Lady A is taking a step back from the road to make sure one of their own can stay focused on getting healthy.
On Thursday, the country band, formerly known as Lady Antebellum, announced they are postponing their Request Line Tour immediately so that Charles Kelley (far left) can pursue his “journey to sobriety.” In an official statement on social media, the group, including Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, revealed:
“We have decided to postpone our Request Line Tour until next year. Being on the road with our fans is our greatest joy, so it was a hard but important decision to make.”
Lady A was set to start their 2022 shows with a two-night stint at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on August 13 and 14. They have postponed all their shows through October.
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Despite having to make a difficult decision and upset a lot of fans, the Need You Now performers knew this was the appropriate step to take for the 40-year-old singer, adding:
“We are a band, but more importantly…we’re family. We’re proud to say that Charles has embarked on a journey to sobriety. So, right now in order to be the healthiest, strongest and most creative band we can be, Lady A will take the time with the support of our families and team of professionals to walk through this together. It’s early on this road, but we are determined to do what will best set us up for many more years together. We’re grateful for your patience.”
Love that they are sticking by his side!! Sobriety can be extremely tough, so the fact that Charles has the support of his friends, bandmates, and team is so important! While Lady A will be taking some time to regroup, they plan on coming back stronger than ever next year, insisting:
“We’re looking forward to making 2023 our best year yet!”
We cannot wait to see what they have in store for us all once they’re ready! Check out their full message (below)!
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Kelley has been previously been open about wanting to stay alcohol-free, though he has yet to address today’s big news. In fact, earlier this week, he teased ahead of the release of the band’s new song, Told You I Could Drink:
“Fired up for this one @breland @ladya #toldyouicoulddrink . Ironic since I stopped drinking haha”
Back in 2019, he also got candid about another song, Be Patient With My Love, that caused him to get incredibly “vulnerable” while writing. He told Apple Music:
“It is my story over the past few years, just really kind of struggling with finding my direction and what I want out of this life. We’d been a band for 12, 13 years, and I’ve been married now for 10 years. You kind of get to this point where you’re like, ‘All right, where is this going? Is it going to be the same?’ I just needed a reset, and around this time I really was struggling with my spirituality. I was struggling with my drinking, all of it, and just chasing after something.”
We’re sending him lots of love as he embarks on this journey!
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
