“Tour Isn’t A Vacation” – Ella Langley Shares Message About The Realities Of Life On The Road Following Backlash Over Canceled Tour Dates

Reminding folks that this is a job, and a challenging one that requires sacrifice.

Yesterday, Ella Langley made the tough decision to take some time off touring to prioritize her own health. The “Weren’t For The Wind” singer shared a pretty lengthy post on Instagram announcing that she will be taking the rest of August off from the road to “rest and focus on health — mind, body, and heart.”

She didn’t get overly specific as to her reasoning, aside from saying she’s been fighting sickness, explaining that, in general, she feels overwhelmed and needs some time off. She also quoted the Bible verse Matthew 11:28, which talks about being “weary and burdened,” so it would seem to me this might have more to do with something mental and emotional, in addition to any physical sickness she might be fighting.

The post read as follows:

“I’m so sad to be posting this. The past several weeks have been tough. I’ve been fighting sickness and feeling more run down than ever. After a lot of thought, I’ve made the hard decision to take a couple of weeks to rest and focus on my health — mind, body, and heart.

I want to be fully present for all the moments ahead, and I know I can’t do that without first taking care of myself. Sometimes we have to listen when our bodies and hearts are telling us to slow down. I’m so grateful for your understanding and your love — it truly means the world to me. ‘Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’ Matthew 11:28.”

She also shared the list of shows she will be missing with Riley Green and Morgan Wallen, but says she will be back on the road in September:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ella Langley (@ellalangleymusic)

No artist takes a decision like this lightly, and it’s often the last resort when canceling multiple shows. But given the whirlwind year that Langley has had, it’s necessary to take a step back at times to protect all that you’ve worked for.

Earlier this summer, she scored her second #1 hit with “Weren’t For the Wind,” following her mega viral hit with Riley Green “You Look Like You Love Me.” Of course, in addition to her success in music, Ella has been dealing with rumors about her personal life, which reached a fever pitch around the time of the ACM Awards in May. Rumors started swirling about what may or may not be going on between Ella and Riley Green. While she obviously didn’t say anything about him or anything having to do with him in her statement, I’m sure fans are cooking up theories that these rumors and speculations might be involved in her needing to take a pause.

This is also not the first time Langley has mentioned struggling mentally. During the ACM Awards, she candidly shared that, despite being the most nominated artist and expected to be riding high, she was struggling.

“I won’t lie, this last week has been probably one of the toughest mental health weeks I’ve had in a long, in a long time. Which is crazy because so many good things are happening, so many things I’ve prayed for and dreamed about. It’s just a struggle, it’s a disease in my family, really. I think it’s important to talk about it and to share that, just because I might seem like that, I’m on top of a mountain right now, doesn’t mean that I look like that all the time.”

Her transparency is something that fans should value, as she ensures the best version of herself is always on stage. However, that did not stop some fans from leaving nasty comments about her taking a break from touring after posting her statement yesterday, August 11th.

The fact that some people were shaming her in various comment sections for taking a break is vile. An artist is not some show pony whose sole purpose is to perform for your pleasure. They are real people, they have real emotions, they go through real sh** just like you do, so the nasty words breaking her down even more after she made this extremely difficult decision to step away is truly disgusting. Yes, it’s unfortunate that some plans might be ruined, but it is not the end of the world, people.

About 12 hours after Langley shared her announcement, she must have been feeling some similar frustrations and shared a post from licensed therapist Daniel Rinaldi, which painted the reality of what life on the road looks like. The graphic reads as follows:

“Touring isn’t a vacation.
It’s missing birthdays over bad venue WiFi.
It’s watching friends get married on FaceTime.
It’s anniversaries spent at truck stops and loading docks.
It’s sleeping in a van while your family celebrates without you.

Tour is waking up in a different city- but still feeling ‘stuck’ while everyone else seems to move on. 
It’s watching your people build a life… while you’re just trying to stay awake for soundcheck.

Yeah, it’s a dream. But it’s also grief, disconnection, and emotional whiplash. This is really hard.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Daniel Rinaldi, LMHC (@danielrinaldilmhc)

In addition to the graphic, Rinaldi expands on these thoughts in the caption, adding:

“Tour isn’t just the dream. It’s also the sacrifice.
It’s missing moments you’ll never get back while pretending you’re fine backstage.
If you’re grieving the life you’re not living while chasing the one you are
you’re not weak, you’re human.”

The post resonated with many musicians outside of Langley, with artists like Ashley McBryde commenting, “Well said,” on the post. While touring as an artist, the dream at the end of the day also comes with a lot of pros, but the cons on this list serve as a subtle reminder that life on the road is not as rock and roll as it always seems. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart. And thankfully, musicians and entertainers are a little more comfortable prioritizing their well being these days, rather than just pushing it down and pushing through, medicating with drugs or alcohol, and in some tragic cases, even worse ways of dealing with the stresses of life on the road.

I know I could not do it.

Ella Langley’s resharing of this message is a reminder to be gentle with artists when they make the difficult decision to take a break. It’s the last thing they want to do, and when it comes to that point, many of them are feeling what is described in Rinaldi’s graphic.

Spread a little more kindness and positivity out there, folks, and don’t rip Ella Langley apart for doing what’s best for her…The post “Tour Isn’t A Vacation” – Ella Langley Shares Message About The Realities Of Life On The Road Following Backlash Over Canceled Tour Dates first appeared on Whiskey Riff.