The country star says he is “ready” to hit the stage again later this year: “That’s living”
Toby Keith has a health update for his fans.
The “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” crooner, 61, who shared that he was diagnosed with stomach cancer a year ago, said he hopes to hit the road again soon.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” the country star told The Oklahoman at a gala ahead of his Toby Keith & Friends Golf Tournament on June 2. “Basically, everything is in a real positive trend.”
Keith added, “You never know with cancer, so you have to prepare.”
The star said he wants to be touring again by the end of the year — as long as he can muster the energy for a full-length show.
“I’ve got more wind,” he told the outlet. “And I’m thinking about bringing the band in and setting up, playing two or three days somewhere just to see if I can get through two hours.”
If he’s able to do so, Keith said, he’ll be “out on the road this fall.”
He added, “All I gotta do is see if I can get through two or three nights of work and get a little break in this chemo, and we’ll go back to work.”
“I’m ready,” the “Beer for My Horses” singer said. “That’s living.”
Still undergoing chemotherapy for his stomach cancer, Keith said that he not only feels “better,” but that his blood tests have been improving and his tumor has shrunk by a third, The Oklahoman reports.
“I’m about another eight weeks from my last scan,” the country musician said. “So I expect next time I look for that tumor to be even less — and I’ve only got one that’s shown up.”
The Unleashed musician also said that he is currently receiving immunotherapy treatment and seeing a nutritionist.
This health update is only the second Keith has shared publicly since revealing his diagnosis. Last December, the “Red Solo Cup” singer expressed the same desire to tour again as soon as possible in an interview with CMT Hot 20 Countdown.
“I need a little bit of time to just rest up and heal up,” he said in the interview.
“It’s pretty debilitating to have to go through all that, but as long as everything stays hunky-dory, then we’ll look at something good in the future,” Keith added.
Keith first revealed his stomach cancer diagnosis — which he received in fall of 2021 — last June via an Instagram post. “I’ve spent the last six months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery,” he wrote in the post. “So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax.”
He continued, “I am looking forward to spending this time with my family. But I will see the fans sooner than later. I can’t wait. -T.”
Later that week, the country star thanked his fans for their response to the news. “Thank you for all your love and support,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “I have the best fans in the world. – T.”
