Morgan Wallen is back, and better than ever. The Tennessee native returned to performing on his One Night At A Time World Tour, after being placed on six weeks of vocal rest, with two back-to-back performances at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
“Thank you for the kind welcome, that means a lot to me. ‘About six weeks ago, I wasn’t really sure when I was gonna be able to sing again, but WE BACK!” Wallen said from stage. “I see more of y’all’s support, so I could not make it through without everything y’all do for me, so thank you. I’m really, really happy to be here. Thank you so much for showing up.”
For the second night of Wallen’s Chicago shows, the “Last Night” singer was joined by students from local high schools, on hand as he presented a check for $100,000 from his The Morgan Wallen Foundation, for the revitalization of South Chicago’s Bessemer Park baseball field. His donation was combined with a previous $150,000 donation from Cubs Charities, which together will contribute to a fully upgraded diamond with a new backstop, side wings and dugouts, including extended side wings, as well as rehabilitating the playing surface for multiple levels of play.
Photo Credit: David Lehr
“Our mission with the Morgan Wallen Foundation is to support youth programs in the areas of sports and music,” Wallen said. “We are thrilled to donate $100,000 to Bessemer Park to give the kids a place to play ball here in South Chicago. This donation combined with being back on stage performing for my fans tonight at Wrigley is a true double-header for me.”
In May, after he had previously postponed a weekend of shows due to vocal problems, Wallen announced that he was being forced to cancel or postpone several dates on his One Night At A Time World Tour, due to ongoing vocal problems.
“I got some bad news from my doctors at the Vanderbilt Voice Center yesterday,” Wallen said in a video shared on social media. “After taking ten days of vocal rest, I performed three shows last weekend in Florida, and by the third one, I felt terrible. So I went in and got scoped yesterday, and they told me that I reinjured my vocal folds, and that I have vocal trauma. Their advice is that I go on vocal rest for six weeks, so that’s what I’m gonna do. They want me not to talk at all, but they said if I need to, it’s okay for something like this.”
— morgan wallen (@MorganWallen) May 9, 2023
Although disappointing, the 30-year-old was willing to make the sacrifice for the sake of the rest of his career.
“They told me that if I do this the right way, that I’ll be back to 100 percent,” Wallen said. “And they also said that if I don’t listen, and I keep singing, that I’ll permanently damage my voice. So for the longevity of my career, this is just the choice I had to make. I hate it, but I love you guys, and I appreciate all the support that you always give me. I’ll see you soon, and I’ll be back better than ever.”
Find music and tour dates at MorganWallen.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of EB Media / Matthew Paskert