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Toby Keith kicked off the first of three nights in Las Vegas on Sunday night (December 10), marking his first shows in years amid his ongoing cancer battle. The beloved country music icon shared photos on Instagram — writing in his caption that he’s “ready for ya, Vegas” — as he geared up for the first performance. Keith said in an Instagram caption on Monday (December 11) that it “was a triumphant return,” to the stage. “One hell of a night in Vegas. Ready to do it all over again tonight.”
Keith, 62, announced in October that he would play two back-to-back nights in Las Vegas, in the midst of the National Finals Rodeo event. Keith said at that time that he’d “never been off a year in my life.” After two years away from touring, he said he was ready to “get the band back in sync (and) get me rolling again.”
Soon after announcing the first two performance dates — which “completely sold out” — Keith revealed plans for a third and final Vegas show. The next show is set for Monday night, and the third and final concert is set for Thursday (December 14) at Dolby Live at Park MGM.
Keith revealed in June 2022 that he’d been battling stomach cancer, and would take time off to rest and recover. He was diagnosed in the fall of 2021. When he arrived at the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards in late September, where he was honored with the first-ever Country Music Icon Award, Keith shared that he was feeling “pretty good.” He said the cancer battle had been “a little bit of a roller coaster,” but “I feel good today.”