“I Knew Something Was Pretty Wrong”: Parker McCollum Shares Update and Explains Why He Cancelled His Pennsylvania Show

After being forced to cut his Pennsylvania show short on Saturday (January 25th) due to illness, Parker McCollum has taken to social media to offer fans an update on his wellbeing, as well as reiterating his promise to schedule a make-up show in the near future.

Via a video message, the ‘Burn It Down’ hitmaker has explained that he started feeling sick prior to starting his set while spending time with fans, “Hey guys, Parker here. Just wanted to give y'all kind of a quick update as to what happened Saturday night in Pennsylvania at Penn State. Long story short, I was in a Meet-and-Greet before the show, and I had about two people left, and all of a sudden just out of nowhere - bam, I felt it in my stomach. I said, ‘Man, I’m about to be very, very sick’.

McCollum went on, “I knew something was pretty wrong, and spent about an hour sitting with my head in my lap, trying to kind of make myself throw up just to try to see if that would make me feel better. I couldn’t really do it. Show-time rolled around, and decided to try to give it a go. Got out there, felt okay the first couple of songs, and then the more I was singing and pushing, you know, it became apparent...and I'm sure y'all could tell in the crowd that I was not doing well up there”.

When he had to announce to attendees mid-set that he was unable to continue, the Texan repeatedly and sincerely expressed how sorry he was to curtail the show, with Parker McCollum visibly upset at having to disappoint ticket-holders.

The ‘Ain't Going Nowhere’ singer-songwriter has echoed these sentiments in his video message, stressing that this was a first for him, “I’ve never had to walk off stage in the middle of a show in all the years I’ve been doing this. That was absolutely the worst thing ever to have to end a show like that, especially so early in the night”.

Back in 2023 at Country Thunder Florida, Parker McCollum famously threw up side-stage during the show, before battling on and returning to complete his performance. McCollum drew plaudits for powering through his sickness on that occasion, and it's safe to say that if there was any chance he could have finished his set in Pennsylvania this past weekend, the country chart-topper would have found a way.

Fans have therefore been sympathising with the ‘Pretty Heart’ crooner, who has emphasised his gratitude for all those who have reached out and shared their well wishes.

Parker McCollum has underlined, “I cannot tell y'all how much I appreciate y'all being so understanding. I'm sure that's not how anybody wanted it to go, it's certainly not how I wanted it to go. But I just didn't have a choice. As soon as I walked off-stage, I walked straight to my bus - I didn't even make it to my bus. I was in the bushes for about ten minutes, just as violently sick as I have ever been in my entire life. Spent about the next 48 hours basically in the foetal position...just incredibly sick, as unbelievably ill as I have been in my entire life. I wish that on nobody”.

Thankfully, it looks like Parker McCollum is on the road to recovery, “Feeling a little better now. I think we'll be good to go for this weekend in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine, but that was the first weekend of the What Kinda Man Tour - not how I wanted it to go. I just really appreciate all the fans there in Pennsylvania for showing up. The crowd was electric, the arena was sold out and, you know, everything was kind of teed up to have a great show and end that first weekend of the tour on such a great note, and it could not have been more of the opposite”.

McCollum then offered another heartfelt tribute to his loyal fans, “So again, I appreciate you guys understanding. You have my word, we are working on a date sometime this year to come back and make that show up to you guys. I really appreciate, you know, the support and everybody reaching out and checking on me”.

Parker McCollum concluded, “I'm getting a lot better, not 100% yet, wish I was. Certainly I think by tomorrow I'll probably be back on top of my game. But man, I just wanted to say thank you, and let y'all know we are going to come back and make it up. As soon as I have that date, I'll get back on here and let you guys know when that make-up show will be. But man, just again, thank you for understanding, that was incredibly tough for me, and I just hated to disappoint you guys. So as soon as we have the date, I'll let you know, and thank you guys. God bless. Peace”.

After kicking off his eagerly awaited 2025 run on Thursday, January 23rd in Athens, Georgia, Parker McCollum is due to resume his What Kinda Man Tour this weekend with dates on the books at Rhode Island's Ryan Center, Massachusetts’ Cross Insurance Arena and Maine's Mullin Center from January 30th to February 1st.

The sprawling run of shows features an array of up-and-coming artists as support, with McCollum joined by Kameron Marlowe and Laci Kaye Booth for this weekend's triple-header.

The wildly popular tour takes its name from the recent single, ‘What Kinda Man’, which is expected to feature on McCollum's keenly anticipated new album. The multiple ACM Award-winner has been hinting at a return to the sparser, more alt-country feel of his debut project, The Limestone Kid, in recent months.

For more on Parker McCollum, see below: