Lionel Richie speaks onstage at the 57th NAACP Image Awards held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Feb. 28, 2026, in Los Angeles. Gilbert Flores/Variety
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After cutting his opening night short due to an unexpected dizzy spell, Lionel Richie has postponed the next two shows on his tour to focus on his health.
The news comes via a statement from Live Nation Chicago on Thursday (June 25), announcing that the five-time Billboard Hot 100-topping hitmaker’s back-to-back performances in Chicago and Columbus, Ohio, had been pushed back “under advisement by doctors to rest and return to full health.” His concert on Tuesday (June 30) in Pittsburgh is still expected to go on as planned.
“Lionel is heartbroken to postpone these two shows and cannot wait to be back performing for his fans,” it reads. “We apologize for any inconvenience this causes fans who have tickets for these two shows. Rescheduled dates will be announced soon.”
Billboard has reached out to Richie’s rep for more information.
The development comes after the American Idol judge abruptly had to sit down on stage during the opening night of his tour with Earth, Wind & Fire in St. Paul, Minn. He reportedly told the crowd that he was feeling “dizzy” but tried to persevere through the set, ultimately leaving the stage and calling for an intermission. About 40 minutes later, saxophonist Dino Soldo told the crowd that Richie would be unable to continue with the concert.
Ticketholders who’d been planning to attend Richie’s next two shows, originally slated for Friday (June 26) in Chicago and Saturday (June 27) in Columbus, have been advised that rescheduled dates will be announced soon.
See Live Nation Chicago’s statement below.
