"I have to take this time to replenish my mind and body so that I can come back stronger and healthier than before."
Orville Peck (Image: Supplied/Gordon Nicholas)
One day after launching his latest headlining tour with a sold-out performance at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Orville Peck has announced he’s postponing all of his upcoming tour dates.
In a message posted to his Instagram page, Peck writes, “I am completely heartbroken as I share this news…. This was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, but I’ve come to realise that my current mental and physical health won’t allow me to bring you my best.”
He continued, “My fans mean the absolute world to me, and I am so incredibly thankful to every single person who has bought a ticket to come and see us play, I do not take it for granted. Being on stage is my favourite thing in the world. But I have to take this time to replenish my mind and body so that I can come back stronger and healthier than before, in order to do what I love for many years to come. I truly hope you can understand.”
The announcement is not specific as to which of Peck’s upcoming shows will be postponed. He had a busy Pride month planned. He’d already performed at WeHo Pride in West Hollywood, California, and the Madison Square Garden show was tied to New York’s Pride. He was set to perform June 22 at Spring Hill Arts Gathering in Connecticut and June 25 at Seattle’s queer/pride festival.
Spring Hill Arts Gathering wrote on social media, “Due to circumstances beyond SHAG's control, Orville Peck will not be performing on Opening Night tomorrow. A special guest will now perform a headline set following Ida Mae.”
Peck has also been removed from Seattle’s queer/pride festival promotional poster.
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Peck’s website has yet to be updated with the cancelled tour dates. It lists additional numerous dates in July and August including the Winnipeg Folk Festival in Oakbank, Canada and Hinterland Music Festival in Saint Charles, Iowa.
Peck recently was a part of My Kind of Country, the eight-part music competition series executively produced by actress Reese Witherspoon and singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves, breaking down barriers in country music by providing an extraordinary opportunity to diverse artists from around the world. He was joined by fellow scouts Jimmie Allen and Mickey Guyton.
Micaela Kleinsmith was crowned the winner, and received a life-changing experience from Apple, including global exposure across the Apple TV+ and Apple Music platforms.
"I feel like that entire finale was a blur for me. I completely blanked out, even during the performance," Kleinsmith told PEOPLE. "I felt like I was taken to a different place while I was performing. But I was very shocked. I will say that much. I was incredibly shocked. I was so ready for them to say anybody else's name."
"From the moment I met Micaela, I knew really, truly, genuinely, that Micaela was definitely going to the finale because I think there's something very beautifully authentic about her," Peck said. "All of us, the scouts, we just became completely blown away by her talent."
"Seeing the progression each week, each episode, of Micaela gaining more confidence and showing us all these different sides to her? I remember at my workshop when Micaela did her original song, I knew then. I was like, 'Well, this is someone so special.' It really was undeniable at that point," he added.
Peck’s last release was the 2022 album, Bronco. It was nominated for ‘Country Album of the Year’ at the Juno Awards of 2023 and was longlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize. Bronco follows his debut album Pony (2019) and EP Show Pony (2020).
Keep up to date with Orville Peck on his Facebook page here.