Turnpike Troubadours Cancel Additional Performance Citing Evan Felker Illness

This story has been updated.

Oklahoma’s Turnpike Troubadours were forced to cancel their appearance Sunday night (8-26) at the Fayetteville Roots Festival after frontman Evan Felker was deemed too ill to perform. The cancellation comes after the band canceled their final appearances on the Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town “Bandwagon Tour” on August 23rd and 24th in Toronto and Michigan, citing unspecific personal emergencies.

“Unfortunately due to a medical emergency Turnpike Troubadours will be unable to perform tonight at Fayetteville Roots Festival,” the band said in a statement. “The band was present and prepared to play, but after evaluation it was advised that Evan Felker should not perform tonight due to pain associated with the inability to pass a kidney stone he has been struggling with since earlier in the week. We sincerely apologize to the fans and festival staff for this unfortunate situation.”

The band also said on Instagram in response to an inquiry, “For privacy we chose not to give details earlier in the week, but feel our fans deserve a more clear reason.”

The Turnpike Troubadours were set to headline the festival Sunday night, with former Turnpike member and regular collaborator John Fullbright playing right before them. Turnpike’s upcoming shows at The Beaumont in Nebraska on August 30th, as well as the 9th Street Summerfest in Columbia, Missouri August 31st are still on for the moment, as are all other previously-announced 2018 shows.

The additional cancellations also comes as tabloid headlines swirl about frontman Evan Felker’s previous relationship with Miranda Lambert. Miranda told The Tennessean on Friday (8-24) that she is single, fueling speculation that the cancellations are due to the split. But representatives for the band insist Evan Felker’s health is the reason.

The Turnpike Troubadours have a full slate of live shows on their calendar for the rest of 2018, including the Medicine Stone Festival in Oklahoma they help host with Jason Boland in mid September, and a two-night stint at ACL Live in Austin November 30th and December 1st. They’re also playing Mile 0 Fest in Key West, FL in January 2019 (see full tour dates).

© 2023 Saving Country Music