Tammie Arroyo/Variety via Getty
The country legend — who was accepting the Country Icon Award — toldE! Newsthat his cancer struggle is “a little bit of a roller coaster. You get good days and, you know, you’re up and down, up and down.”
“It’s always zero to 60 and 60 to zero but I feel good today,” he said while walking the red carpet outside Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry with wife of nearly 40 years, Tricia Lucus.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Keith, 62, revealed hisstomach cancer diagnosisin June 2022 with a statement on hisInstagram account.
“I’ve spent the last six months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery," he explained. “So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax.”
On Thursday night, singer performed his 2019 track “Don’t Let the Old Man In” for his first televised performance sincerevealing his stomach cancer diagnosis.
But before hitting the stage, he accepted the Icon award fromBlake Shelton, whohonored himfor his work as a musician, humanitarian and entrepreneur.
Mickey Bernal/NBC via Getty
“Bet you thought you’d never see me in skinny jeans,” Keith quipped, while accepting the honor. “I want to thank the almighty for allowing me to be here tonight. You’ve been riding shotgun with me for a little while.”
After thanking his family, he showed his gratitude for his team, noting that “a lot of people go into making a big career like this of 30 years.”
“Most of all I want to thank the fans for still allowing us to do what we do,” he added.
“Basically, everything is in a real positive trend. You never know with cancer, so you have to prepare,” he said. “I’ve got more wind. And I’m thinking about bringing the band in and setting up, playing two or three days somewhere just to see if I can get through two hours.”
He continued: “All I gotta do is see if I can get through two or three nights of work and get a little break in this chemo, and we’ll go back to work… I’m ready. That’s living.”
source: people.com
