Hardy Returns to the Stage for the First Time Since Being Hospitalized for Panic Attacks

 Hardy had an emotional return to the stage following his hospitalization for “serious anxiety” and panic attacks.

The “Wait in the Truck” singer took the stage Thursday night at First National Bank Arena on the campus of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, where the 33-year-old country star thanked the boisterous crowd for the support amid a recent health scare that landed him in the hospital and forced him to cancel a handful of shows of his tour.

“I’m going to try to get through this next without crying. Holy s**t,” Hardy began telling the crowd. “First and foremost I wanna let everybody know I’m OK. I’m dealing with some stuff right now and I really hate that I had to do what I had to do last weekend, cancel shows. But it’s something that I had to do for myself, and if you know me, you know how hard that was for me because I like to work.”

“I’ve experienced more love and positive words, positive vibes, prayers, thoughts from y’all in the past two weeks than I have ever experienced in my life,” the crooner continued. “There’s something like anxiety and depression people want to be embarrassed about it. I don’t know why because it’s real. It sucks and it’s terrifying and if anybody in this room has ever truly been through that I know for a fact that you would agree with me. Because it’s a very real thing. But I want you guys to know that I’m OK and I’m going to be OK and I’ve been experiencing a lot of anxiety onstage, off of stage, and I’m actually having a great night tonight, by the way.” 

Following the crowd’s roar of approval and appreciation, Hardy expressed being nervous about his return to the stage.

“I’m not going to lie, I was really nervous before I walked on the stage,” he said. “It might hit me before the show is over but as I got on the stage, something in my brain said, ‘This is what you’re meant to do and you’re meant to be here tonight.’” 

Hardy, who is currently on tour in support of his album, The Mockingbird & The Crow, shared that the anxiety stems from still working through the fallout of being hospitalized following an accident involving his tour bus last October. 

He and some of his tour team were traveling to Nashville after performing at a show in Bristol, Tennessee, when the bus overturned on a stretch of Interstate 40 West in Nashville, and all four people on the tour bus needed to be treated for “significant injuries.”

Hardy addressed the accident while speaking directly to his fans ahead of canceling several shows.

“I need to be honest with everyone for a second. I’ve been dealing with some serious anxiety since the bus accident last year and over the last two weeks, it has taken control of my life,” he wrote in his note to fans. “It’s caused me to suffer many panic attacks which have landed me in the hospital. I need a moment to focus on me and to make myself better for my wife, family and you, the fans.”

Hardy has 23 more dates on his tour schedule. He’s set to perform Friday night at Raising Cane’s River Center Arena in Baton Rogue, Louisiana.

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