Mississippi misstep: Will Morgan Wallen make his Tampa show?
Controversy continues to dog country singer Morgan Wallen, who’s scheduled to perform next week at the Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa.
More than 60,000 fans packed the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi Sunday for a concert headlined by the “Wasted on You” performer. They bought merch, they bought food and drinks, and they sat through opening sets by Hardy, Ernest and Nate Smith.
Five minutes before the 29-year-old Wallen’s scheduled appearance onstage, this message appeared on the oversized, stage-side video screen:
Ladies & gentlemen, unfortunately Morgan has lost his voice and is unable to perform tonight – therefore tonight’s show has been cancelled. Please make your way safely to the stadium exits. Refunds for tonights [sic] event will be available at point of purchase.
The singer later posted a personal note on his Instagram page, claiming he’d been on vocal rest all day. “I am so sorry,” he said. “I promise you guys I tried everything I could.”
The Tennessee native rose to fame as a contestant on TV’s The Voice in 2014. His second album, Dangerous, spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
It has, however, been a bumpy ride. During the height of the pandemic, in 2020, a Tik Tok video surfaced showing him drinking and making out with a woman in a bar, surrounded by patrons not wearing masks.
Saturday Night Live canceled Wallen’s imminent appearance, although he did perform on the show later, and acted in a skit making light of the incident.
He was arrested in Nashville that year for public intoxication and disorderly conduct.
In 2021, another video appeared on TMZ, with Wallen using a racial slur (the “N” word). His record label suspended him, and his music was temporarily removed from most streaming services. He was banned that year from the American Music Awards.
His record sales surged following the incident.
Wallen’s One Night at a Time tour resumes in Florida next week, with dates in Jacksonville (May 4), West Palm Beach (May 5) and at the Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheatre May 6. The concert is officially sold out, but “resale” tickets may be available.
