Since disclosing his cancer diagnosis in June 2022, the country singer’s performances in Oklahoma marked his first since then.
Toby Keith proudly performed on stage for the first time since confirming his stomach cancer diagnosis last summer over the holiday weekend. He performed two unannounced shows.
The 61-year-old country singer sang two 2.5-hour shows on June 30 and July 1 at Hollywood Corners, the bar and music venue he owns in Norman, Oklahoma.
On July 1, he said on his Instagram account, “Toby’s first rehearsal turned into a 212-hour pop-up show.” Both the Bus Songs and all the singles were performed by him.
The next night, Keith posted once more, this time sharing additional pictures of himself laughing and playing a guitar with longtime friend and business partner Scotty Emerick.
Keith announced in June 2022 that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer the previous fall and was undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. The events were his first set of concerts since that announcement.
Last month, the “I Love This Bar” singer provided The Oklahoman with an update on his health. He said he was “feeling pretty good” and planned to resume touring by the end of the year, assuming he could keep up his strength.
“Everything is generally going in a really good way. You never know with cancer, so you need to be prepared, he advised. I’ve got more wind. To determine if I can make it through two hours, I’m thinking about setting up shop with the band and playing somewhere for two or three days.
We’ll pick up where we left off once I’ve completed two or three nights of work and taken a brief vacation from this treatment, he continued.
Keith, who is still undergoing chemotherapy, reports that his blood tests are improving and that his tumor has decreased by around a third. He also mentioned that he was receiving immunotherapy and consulted a nutritionist.
The musician had expressed an interest in performing once his health had returned, but as he told CMT in December, he needed “a little bit of time to just rest up and heal up” before doing so.
