Bret Michaels Undergoes Kidney Stone Surgery at 63 After 7 Days of Intense Pain

Q: Why did Bret Michaels keep performing through a week of kidney stone pain, and will the health scare alter his tour plans?

Bret Michaels kept performing because, by his own account, he tried to “wait out” the kidney stone for nearly a week and, “as usual,” pushed through the pain to avoid missing shows for fans, including a private concert for veterans, active-duty service members and their families at Fairchild Air Force Base. He said the pain grew severe but did not become unmanageable until the morning after the Spokane performance, when he was admitted to the hospital because the stone would not pass. For now, there is no indication that the health scare has formally changed his tour schedule. Michaels said the procedure was completed successfully, that he is out of post-op recovery, and that he hopes to return to performing as soon as he has a “complete clean bill of health.” His next public date remains July 31 in Belleville, Illinois, with North American shows still booked through September, though any final decision would depend on medical clearance. His public updates suggest he intends to resume quickly rather than cancel broadly. At the same time, he has left room for flexibility by tying his return explicitly to recovery and doctors’ approval. So the immediate answer is that he performed out of professional commitment and habit, and while he plans to continue touring, any short-term adjustments will hinge on how fast he is cleared to get back onstage.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 25

Bret Michaels said he is recovering after a procedure removed a kidney stone that would not pass on its own, leaving him out of post-op and aiming to return to shows soon.
Nearly 7 days of pain led to the surgery after Michaels played three concerts in Charleston, Grantville and Spokane before going straight from the last show to the hospital.
The 63-year-old first told fans on July 19 that the stone was "kicking my butt" at the end of his Fairchild AFB performance, but said he kept playing through the discomfort.
In his Facebook update, Michaels thanked doctors, nurses, family, friends and fans, while supporters flooded the comments with recovery wishes.