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Kelsea Ballerini disappointed and concerned her fans when she unexpectantly cut a concert short after performing just a few songs.
The country star and new coach on The Voice was in Buffalo, New York, after a stop in Detroit for her Kelsea Ballerini Live Tour.
“I have been sick. I’m feeling physically much better,” Ballerini, 31, told the audience, videos shared on social media show.
The “Love Me Like You Mean It” singer explained that while she was suffering from the flu, she was physically “thriving.” Still, she warned, “I need your help tonight, as much as you’re willing to give me,” but promised to give it her all in return. “There was no world that I wasn’t going to get on this stage tonight and give you everything I have.”
Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ABA
After less than 20 minutes of performing, however, Ballerini exited the stage and a representative came on. “This is the conversation I did not want to have tonight,” he told attendees. “She just can’t finish. She is too sick.”
Ballerini later explained on social media what happened behind the scenes.
“Buffalo, I am so so, so sorry that I could not finish the show tonight,” she said. “I am sicker than I am trying to be. I didn’t want to let anyone down tonight, but I got through the first songs tonight and I couldn’t do it.”
The canceled Buffalo concert as well as two others — in Pittsburgh and Toronto — will be moved to new dates in April.
“I will make them the best shows I have ever played in my life,” she said. “I hope you understand, and thank you for the grace to be human, and I love you.”
Ballerini is set to return to the stage on Monday, February 10 in Philadelphia. Alongside her North American tour, she has also joined Season 27 of The Voice as a coach, which premiered on Monday, February 3.
