Jason Aldean is reportedly on the mend after suffering a heat-related health emergency during last night’s concert at the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford, CT.
In footage one concert-goer named Sarah Jane Williams uploaded to Twitter from the July 15 stop of the Highway Desperado Tour, the singer stumbles back from the microphone mid-song, appearing to wipe his sweaty face on his shirt sleeve. He lunges back toward the mic and manages to spit a couple more words of the song out before turning on his heel and running off stage, guitar in hand.
According to another attendee on the social media platform, the 46-year-old still had nine songs to go when he cut things short, and the audience was left in the dark—both literally and figuratively—for about twenty minutes, until it was announced that the show would not be moving forward that evening.
#JasonAldean runs off stage at the #xfinitytheatre show in #HartfordCT. Poor guy. It was hotter than hell. It was bad enough just standing in the pit. I can’t imagine performing in jeans, boots, and hat under all those lights in that humidity with no breeze. Hope he’s okay! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/upwFybMjvS
— K.C. Schweizer (@kc_schweizer) July 16, 2023
“Poor guy. It was hotter than hell. It was bad enough just standing in the pit,” another fan by the name of K.C. Schweizer wrote. “I can’t imagine performing in jeans, boots, and hat under all those lights in that humidity with no breeze. Hope he’s okay!”
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Several others made note of the horrible heat and humidity as well, with one replying, “It was so hot in there last night. We were sweating just standing still, I can’t imagine how it was for them up there,” and suspected he had likely come down with heat exhaustion which, according to the CDC, is typically characterized by headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, excessive sweating, and increased thirst, among other symptoms.
Earlier today, July 16, the venue shared an update on Twitter, which Aldean’s account retweeted. They confirmed that the show would go on again at a yet-to-be-determined date and that Aldean had “experience[ed] heat stroke” in the middle of last night’s performance.
An update on Jason Aldean at Xfinity Theatre pic.twitter.com/AazUm1jala
— Xfinity Theatre (@XFINITYTheatre) July 16, 2023
Heat stroke is the stage that follows heat exhaustion and is much more severe. A person experiencing heat stroke can no longer control their temperature, which includes a failure in the body’s ability to adequately produce sweat. Symptoms can include altered mental status, slurred speech, seizures, and even a loss of consciousness. If a person doesn’t seek emergency medical treatment immediately, heat stroke is often fatal.
It’s unclear at this time if he sought medical attention, but the venue reports that he is “doing well” now.
The incident also sparked a great debate about artists’ health and well-being, and many tweets criticized him for leaving fans hanging that night.
“Even though the #JasonAldean show was cut short tonight, he still put his all into the songs he did perform which made the night worthwhile. An artist’s health and well-being are so important but is often overlooked. These guys aren’t machines. They’re humans too,” Schweizer later added.
It wouldn’t have done anyone any good if he had waited to collapse right there on stage!
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