now that he’s in poor health. Serves him right. The suffering he’s enduring is just what he deserves. He is nothing but scum with no class whatsoever.
Harpo
February 11, 2016 @ 12:59 pm
Sorry you feel that way.
Shawn Bivens
February 11, 2016 @ 5:17 pm
I firmly believe that Haggard was, and still is, jealous of Waylon’s voice, his height, and his good looks.
Shannon
February 11, 2016 @ 8:15 pm
I left work early, missing half a day, and drove 3 hours in rush hour traffic to see Merle perform in Riverside on February 2, after the venue returned my call and assured me Merle would perform. I had a good center seat only 6 rows back, sat through his son’s opening act and intermission, excited Merle was about to take the stage. Not until the end of intermission, when the audience had returned to their seats, did his fiddle player come out and announced Merle was not feeling up to it and the rest of the show was cancelled. Maybe Merle tried until the very last minute? At that point I was just worried about his health and hoping he would recover. However, now I feel a bit manipulated and can’t help but wonder if the delay in the announcement was to keep the audience hanging around the lobby during the entire intermission so they would buy up as much of the merchandise as possible, i.e., Merle CD, T-shirts, etc., and his son’s CD. Just the cynic in me. I would like to have hit the long road home a little sooner, and felt tricked. Then the venue emailed me a few days ago to say the concert was not going to be rescheduled and my money would be refunded. Next I hear that, rather than all his February shows being cancelled as announced, he was suddenly well enough to perform in Vegas 4 days later, and was also well enough to reschedule his date in Beverly Hills tonight with Kristofferson. What about our concert in Riverside, only about 70 miles away? Maybe rescheduling the show with Kristofferson was more important because Kristofferson would also be out the money? Maybe Merle had to get back onstage asap or he might have trouble getting insurance for future shows? Maybe the Riverside venue is so booked with other acts there was no reschedule date available for the near future? I don’t know. I’m glad he’s feeling better, but I don’t know if I’d bother trying to see him again. I have been a fan for years, but I feel as if this could have been handled better.
Trigger
February 11, 2016 @ 9:02 pm
Shannon,
If I were you, I’d be frustrated too. I’ve been frustrated trying to keep the public informed about these dates. We got official word that all his February dates were canceled, and then it was only through word of mouth that people found out the Vegas shows were still on. I don’t want someone reading something I posted, and it ultimately being incorrect. I have reached out to his publicist and road manager multiple times. We all love Merle and hope him the best, and we can all understand that if he’s not well enough, he can’t perform. His health is the biggest concern. But there doesn’t seem to be anyone at the wheel at the moment of his tour. There hasn’t even been any posts on his Facebook page to let folks know what’s going on. Hopefully Merle heals up, and in the future none of this is an issue.