Barry Manilow has been plagued with health issues since his cancer surgery in December.  And it seems he isn’t completely out of the woods.  He recently stopped a show mid-way due to “technical and vocal problems”, and then he cancelled a few others.  Now he has stepped away from what was billed as The Last Concerts.  “Hi everybody – Barry here.  And I want you to be the first to know that we’re going to take a quick break.  We just finished a fantastic summer tour.  29 shows in 68 days.  The shows were fantastic.  The audiences were fantastic.  And I sounded fantastic.  But it seems that we were pushing a little too hard.”  Feel better, Barry!

For months, people have been speculating about Gladys Knight’s mental acuity.  Her recent shows have been marred by mental lapses, a frail appearance, and the need for an enormous amount of help from her backup singers – who often had to sing lead.  Last week, Knight made an announcement: “After much soul searching I’ve decided that I will be easing into fewer performances while focusing on transitioning into the next stage of my career and life moving forward.”  And there’s your headline – Gladys Knight – Transitioning!