Barry Manilow has been working on his voice for the past six months. But he used his hands to open his return to the stage.
The 82-year-old superstar performed his first show since December at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro Arena. According to reports, Manilow took to the piano to open the show, playing a medley of his immediately recognizable hits, including “Could It Be Magic,” “Mandy,” “Copacabana (at the Copa)” and “I Write the Songs.”
Video of the performance showed Manilow in characteristic mastery of the stage. He said to the sold-out crowd of 14,000, “Looks like we made it.”
Seated on a stool, Manilow then told the crowd how he made it through his rehab period.
“After I got over the shock, you know what I did? I blasted The Beatles’ albums over and over and over,” he said as the crowd cheered, in a video captured from the show. “My husband (and manager, Garry Kief) said he was going to leave me if I didn’t stop. The dogs were howling. But I was very lucky, very lucky, no chemo, no radiation. You know what they did with that tumor? They threw that f——— thing in the garbage!”
Manilow also shared he’s not finished in his full recovery, bolstered by his worldwide following of “Fanilows.”
“But it’s still a long ride. You know what got me through? Hundreds and hundreds of notes and texts and letters from people all over the world telling me they were thinking of me, wishing me well, praying for me,” Manilow said. “And if you were one of those beautiful people, really, it was you that got me through those scary, scary times. I thank you.”
Manilow’s next stop on his 13-date tour is Thursday in Leeds. He is due back at Westgate on July 10 and 11. His final shows prior to the surgery were five Christmas performances at McCallum Theater in Palm Desert, California, ending Dec. 22. His most recent show at Westgate was Dec. 13, the close of his holiday run.
@barrymanilow once again showed to me he is a master showman and thanks to @OVOHydro for yet another amazing experience seeing this legendary singer for the fifth time, second at this amazing venue. 😍😍😍 pic.twitter.com/1V7638iF0P
— Cryptic/Chaos Kitty (@TheCryptic1991) June 10, 2026
Social posts from Glasgow show Manilow in impressive voice and dancing happily, especially in “Copacabana,” a favorite at Westgate. Wearing a sparkly purple blazer, he sang “I Made it Through the Rain,” seated for the first verse, his eyes closed as if he were feeling the lyrics.
Manilow has powered through his lengthy physical therapy program after doctors removed a cancerous spot from his left lung at the end of last year. He expressed concern that his voice would not return on “Good Morning America” last month.
“My voice, I don’t know whether it’s coming back,” he told interviewer Chris Connolly. “I did my first sound check about a month ago, and I didn’t sound like me at all. I just couldn’t believe that it’s over.”
But the generation-spanning hitmaker is playing full shows, with more than a dozen on the road. And, in Las Vegas, Manilow has played more dates in the room made famous by Elvis than anyone, including the King.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykatson X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.